Nurse Advice Lines
If you are in need of health advice, have questions about your health, are uncertain if you need medical attention, or are unsure if your insurance will cover your treatment needs you have the following options:
1. If you have the HNU Student Health Insurance:
The student health insurance program provided through HNU includes access to a 24 hour nurse advice line, as well as many online resources that can help you locate a provider and or determine your level of coverage.
If you have an immediate health concern, the 24/7 Nurse Advice line is 1-800-883-2951.
Before you call the advice nurse:
- Make some notes about your symptoms (how long have you had them, have they gotten better or worse, has anything unusual happened to you recently – like you ate different food, traveled, were exposed to someone else who was sick – that it might help them to know about.
- Answer all questions honestly – they can best help you if they have all the information and will not judge any choices you have made related to your situation.
- Remember that the advice nurse will not be able to diagnose your illness or provide any prescriptions over the phone but can help you determine if you should seek further medical attention.
- If your symptoms or injury is serious and it is after regular hours know that they will likely advise you to visit the nearest emergency room as a precautionary measure.
If you need to find a provider, have questions about your coverage or how to submit a claim, you can call United Health at (1-800-767-0700) or visit their website. You can also consult the Student Health Insurance FAQ.
You will also find lots of helpful information and health and wellness resources and sign up for a free health newsletter at http://www.mystudenthealthzone.com/
2. If you are a traditional undergraduate and don’t have Student Health Insurance:
Just like the student health insurance, most major medical insurance companies provide access to a 24 hour advice nurse and/or helpline. The best way to find this information is to look at your insurance card or the website for your insurance provider.
Most companies also provide extensive online resources such as physician searches, pharmacy and prescription information, wellness resources, mental health resources and detailed coverage information.
Below are the primary websites for the most common insurance companies used by HNU students and their families. You may need to customize your search for information depending on where your primary coverage is located (Kaiser, Oakland vs. Kaiser Los Angeles for instance). If you are covered by your parents insurance and they live outside the bay area you may want to consider (and discuss with your parents) changing your medical group and or primary care provider to one in the Oakland Bay Area for the duration of your time at HNU.
If your insurance company is not listed below, simply do a search on Google or Yahoo to find the information for your insurance provider.
3. If you are an adult or graduate student who does not have insurance:
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to a variety of free clinics and organizations committed to providing health care to the underprivileged and the under- or uninsured. The Berkeley Free Clinic, The Haight Ashbury Free Clinic and the San Francisco Free Clinic are some examples. Visit the web resources page for more information.
Most Emergency Departments are required to provide care regardless of a person’s ability to pay so if you have a serious illness or injury that is one route to seeking immediate medical attention (this can be quite costly in the long run, however). Obviously if you experience a life-threatening emergency you should call 911 or go to the ER regardless of your insurance situation.
