Regarding your July 22 article "Tuition bill may surprise students," specifically the last section of the article:

At N.C. State University, there are an estimated 2,200 students who do not have health insurance and meet the insurance requirement criteria. This equates to roughly only 7 percent of the total enrolled population at NCSU; 93 percent of the student population have been covered under their own health insurance plans or under the voluntary university-sponsored plan.

With the new UNC Board of Governors health insurance requirement, this gap of 7 percent will be addressed and assist students and their families with their health care expenses.

The feedback throughout this year from parents and students regarding the BOG requirement and the new university-sponsored plan has overall been positive. The majority of parents and students who do not have health insurance currently are opting into the new plan due to its low annual premium cost coupled with its robust benefits.

Jerry Barker

Director

Student Health Services

N.C. State University

Raleigh