NC college requires COVID-19 tests for $129. Students could get stuck with the bill
Students at Elon University in North Carolina are required to take an at-home test for the coronavirus before they return to campus next month — but it could cost them $129.
The required test is administered by nearby LabCorp and will be billed to students in September, according to Elon’s website.
Elon University spokesperson Owen Covington told McClatchy News on Monday the university is “doing our best to create a workable testing plan on a short time frame.” But some say that plan could burden international and low-income students already grappling with the negative effects of a global pandemic.
“Mandating that students only use LabCorp for testing is an ethically irresponsible and (a) glaring conflict of interest, especially considering the worsening economic state of our country and the financial strain on students and families,” the Boldly Elon Solidarity Collective said in a Facebook post after university officials announced the plan.
The collective is comprised of at least nine student groups on Elon’s campus, including the College Democrats, the Asian Pacific Student Association, Students for an Equitable Elon and STEM for BLM.
Plans to reopen
Elon University is a private college about an hour west of Raleigh in central North Carolina.
It’s had at least eight laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases since the end of May — including five undergraduates and three staff members, according to the university’s coronavirus dashboard.
Elon is also well connected with LabCorp, a global network of lab testing facilities whose at-home test kit for the coronavirus received emergency use authorization from the federal government earlier this year.
Its corporate offices are located just one mile down the road from Elon’s campus, and LabCorp founder Dr. James B. Powell and his wife Anne Ellington Powell are on the board of trustees at the university. Kerrii B. Anderson, the former CEO of Wendy’s, also serves on both LabCorp’s board of directors and the Board of Trustees for Elon University.
University officials announced the “Ready & Resilient” plan in early June for faculty, students and staff to return to campus this fall, which allows for in-person instruction and modifies the semester dates. The testing partnership with LabCorp fits into the portion of the plan mandating health screening protocols.
According to a Q&A published on the university’s website Sunday, Elon chose the Pixel by LabCorp test because state and local officials aren’t equipped to test asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19.
“Elon is asking all students, faculty and staff to use the LabCorp system because of its convenience, consistent results and its ability to comply with HIPAA privacy standards and share secure healthcare information with Elon’s Health Services,” the university’s website states. “Elon does not have the medical staffing to verify test administration and results from multiple providers across the country over the short testing window prior to the opening of the academic year. A single, unified system will allow Elon to get fast results that can facilitate our student move-in process.”
Concerns over cost
Tests for people who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms are generally free or covered by insurance, according to Elon, but most asymptomatic tests such as the LabCorp test students are required to use cost upwards of $100.
The university has said it will pay for faculty and staff tests. Students won’t be required to pay anything up-front, but they will be billed for the test in September. The $129 fee “includes the cost of express shipping and expediting results directly to Elon University,” the university website states.
Students can then request reimbursement from their insurance companies or apply for a fee waiver if they face certain financial challenges, the university said. In the meantime, Elon is seeking federal funding to offset the “extra reopening costs to families and universities, including the cost of testing,” the university’s website states.
But students say the exclusive testing agreement could burden international students without access to LabCorp’s tests, students without insurance and those whose insurance carriers won’t cover the cost of asymptomatic testing.
“There are a lot of questions that students have about why they are having to pay this exorbitant amount when there’s so many free tests available,” Lucy Jones, who graduated from Elon this year, told Fox8.
University spokesperson Owen Covington told McClatchy officials created the LabCorp plan “knowing that asymptomatic testing is not readily available in all states or counties.”
“We will support students whose financial situations or personal circumstances require a fee waiver,” he said. “For those students without insurance or whose insurance does not cover the test, this plan presents an option where they do not have to pay upfront and they could qualify for a fee waiver or potentially have the cost covered if Congress were to provide additional funding for colleges.”
Covington said fee-waiver requests will be “considered on a case-by-case basis and will take into account a student’s financial situation and personal circumstances.”
Students with extenuating circumstances, such as international students, will be permitted to pay out-of-pocket for another FDA-approved PCR test, according to the university’s website.
But Covington said any student who “anticipate(s) requesting a fee waiver” should use the university-facilitated test through LabCorp.
How it works
Starting July 23, students, faculty and staff will have access to a testing portal through LabCorp that allows them to request a test kit, which can be mailed to any U.S. address, according to university officials.
The test kits are equipped with instructions for completing the swab and returning samples. Results typically take three to five days after the test kits are returned to LabCorp.
“Elon will be notified when students, faculty, or staff have ordered and shipped their tests, so the university can ensure that roughly 9,000 individuals have completed their tests prior to classes beginning,” the university’s website states. “You will not have to find a testing site, schedule an appointment, go to a testing site or wait in line.”
The university said it also plans to conduct “ongoing and random testing” throughout the fall semester, which will be paid for by Elon, according to its website.
For more information, visit Elon University’s testing requirement web page under its Ready & Resilient plan.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 3:20 PM.
