An $8 increase in the Health Service fee and an $8 increase in the Student Insurance fee will be introduced to Student Senate tonight.

The Health Service increase is necessary because of the rise in health care costs nationwide, said Lynette Drake, EIU Health Service Medical director.

The proposed increase for the Health Service fee would also include a provision that would lower the cap of students who have to pay the whole fee from 12 to 9 credit hours.

Right now, if a student is enrolled in less than 12 credit hours, they are not required to pay the entire Health Service fee of $82.90 per semester.

Instead, they are charged a fee based on a rate that matches the 12-semester hour, flat-fee rate of about $6.91 per credit hour.

Drake said students who enroll in nine credit hours use Health Service just as much as those who enroll in 12 credit hours.

The increase would charge students $10.10 per credit hour if they are enrolled in less than nine credit hours.

Health Service has also been in debt for four years, she said.

Drake said the debt is at $189,000, but without a fee increase it will rise to $435,000 next year.

She said with the fee increase, Health Service will be $106,000 in debt at the end of next year.

An even larger increase would have to be required if the debt was to be eliminated in one year, she said.

Student Insurance is also looking for a fee increase because of rising healthcare costs, said Lennie Heddins, Eastern’s medical insurance specialist.

She said the increase was necessary to continue to provide the plan to students.

“It is the only optional fee,” she said. “Students can elect to waive it if they have equal or greater coverage.”

In other business, a $1 per credit hour increase in the textbook rental fee will be voted on.

According to Student Senate Speaker Jeff Lange, there has been a lot of positive reaction to the proposal.

“From what I can tell we’ll see some discussion, but people are for it in the long run,” Lange said.

What fees were:

2006-2007 fees

Health Service fee $82.90

Student Insurance fee $101.95

Textbook Rental fee $7.95 per credit hour

What fees could be:

2007-2008 Proposed Fees

Health Service Fee $90.90

Student Insurance fee $109.95

Textbook Rental fee $8.95 per credit hour

Student Senate meets at 7 p.m. in the Arcola-Tuscola Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.