Increasing the health fee from $10 to $13 is nothing students should complain about.

For the most part most students don’t even pay the health fee.

It’s estimated that only 40 percent of the student population pays the health fee while the other 60 percent cover it through financial aid.

Unfortunately, the ongoing budget problems that the state is facing have not only forced the college to increase the health fee, but they have also been obligated to reduce the amount of services the Health Center offers.

For instance, the availability of a psychologist has been reduced from 40 hours a week to 20 hours a week.

Yes, students can get psychological counseling for only $13 a semester.

Try getting that rate with a private psychologist.

However, many other services remain intact and for $13 a semester, students receive more than what could be attained anywhere else.

The Health Center offers free Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) screenings, such as HIV testing and Chlamydia testing.

These services cost an average of $45 to $75 at private clinics. A home testing kit can go anywhere from $80 to $120.

So the new fee is a generous offer.

Students may also visit the Health Center for chiropractic needs or if they need to see a physician.

There are even pregnancy tests available for students at only $6.

Increasing the health fee by $3 is actually a good thing for the college.

After being audited by the state, the college realized that the only way for the Health Center to stay open was to increase the fee.

If the fee had stayed at its current rate, the health center would have been in an economic red zone and would have been forced to close down.

For students, there are plenty of benefits to take advantage of at the Health Center.

Some students never bother to find out what services they have available to them and spend their time at EC not knowing why they even pay a health fee.

Students just realize they have to pay the fee as part of their tuition. In the end, the Health Center benefits everyone on campus.

Students spend large amounts of money on food, coffee and other junk each year; $13 for one’s health is a reasonable rate.

If anyone has suffered from the budget crisis, it has been the Health Center staff.

Students should be thankful that for such a small amount of money, there is a place on campus to check their physical and mental health.