Health Insurance for Full-Time Students

All full-time students, including visiting/exchange students, must have health insurance that meets University Insurance Criteria. Students can enroll in the University-sponsored insurance plan or they can waive the insurance if their plan meets University criteria. Requests to waive the University-sponsored insurance may be audited to verify coverage. International-based insurance plans often do not meet University criteria. See "Insurance with an International-based Company" below for more information.
Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Insurance Process: Every year all full-time students, whether new or returning, must document their health insurance coverage by completing the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver insurance Process during the appropriate open enrollment period. Students who enroll in the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan are enrolled on the plan from August 1 through July 31 (January 31 if graduating in December). Students enrolling on the University-sponsored insurance plan may enroll eligible dependents. The same deadlines apply.
Failure to complete the online process during the appropriate open enrollment period will result in automatic enrollment in the University-sponsored Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan for the full year (i.e., August 1 through July 31). Enrolling in this way is highly discouraged since it could lead to a delay in access to care during the first two months of the plan. Students will not be allowed to disenroll from the insurance plan during the plan year..

Open Enrollment Periods:

Fall Open Enrollment – June 1 – September 15. Students who will be full-time in the fall semester must complete the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Process during the fall open enrollment period. Students who are beginning their full-time studies before August 1 need to complete the enrollment/waiver process in two steps. See the note below.
Winter Open Enrollment – November 9 – January 31. Students who begin their full-time studies in January must complete the online Health Insurance Process during the winter open enrollment period. Access to the online insurance process is limited to students who are beginning full-time studies in January or who are returning to full-time status in January (i.e., return from study abroad). Students will see two charges on their tuition billing statement. The first charge will be for the month of January, and the second charge will be for February 1 through July 31.
NOTE: Study Abroad Students who are returning to campus in January after studying abroad in the fall semester must complete the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Process during the Winter Open Enrollment period (November 9 through January 30). The link is in the blue box near the top of this page.
NOTE: Students who are beginning full-time studies before August 1 must complete the Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver process in two steps. Completing both steps is necessary to assure continuation of your coverage decision from the start of your program through the academic year. Step 1 covers the beginning of your program through July 31. Step 2 covers the academic year (August 1 through July 31). Click here for instructions.

Student Health Plan - Fees

The fees for the mandatory health fee and health insurance for 2015-2016 are:
Mandatory Health Fee – – $528

Aetna Student Health Insurance – $2,460
Spouses of enrolled students – $2,460

Dependent children of enrolled students – $2,460 for one child; $4,920 for two or more children
Coverage begins on August 1st and continues through July 31st. Students who have insurance coverage that meets University Insurance Criteria can waive the health insurance fee. All full-time students must complete the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Process during the appropriate open enrollment period.

About the Student Health Plan

All full-time students participate in the Student Health Plan, which covers primary care visits to the University Health Service (UHS), time-limited therapy at the University Counseling Center (UCC), and health promotion services. The Student Health Plan includes:
Mandatory Health Fee – This fee, which is paid by all full-time students, covers visits to the University Health Service and the University Counseling Center. The mandatory health fee for 2015-2016 is $528.

Health Insurance – Students can enroll in the University-sponsored Aetna Student Health insurance or remain on their own plan if their plan meets University Insurance Criteria for coverage. for 2015-2016 is $2,460 for students. The insurance fee is $2,460 for spouses, $2,460 for one child, and $4,920 for two or more children. Spouses also pay the mandatory health fee.
About the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan – A Few Basics
Students enrolled in the UR-sponsored Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan (or those considering enrolling) are encouraged to review the list of plan benefits (i.e., services covered by the plan) and plan exclusions (i.e., services not covered by the plan) to understand what is covered and what is not covered by the plan. It is important to know when a prior referral is needed, when the deductibles apply, when you must pay part of the cost (co-insurance, co-pay) for the service, and what is not covered.
Summary of Plan Benefits: The "2015-2016 Plan Benefits and Design Summary" provides the information you need to know about the plan. The link to this document is on the University of Rochester page of the Aetna Student Health website, near the bottom of the middle column. You can contact Aetna Student Health at 800-897-7042 with questions about the insurance plan. The UHS Insurance Advisors are also available to help at insurance@uhs.rochester.edu.

A Note about Deductibles: The UR-sponsored Aetna Student Health Insurance plan has two deductibles that affect your coverage. A deductible is the specified amount of money that you must pay before the insurance company pays. The medical deductible for the plan is $125. That means you must pay the first $125 of medical expenses before the plan begins covering the cost of services you receive. The plan has a second deductible of $250 that applies only to the purchase of prescription medications. When purchasing medications, you must pay the first $250 before the plan covers the purchase of prescription medications. The medication deductible does not apply if you purchase prescription medications at a University Health Service office or if the medication is for birth control purposes; the insurance plan covers the cost fully in those two cases. The plan does not cover the cost of non-prescription medications, also known as over-the-counter (OTC), such as Tylenol™, Ibuprofen or Sudafed™.
About Aetna Student Health Insurance

Full Plan Details – For the Aetna Student Health Insurance
Aetna Navigator – For claims information, new ID cards, and other information.
Travel Assistance – 24/7 Worldwide Medical Information & Assistance

Frequently Asked Questions about Student Health Insurance: You may find this list of frequently asked question helpful in understanding the Aetna Student Health insurance plan.
Visiting & Exchange Students
Visiting and exchange students who will be studying at the University for 8 weeks or more participate in the Student Health Plan, which includes the mandatory health fee and health insurance. They receive the same services as University of Rochester full-time students. Visiting and exchange students must complete the online Health Insurance Enroll/Waive Process during the appropriate Open Enrollment period. They can enroll in the University-sponsored insurance plan or waive the insurance if their plan meets the University Insurance Criteria. These students must also complete the Health History Form.

Visiting and exchange students who will be studying at the University for less than 8 weeks do not participate in the Student Health Plan. They are welcome to come to the University Health Service (UHS) for care on a fee-for-servicebasis. These students do not complete a Health History Form.
Changing Your Insurance Status during the Plan Year
If you should experience a qualifying life event (QLE) during the year and want to enroll in the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan, please contact the UHS Insurance Advisor for assistance and the appropriate form.

You must complete the qualifying life event form within 30 days of the qualifying event. Examples of qualifying life events include: loss of coverage through your parent or spouse, birth of a child, marriage, divorce, spouse entering the U.S. mid-year.
When submitting the qualifying life event form, you must provide proof of the qualifying life event (i.e., letter from the insurance company, your visa showing your date of entry to the United States, marriage certificate, your child's birth certificate).
Insurance with an International-based Company
International-based plans often do not meet University Insurance

Criteria for waiver. For this reason, we recommend checking the University Insurance Criteria carefully before deciding to purchase insurance from an international-based company. Your plan must meet all of the University Insurance Criteria to qualify for waiver of the University-sponsored insurance.
All full-time students must complete the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Process during the appropriate open enrollment period. If your request to waive is denied, you can appeal the denial or you can enroll in the Aetna Student Health insurance plan.

If you choose to appeal the denial, you need to submit the "Insurance Verification Form for International-Based Insurance Plans Only" by September 15 (or January 30 for students beginning in January). The form is available from the UHS Insurance Advisor at insurance@uhs.rochester.edu. Your plan must meet all of the University Insurance Criteria to be considered for an appeal. A representative from the insurance company must sign the form to verify your plan meets the University Insurance

Criteria.

If you choose to enroll in the Aetna Student Health insurance plan, please write to the UHS Insurance Advisor (insurance@uhs.rochester.edu) to let her know your intention. She will re-set your account, so you can complete the online insurance process again. Include your name, student ID, and birthdate in the message and «Re-set Aetna account» in the subject line.
Insurance for Graduating Students
Graduating students are encouraged to check their health insurance status to assure continuing coverage and access to health care following graduation. Students enrolled in the University-sponsored Aetna Student Health insurance plan graduating in spring are covered through July 31. Most fall graduates are covered through January 31. Simon Fall graduates are covered through December 31. For information about coverage options after graduation, check "Information for Graduating Students" on this web site. If you have questions, you can write to the UHS Insurance Advisor at insurance@uhs.rochester.edu for assistance.

Health Insurance for Specific Student Groups:
Families
Domestic Partners
School of Nursing – Accelerated Bachelor's Program
Simon School ELUSC Program
Special Programs: Study Abroad & in Absentia
Dental Coverage

Dental Discount Program: Students can enroll in the Vital SavingsSM Dental Discount Program. Students do not need to be enrolled in the Aetna Student Health Insurance plan to enroll in the dental discount program. Please note this is a discount program, not dental insurance. Not all dentists offer a discount. For more information, check Dental Discount Program:.
Student Dental Plan: The Student Dental Plan previously offered by the Eastman Institute for Oral Health will not be available during the 2015-2016 academic year. Students needing dental care can schedule an appointment at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health or other dental offices. You can ask the receptionist at UHS for a list of dentists located near the University.