Student Health Insurance Requirement

Student Health Insurance Requirement
2010-2011

 Health Insurance Requirement for all Oxford Students:

Information for Continuing, New, Transfer and Reentering Students for 2010-11

THE 2010-11 STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE REQUIREMENT WAIVER SITE IS OPEN FOR ALL EMORY STUDENTS April 21- August 25, 2010 AT www.opus.emory.edu

 When uninsured/underinsured students become seriously ill or injured, their academic careers can be significantly threatened by substantial healthcare debt, disability or both. Therefore, all new and continuing degree-seeking and international Emory University students (including Oxford College) are required to have health insurance. Under this requirement, students must either purchase the Emory University Student Health Insurance Plan (offered by Aetna Student Health) or provide documentation of enrollment in an acceptable United States-domiciled plan. All continuing, new, reentering or transfer Fall 2010 degree-seeking students and all international students will have a link on their OPUS account at www.opus.emory.edu, requiring them to complete the waiver process on-line by the first day of classes.  The 2010-11 waiver site is open from April 21 to August 25, 2010.

If a student has not waived out of the Emory Student Health Insurance Plan by July 1, he/she will be automatically enrolled in the Emory/Aetna plan for 2010-11 and billed by Emory Student Financial Services (SFS). However, the student will still have until the end of the waiver process (August 25) to complete a waiver and have the insurance enrollment and charge reversed.

Students will need to complete the annual insurance enrollment/waiver process each year they are enrolled at Emory. If the student wishes to be enrolled in the Emory University Student Health Insurance Plan, that enrollment will happen automatically at the end of the waiver process.

In order for an insurance plan to meet the 2010-11 Emory University health insurance requirement waiver criteria, the insurance plan must feature, at a minimum, all three of the following:

1. Coverage that allows the insured student to receive outpatient, emergency, specialist and inpatient care, diagnostic testing and procedures, and mental health inpatient and outpatient care, including alcohol and substance abuse treatment, in Atlanta, GA.  (Please note that coverage in Atlanta for emergency care only does not meet this waiver criterion.)
2. An individual annual deductible not greater than $2,500 per policy year.   If the annual deductible exceeds $2,500, the insured student must have an approved Healthcare Savings Account (HSA) that will allow the student to seek needed medical and mental health care when recommended by a healthcare provider and will cover all deductible expenses over $2,500.  
3. The insurance must be provided by an insurance company domiciled in the United States or by a foreign insurance company that has a United States domestic partner for purposes of billing.

Please be aware the Emory/Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan meets, and in most cases significantly exceeds, these required coverage minimums. In addition, the Emory/Aetna plan has no pre-existing condition limitations or exclusions and features a fully-covered Emory Healthcare out-patient and in-patient Core. The 2010-2011 Emory/Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan Brochure will be posted online soon.

There were some important changes to the 2009-10 Emory/Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan that will continue with the 2010-11 Plan.  These changes include:

• The plan features three-tiers of coverage, including an Emory Healthcare Core (100% coverage with no annual deductible after co-payment of $25 for specialist care and $50 for Emergency Room; co-payments are waived at Emory Student Health and Counseling Services), Preferred Care at Aetna PPO providers (80% coverage after co-payment and a $200 annual deductible) and Out-of-Network care (60% coverage after co-payment and a $400 annual deductible).
• The addition of a $500 vision care benefit for exams, glasses and contact lenses.

There are some important added benefits to the 2010-11 Emory/Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan as well.  These changes include:

• Increase the prescription drug maximum from $1,500 to $2,000 while continuing the additional $500 prescription coverage at EUSHS
• Add coverage for allergy treatment (serum + shots) at EUSHS
• Coverage of sinus surgery
• No referral requirement for chiropractic care
• Coverage of gastric bypass surgery
• Transgender medical and mental health treatment
• No referral requirement for primary care for dependents ages 12-17 years at EUSHS
• $10 co-pay for outpatient mental health (applies to all tiers, Core/Participating PPO/Nonparticipating out-of-network)
• Despite the above policy enhancements and changes, the 2010-11 annual premium has actually been decreased by $11 to $2,147.

Please be aware that every Emory degree-seeking and international student must complete the student health insurance requirement waiver process once a year (each Fall Semester) every year. 

To view the Student Insurance Waiver Appeals Process information for 2010-11 click here.

Revised 4/22/2010