Student Health Insurance Plans –
To Waive or Not to Waive?
The health and wellness of your child while away at school is vital in the success of their college experience. We can help you decide what health insurance decision is best for your child.
To ensure students get the care they need to stay in class and avoid the potential hardship of medical expenses, most Colleges and Universities have a health insurance requirement to make sure students have coverage while attending their institution. To find out the policy of your specific institution, please use the "Find Your School" search feature above.
What is a waiver?
A waiver is a declaration by the student that he/she is currently enrolled in a health insurance plan and consequently are 'waiving' their enrollment or participation in the student health insurance plan. International undergraduate and graduate students (full and part-time) - except for those on H1b visas - will be automatically enrolled in the Student Health Plan each semester, based on registration status, and billed by Student Financial Services. International students who already have adequate U.S. health insurance can waive this coverage.
Making an Informed Decision
Please consider your coverage options carefully. While your current plan may provide adequate benefits close to home, HMO and PPO restrictions may limit coverage for students out of state or your local area. Additionally, your plan may have a high deductible which may present a financial barrier to receiving care or result in high unexpected out-of-pocket costs.
Waiving Coverage under the Student Health Insurance Plan
RIT expects all students to have adequate medical insurance. The university offers a comprehensive, global health insurance policy through Aetna Student Health, administered by Gallagher Student Health. Students registered for classes are eligible to enroll in the Student Health Insurance plan. For domestic students, enrollment is purely voluntary. All registered full and part-time international students (except those on H1b visas) will be automatically enrolled in the annual plan and will be billed each semester. Those international students who have adequate coverage can waive out of the Aetna plan by completing the online waiver form. Domestic students do not need to complete a waiver. Generally the process begins during the summer months to waive coverage for the following academic period. Gallagher Student will handle the waiver process and waiver deadline.
Log-In Instructions and Deadline Information will be posted on the specific homepage of the institution your student is attending. You will be asked to provide information on your current health insurance plan, so be sure your current health insurance card is close at hand.
As a parent, will I receive notification regarding the waiver or enrollment process?
Although each college and university maintains their own communication protocols, the general answer to this question is no. Notifications are sent to the student only. An online form will need to be completed in order to waive the student health insurance plan.
How will you know if a form was successfully submitted?
Upon submission of your form, a reference number will be provided immediately to the email address used on the form. This number confirms the submission of your form, but not the acceptance of the waiver. A confirmation email will also be sent to the email address listed on the waiver form. The individual completing the form has the ability to add an additional recipient's email address. To be sure you're kept in the loop, take advantage of adding your email address.
How to Enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan
There may be an enrollment form to enroll your son or daughter with the cost of the student insurance plan charged to your Student Account or Bill. Or frequently, the absence of not completing a waiver form results in a student being enrolled in the student health insurance plan. How your specific college/university manages the enrollment process will be identified on the custom home page at www.gallagherstudent.com.