Student health insurance

This page provides is specific information for students enrolled in the university's Student Health Insurance plan. For a general overview of health insurance in the United States, please refer to the Health Insurance Overview page.

The information below has been provided by the Office of Student Health Insurance. All questions about the Student Health Insurance plan should be directed to this office. ISSS staff do not advise on insurance-related questions.

University Policy

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees requires all students to have effective health insurance in order to offset the potential costs of medical care for the duration of their enrollment. In accordance with this policy, all students are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance plan, and assessed the corresponding fee as part of their tuition bill.

Fee

The Student Health Insurance fee is assessed as part of each student’s tuition bill following their registration. Fee amounts are available on the Student Health Insurance website.

Coverage Timeline

The insurance plan covers students for the entirety of each semester in which they are enrolled, becoming effective on the first day, and terminating on the last.

Usage

Student Health Insurance is used for a variety of purposes, including: necessary emergency care, ambulance transport, mental health, birth control, and more. A full explanation of the policy’s benefits and exclusions is available on the Links and Forms page of the Student Health Insurance website.

Adding Dependents

Any insured student may add their spouse and/or children as dependents on their student insurance policy. Dependents may be added only during open enrollment periods at the beginning of each semester, or within 31 days of the “life changing event” (marriage, in the case of a spouse; birth, in the case of a child).

In order to add a dependent during an open enrollment change period, the insured student must first confirm their status using the “enrollment form” found on the Student Health Insurance website. Dependents may then be added online using the student’s “myaccount.”

Opting Out of Student Health Insurance

Students who can prove that they have health insurance comparable to the Student Health Insurance plan have the option to waive the coverage and associated fee. In order to be considered “comparable” the other insurance must meet the following conditions:

• It must be in effect on the first day of the semester (this date may be prior to the first day of class or the student’s arrival in the United States). The coverage must stay in effect until the last day of the semester; this date may be after the last day of exams, or after the student’s departure from campus.
• It must have no annual or lifetime limit on coverage.
• It must have provisions for the cost of medical care received within a 50 mile radius of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.
• It must be ACA compliant.

If the other insurance meets the above qualifications, the student may then fill out the waiver form found on the Student Health Insurance website, and bring documentation from the other insurer to the Office of Student Health Insurance. The documentation should show proof of the above conditions, be written/translated into English, and have currency amounts represented in U.S. dollars. Upon acceptance, the Student Insurance Fee will be remitted to the student’s account within 5-10 business days. Once a waiver is successfully completed, the student will not be enrolled in, nor assessed the fee for Student Health Insurance in any subsequent semesters falling in the same academic year as the waiver.