HEALTH INSURANCE
Health insurance is mandatory for:
- All full-time, domestic undergraduate students
- All international students (undergraduate and graduate)
Don’t Confuse Health Insurance with the Student Health Fee
Each semester, as part of tuition, all registered students pay a student health fee that supports University Health Service programs and services. Since the fee is pre-paid, you won’t be charged for office visits to University Health Service, as well as many medications and other services (see Free or Fee for details). The student health fee doesn’t cover off-campus care, that’s why health insurance is so important.
Why You Should Have Health Insurance
Health insurance helps with medical expenses incurred by receiving medical care off campus. This could happen if:
- You visit an emergency room when University Health Service is closed
- You go to a walk-in clinic when University Health Service is closed
- University Health Service sends you off campus for urgent care, stitches, X-rays, etc.
- You need to be hospitalized
- You need specialist care
- You need surgery
If you’re enrolled in a managed care plan in your home community, your coverage may not be adequate when you’re away from home. The University’s student plan often provides important support for high deductibles, out-of-network charges or charges from nonparticipating providers.
Waiving Health Insurance: Domestic Undergraduate Students Only
All domestic undergraduate students (full- and part-time) are automatically enrolled in the University’s Student Accident and Sickness Plan unless you waive this plan by returning a signed Health Insurance Waiver (172k pdf) to Student Accounts by the 6th week of classes. If you don’t return the waiver form on time, you’ll be responsible for paying for the insurance.
Because full-time domestic undergraduate students are required to have health insurance, either through your parents’ coverage or through a student insurance policy, your waiver form must identify the specifics of the alternate coverage before your enrollment in the University plan can be waived. Part-time students who wish to waive the University plan must complete the waiver form, but don’t need to provide information about alternative coverage.
If you waive the University insurance plan, we’ll assume you don’t need coverage in subsequent semesters unless you inform us that you do.
Before waiving the University plan, be sure your current coverage can be used for outpatient (laboratory and radiology) services and specialist referrals in the Binghamton area. Local systems include United Health Services and Lourdes Hospital. And if you’re waiving the student plan, make sure you understand about your insurance coverage and have important insurance information (contact information, plan and group numbers, etc.) on hand.
