Requests for Waiver of International Health Insurance
WAIVER BASED ON RECEIVING HEALTH INSURANCE AS AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT THROUGH BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY
Deadline for Submission is April 1 for the Spring Semester and December 1 for the Fall semester
For students, if your employer is Binghamton University and you are employed as a Graduate Assistant, Teaching Assistant,or Research Assistant, you may request an adjustment of your health insurance fee for the period of employment. No comparability review is required; therefore you do not have to send a copy of your insurance policy. Please do include all other relevant information on your insurance waiver request web form.
WAIVER BASED ON COMPARABLE INSURANCE COVERAGE [NON-BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY INSURANCE
Deadline for Submission is April 1 for the Spring Semester and December 1 for the Fall semester
If you are a student, visiting scholar or faculty* and have health insurance coverage through your parents, spouse, employer or home country, you may qualify for a waiver of the University's International Health Insurance plan. In order to qualify for a waiver of the University's insurance policy, your current insurance must provide comparable or more comprehensive coverage than the University's plan which includes non-emergency coverage for lab, x-ray and physicians visits in the Binghamton, New York area. Students, scholars and visiting faculty are required to provide confirmation of their policy benefits by providing:
- A completed insurance waiver request form
- Copy or link to your current Insurance Policy (full version in English) specifying Benefits and Coverage sent to intl.insure@binghamton.edu (or a hard copy delivered to the ISSS office)
- Front and Back copy of your current insurance card showing name and coverage dates
At a minimum, your insurance policy will need to offer the following benefits:
- Emergency and non emergency medical care
- Treatment for pre-existing conditions
- maternity services
- In-hospital room and board
- Inpatient and outpatient care for mental/nervous conditions
- Outpatient alcoholism and substance abuse coverage
- Prescription drugs
- X-Rays and laboratory work
- Ambulance service
- Medical equipment rentals or purchase
- Treatment for self inflicted injuries and suicide related services
- $200,000 maximum reimbursement rate per illness.
- medical evacuation and repatriation (if your plan does not supply this, it can be purchased separately through Binghamton University for a waiver to be granted)
- $ 50 deductible per illness or injury
The act of filing an application for a waiver of your current insurance is not a guarantee that you will be waived out of the mandatory insurance. For a waiver to be granted your current medical insurance policy must fulfill all New York State requirements.
If you have Travel insurance or property insurance, please do not complete a waiver application request. These types of insurance do not meet the SUNY requirements and will not be accepted as a substitute for International Medical Health and Accident Insurance. If you would like to discuss your health insurance with someone in the ISSS office, you may contact the International Health Insurance Team via e-mail intl.insure@binghamton.edu
After receipt of your application and review of your policy a decision will be made within two weeks and you will be contacted regarding our decision. If approved you will be contacted by email, and your account will be adjusted approximately 5 business days later. If you are denied a waiver, an email will be sent to you explaining why your waiver request was denied
If you are granted a waiver and your insurance policy does not include medical evacuation and repatriation coverage, the charges for Medical and Security Evacuation and Repatriation will remain on your account, because it is required for all international students.
*INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS AND VISITING FACULTY IN J-1 STATUS (NON-STUDENTS)
International scholars and visiting faculty to Binghamton University are informed of their insurance requirements and the cost of coverage by e-mail prior to beginning their appointment, and are not billed for their insurance through the Student Accounts Office.They are required to have health insurance from the first day of their appointment at Binghamton University, and must visit the International Student and Scholar Services upon arrival to finalize all insurance requirements. Those with health insurance coverage provided through a government agency or fellowship who will want to request a waiver of the international health insurance provided through Binghamton University are encouraged to provide copies of their health insurance policies and ID cards before arriving on campus by sending an email to intl.insure@binghamton.edu with a copy or link to the full insurance policy document and an insurance waiver request form. A comparability review will be conducted and you will be informed of the outcome within two weeks. Please be advised that waiver approvals for comparable coverage are very rare, thus making coverage through the SUNY international policy necessary.
All questions concerning the waiver process may be submitted to intl.insure@binghamton.edu
