Waiver Information
2023/24 Waiver Deadlines
Fall Semester 2023
Deadline: 9/15/2023
Waives the student health insurance for the entire 2023/24 academic year.
An alternative policy must be effective no later than 9/1/2023.
A new Waiver will need to be submitted for Fall 2024.
Spring Semester 2024
Deadline: 2/2/2024
Waives the student health insurance for the semesters of Spring 2024 & Summer 2024
An alternative policy must be effective no later than 2/1/2024.
A new Waiver will need to be submitted for Fall 2024.
Summer Semester 2024
Deadline: 5/31/2024
Waives the student health insurance for Summer semester of 2024.
An alternative policy must be active no later than 6/1/2024.
A new Waiver will need to be submitted for Fall 2024.
Courtesy Late Waiver
Students who have missed the Waiver deadline and have existing health insurance that meets the university Waiver Criteria may apply for a one-time Courtesy Late Waiver. Students must contact the Student Health Insurance office within 30 days of the original Waiver deadline for the current semester. A student may apply for a Courtesy Late Waiver if they meet the following criteria:
- They possess health insurance coverage that meets the university Waiver Criteria.
- They have not received approval for a Courtesy Late Waiver or Appeal in the past.
- No claims have been filed against the SHI plan.
To request a Courtesy Late Waiver application, please reach out via email to studentinsurance@ohio.edu.
Late Waiver Appeal
Students who did not receive an approved Waiver or Courtesy Late Waiver may submit an Appeal. Appeal submissions must be received during the current semester for which they are Appealing.
Fall semester Appeals must be received before November 30th.
Spring semester Appeals must be received before April 30th.
Summer semester Appeals must be received before June 30th.
A student may Appeal if they meet the following criteria:
- They possess health insurance coverage that meets the university Waiver Criteria.
- They have not received approval for a Courtesy Late Waiver or Appeal in the past.
- No claims have been filed against the SHI plan.
- They can demonstrate an extenuating circumstance that hindered them from completing the waiver process.
Examples of extenuating circumstances:
- Deployment/Military-affiliated leave of absence
- Death/illness/hospitalization in family
- Severe illness/long-term hospitalization
To request an Appeal application, please reach out via email to studentinsurance@ohio.edu.
Automatic Assessment of Student Health Insurance Fee
Domestic students registered for (5) five or more Athens credit hours, and International students registered for (1/2) a half or more Athens credit hours, (includes Athens online credits, Dublin and Cleveland credits; excludes eCampus classes) will be automatically charged for the Ohio University Student Health Insurance fee upon registration. Changes to a class schedule prior to the semester Waiver/Open Enrollment deadline may cause the student health insurance fee to be removed or added to the student account.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some Graduate programs of study are not automatically assessed the fee for the student health insurance. Students enrolled in these programs may voluntarily enroll in the student health insurance by submitting an enrollment form during Open Enrollment at the beginning of each semester.
Please visit our Enrollment Information page for additional information. Students are encouraged to review their student account to verify if they have been automatically assessed the fee for the student insurance for the current semester.
Student Health Insurance Online Waiver Application
The Waiver Application is only available online.
Students that have been automatically charged for Student Health Insurance may apply to waive the fee if they have an existing health insurance policy. The Waiver Application is located online in the student's My OHIO Student Center in the Financials section.
Students must provide proof of their existing health insurance coverage on the online Waiver Application prior to the posted Waiver deadline. Directions to complete the online Waiver Application as well as an instructional video are located below. If a Waiver Application is not submitted, or is denied, the charge for the Student Health Insurance fee will remain on the student's account and they will be enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Policy for the current semester's coverage period.
Directions to Complete the Online Waiver Application
Use this link to view the Instructional Waiver Video
*The online Waiver Application becomes available in the Financials section of the My OHIO Student Center once the student's account has been charged for the Student Health Insurance for the current semester.
To waive the Ohio University Student Health Insurance:
- Log in to your My OHIO Student Center
- In the Finances section, select “Waive Stdnt Health Insurance”
- Follow the instructions to complete the waiver
- Submit the Waiver Application
- Wait for the submission confirmation page to appear and print it for your records
- Waiver information is then submitted to ECI Services to verify the policy meets the University waiver criteria
- The student will receive emails to their Ohio.edu email address from the University Waiver Auditor, ECI Services, from the email address Ohio@elev834.com with further instructions if the auditor requires information to verify coverage under another insurance plan, as well as if the waiver is approved or denied
- If the Waiver Application is approved, ECI Services will notify the University to remove the charge for the Student Health Insurance from the student account. (*Please note, the waiver process can take up to 7-10 business days to be completed)
- Review your Student Account to verify the charge for the insurance has been removed approximately 24-48 hours after receiving an approved waiver email notification from ECI Services. Notifications are sent to the student's Ohio.edu email address.
Waiver Application Audit Information
- An audit and verification process will be completed by an independent third party, ECI Services, to ensure the health insurance plan submitted by the student is active and meets the University Waiver Criteria
- By submitting the online Waiver Application, the student agrees that their current health insurance company may be contacted for verification of coverage
- The information submitted on the Student Health Insurance Waiver Application is not shared with other University departments. Therefore, health insurance information will still need to be submitted to other departments to fulfill various requirements (IE: Athletics, Campus Care, Housing, etc.)
*Approval of the online waiver Fall Semester will waive the Student Health Insurance Policy for Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters of the same academic year.
*Approval of the online waiver Spring Semester will waive the Student Health Insurance policy for Spring and Summer Semesters of the same academic year.
*Approval of the online waiver Summer Semester will waive the Student Health Insurance policy only for Summer Semester. A new policy year will begin Fall Semester.
Waiver Criteria
Students are eligible to apply for a Waiver of the Student Health Insurance if their alternate health insurance plan (as the primary policy holder or as a benefit eligible dependent) meets the university Waiver Criteria.
All plans must be compliant with the U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA), the U.S. Department of State, the State of Ohio, and Ohio University.
The following categories have policy options that most often meet these requirements:
- Plan is a U.S. Employer Group Health plan
- Plan is a U.S. Marketplace/State Exchange plan purchased on HealthCare.gov
- Plan is a U.S. Government sponsored plan
- Plan is a U.S. Medicaid plan
All Plans Must Meet the Waiver Criteria Listed Below:
- Plan has unlimited medical benefits for all covered services
- Plan has an individual annual deductible of $500 USD maximum or less
- Plan has a minimum payment of 75% for inpatient or outpatient emergency, urgent care, or routine treatment for: medical care, mental health care, prescription drugs, immunizations, screening tests, and preventive care as required by the U.S. Government for individual health plans
- Plan includes coverage for pre-existing conditions with no waiting period; suicide/attempted suicide; self-inflicted injury; pregnancy/pregnancy related treatments; sexually transmitted diseases/infections, HIV/Immune deficiency disorders; cancer; alcohol/drug related conditions; recreational activities injuries
- Plan is filed and approved by an insurance company with the U.S./Ohio Division of Insurance with a U.S. claims payment office and a U.S. phone number
- Plan is underwritten by an insurance company having an A.M. Best rating of A- or above
- Plan is effective for a minimum of the duration of the current academic year
*International Students must also have coverage for the following:
- Benefits for Medical Evacuation in the amount of no less than $50,000 USD
- Benefits for Repatriation in the amount of no less than $25,000 USD
*International students that are enrolled in a Plan that meets all of the waiver criteria listed above with the exception of benefits for Medical Evacuation and Repatriation, will have the option to purchase a supplemental plan for the required coverage to be used in conjunction with their health insurance policy.
A supplemental plan for Medical Evacuation and Repatriation coverage is available for purchase directly from the American College Student Association (ACSA) on their website. The premium for the 2023/24 academic year (or 12 months) is approximately $110.00.
After students purchase the supplemental coverage, they will receive proof of enrollment from ACSA. Students can submit their waiver application, and then provide the proof of coverage for the supplemental plan from ACSA and submit it to ECI Services via email to be processed with their waiver application.
Important Information Before You Buy an Alternate Health Insurance Policy
In most cases, a policy purchased from an offshore or international online company will not meet the the University Waiver Criteria.
It is important to review all aspects of an alternate policy very carefully prior to purchasing it.
An alternate policy must be active by the required date listed on this page under the Waiver Deadline information and meet the university Waiver Criteria to be approved for a Waiver.
Please consider the following prior to purchasing an alternate plan:
- Does the plan meet the University Waiver Criteria?
- Can I find out before I purchase a plan if it will qualify for an approved Waiver? (See Waiver Pre-Audit Information below)
- Does the plan provide coverage I need for a specific condition?
- What are the Policy Exclusions?
- Will local medical providers accept the policy?
- What are the copays for the services I use most, such as office visits or laboratory services?
- Does the plan cover the medications I am prescribed?
- Are there Network Pharmacies available in my location?
- Is there a Network Hospital and Urgent Care close to my location?
- If I travel outside of the area I live in, does the plan pay for anything?
Information for Purchasing a Policy on www.Healthcare.gov:
- It is very important to review all policy documentation
- Most policies only cover medical treatment in a specific area
- Some health insurance plans have limited providers available in the Athens, Ohio area. Most plans will not pay for any medical treatment provided at a facility that is not in Network
- Some Marketplace policies are Out of Network with medical facilities/providers in the Athens Ohio area, including the local Hospital, Urgent Care, and Student Health Center. This may result in needing to travel to visit a provider that accepts the health insurance, or pay a larger amount for medical treatment locally
- Out of Network providers are paid less, or not at all, by the insurance company. This results in large expenses owed by the patient
- Most services provided by a provider that is in Network with a policy are discounted and are paid more by the insurance company, resulting in a significantly lower balance due to the patient
Pre-Audit of Alternate Policy
Students interested in purchasing a health insurance policy from a company other than the University may request a Pre-Audit of the alternate policy prior to purchasing it to verify it will meet the University Waiver Criteria.
Students must obtain and supply a detailed copy of the alternate health insurance policy benefits to the University Waiver Auditor, ECI Services.
To Request a Pre-Audit:
1. Obtain a detailed copy of the full Policy Certificate from the company that you wish to purchase the health insurance policy from.
2. Email ECI Services at Ohio.waive@eciservices.com the copy of the Policy Certificate.
3. Be certain to indicate that you are requesting a Pre-Audit of your alternate policy.
4. Allow 7 business days for ECI to respond to your request.
5. It is student responsibility to determine the date an alternate policy must be purchased by in order to meet the required effective start date for the semester in the Waiver Criteria. Required effective start dates for an alternate policy are listed under the Waiver Deadlines at the top of this page.
Contact Information
Questions regarding the location of the Waiver Application or about filling out the online form can be directed to the Office of the Bursar via email or by phone at 740.593.4130.
Questions about waiving the Student Health Insurance, or a waiver that has already been submitted, can be directed to the University Waiver Auditor, ECI Services on behalf of Ohio University at 833-249-0577 or via e-mail.
Questions about the University Student Health Insurance Policy benefits can be directed to Ohio University Student Health Insurance via e-mail or United HealthCare Student Resources at 1.800.767.0700.