Health Insurance

Rutgers
International Students & Scholars
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Health Insurance

Medical care in the United States is expensive. At Rutgers, it is required for all staff, students, faculty, and scholars (and their families)—including international students, faculty, scholars, and their families—to have at least a minimum level of health insurance coverage. The Student Health Insurance Plan meets all of the requirements listed below; however, you may opt for alternate coverage that meets or exceeds these requirements.

Minimum Requirements for Health Insurance Coverage at Rutgers

The alternate coverage is currently active and the student agrees to maintain the health insurance coverage throughout the current semester
The plan offers unlimited coverage with no maximum dollar limit The plan must include a minimum of $25,000.00 for repatriation of remains and $50,000.00 for medical evacuation.
Plan deductible does not exceed $500 out of network per policy year.
Plan provides coverage for inpatient and outpatient medical care in the immediate campus area.
Plan provides mental health benefits which include chemical and substance abuse treatments.
Plan provides preventative care services which include, but are not limited to, annual physicals, gynecological exams, routine screenings and immunizations.
Plan covers pre-existing conditions.
Plan covers prescription drugs with no maximum dollar limit and a nationwide network of pharmacies. Plan must not be a reimbursement plan.
Plan must be filed and approved in the United States and fully compliant with the Affordable Care Act Benefit Regulations.
Plan is provided by a company licensed to do business in the United States with a U.S. claims payment office and a U.S. phone number.
Plan must pay medical providers directly for inpatient and outpatient care (must not be a reimbursement plan).
The underwriting company must have a rating of either "A" or above by A.M. Best, "A-1" or above by Insurance Solvency International Ltd., "A -" or above by Standard & Poor's Claims-paying Ability, "B +" or above by Weiss Research, Inc.

Please note that Rutgers carries a policy that meets the Department of State’s requirement for $25,000.00 repatriation of remains coverage and $50,000.00 medical evacuation coverage. Anyone on Rutgers F-1, J-1, F-2, or J-2 sponsorship is automatically covered by that policy regardless of their enrollment in the Student Health Insurance Plan.

The Student Health Insurance Plans offer the level of coverage listed above. For questions, please contact insurance coordinator Eirinn Jones at eljones@global.rutgers.edu.

Click here to see Health Insurance Costs >

All registered international students must either waive or enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan each semester. Failure to complete an enrollment or waiver before the deadline each semester will result in the student being automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan for the term.

Important Information

How to Enroll In The Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) +

Register for classes. Wait three business days after registering for classes to complete the enrollment form at universityhealthplans.com
Change your International address to a U.S. mailing address; visit my.rutgers.edu/portal. You may do this once your are registered for classes you do not need to wait.
Add your email address; visit my.rutgers.edu/portal. You may do this once you are registered you do not need to wait.
Three days after registering for classes, go to universityhealthplans.com to complete the enrollment form. You will receive a confirmation number on the screen and to your Rutgers email, once you have successfully submitted the enrollment form.
Wait 5-7 business days after receiving your enrollment confirmation number, go to universityhealthplans. On the left navigation bar, select “Log into my account." You may then create an account, log in, and print your card.

Paying the premium on the term bill is not enrolling. You should complete the enrollment form each semester to finalize the process. Be proactive and enroll before the deadline; do not wait for the “courtesy emails”. If you failed to enroll before the deadline and did not complete a waiver form, your enrollment in the SHIP will be processed.

Note: Due to the enrollment process, in the SHIP after the deadline, your insurance card may not be available for a few weeks. Also, you may be at risk to pay out-of-pocket expenses for medical care including prescription medication.

Useful Information

View the summary of benefits for out-of-pocket expenses, coverage, and exclusions at www.universityhealthplans.com

Enrollment inquiries should be submitted to info@univhealthplans.com A RUID#/School ID# is required for identification and guidance purposes.

Members can speak with representatives at UHCSR about the policy; language assistance is available in over 20 languages. Visit www.uhcsr.com for details.

Alternate Health Coverage And Waiver Instructions +

Individuals may elect to have alternate medical insurance coverage other than the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Action must be taken with the steps below to have the automatic premium removed from the term bill.

Steps to Waive Health Insurance Fee- Legacy Rutgers Students

Add-Register for classes, wait three (3) business days before submitting the waiver.
Submit the waiver to Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services which must be accompanied by documentation of the alternate coverage showing it meets or exceeds Rutgers minimum health insurance requirements. This waiver form can be found in the RGLOBAL online portal under "Health Insurance."
This waiver must be submitted each semester before the deadline date. Log into the RGLOBAL online portal to submit the waiver.
The premium for the SHIP is removed four (4) business days after approval of the waiver form by RGlobal.
Waiver inquiries must be submitted to the Insurance Coordinator, Eirinn Jones at eljones@global.rutgers.edu

It is your responsibility to know and understand the deadlines for this process, failure to waive by the established deadline will result in you being responsible for payment of the premium charged through your term bill (even if you have alternate coverage).

Steps to Waive Health Insurance Fee- RBHS Students

Rutgers Health (formally RBHS) Full-Time students are required to submit an online waiver form prior to the posted deadline each academic year. Please visit the RBHS University Health Plans website for an online waiver form.

F-1 and J-1 Registered Students: Health Insurance Requirements +

F-1 and J-1 registered students may meet the university's health insurance requirement in one of the following ways:

Student Health Insurance Plan

The University offers Student Health Insurance Plans that meet the university's health insurance requirements. All registered F-1 and J-1 students are automatically billed for this policy through the Student Health Insurance Plan premium on their term bills. The way the fees will be listed on your bill will depend on whether you are registered as a full- or part-time student. The premium is added to the semester each semester. See costs of the Student Insurance Plan for more information.

Please complete an online enrollment form before the deadline here. Students will be automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan unless waived from that coverage.

Paying the premium on the term bill is not enrolling. You must complete the enrollment form each semester before the deadline to finalize the process. If you failed to enroll before the deadline, then you will be automatically enrolled.

The automatic enrollment process can take several weeks, which will delay access to your insurance card. Be proactive and enroll before the deadline; avoid having to pay out of pocket expenses for medical care and then seeking reimbursement.

Alternate Insurance Coverage and Insurance Waiver Request

Individuals may elect to have alternate (not the Student Health Insurance Plan) insurance coverage if they wish, either through a policy of their own choosing or through an alternate insurance provider.

In either of these cases, students must submit a waiver request before the deadline at the RGlobal Portal. which must be accompanied by documentation of the alternate coverage showing it meets or exceeds Rutgers Health Insurance requirements. A waiver must be submitted each semester before the deadline. Failure to submit a waiver or waiver appeal before the deadlines will result in you being responsible for the Student Health Insurance premium even though you have other comparable health insurance. The premium is removed from your term bill four business days after submitting the waiver request. If additional assistance is needed with the waiver request, contact Eirinn Jones at eljones@global.rutgers.edu.

Insurance Coverage Through Rutgers Employment Benefits

Certain F and J visa holders who are employed by Rutgers may, as a benefit of that employment, be given insurance coverage at a nominal cost. This generally applies only to those with full TA, GA, or fellowship appointments. If you are a full appointment TA or GA you must complete the State Health Benefits Plan enrollment process outlined below including prescription coverage. If you are a partial appointment TA or GA, then you must call University Human Resources to make sure you are on the list to be added to the Student Health Insurance Plan.

Full-appointment TA/GAs are eligible for the State Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) which is managed by University Human Resources (UHR). You can find information by going to UHR's website https://uhr.rutgers.edu/teaching-assistants-graduate-assistants. Full-appointment TA/GAs with dependents can also enroll their dependents in the SHBP. Supporting documentation may be needed for completing the dependent enrollment. Please contact OneSource for additional assistance if needed (https://uhr.rutgers.edu/onesource/home).

If you are a NEW Full appointment TA/GA, you will need to enroll in the SHBP online through Benefitsolver at https://my.state.nj.us/openam/UI/Login. Should you need assistance with Benefitsolver, contact One Source, https://discover-uhr.rutgers.edu/onesource/home. You are not required to complete the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) online waiver form if your benefits will become effective from the start of your appointment. Rutgers Global- International Student and Scholar Services will remove the SHIP premium once you are in UHR's system, showing you have those employee benefits for the full semester. This is a new process with Benefitsolver, please hang on to your confirmation number until the SHIP premium has been removed from your term bill. Please allow 3 - 4 weeks, once you have received your confirmation number, for the SHIP premium to be removed.

If you are a returning TA/GA, then once your appointment has been updated in Rutgers system by your department, Rutgers Global- International Student and Scholar Services office will waive the SHIP for you and the premium will be removed from your student account.

NOTE: If you are declining the SHBP and you are a Full-Time student or F1, F2, J1, J2 Rutgers Sponsored Visa student, then you must waive the SHIP by completing the online waiver form via the RGlobal portal by the waiver deadline. You will be completing 2 waivers: 1 with UHR declining the SHBP and 1 for the SHIP via online waiver form.

F-1 and J-1 Non-Registered Students and Scholars: Health Insurance Requirements +

Includes professors, research scholars, short-term Scholars, and visiting students not registered at Rutgers.

For all F-1 and J-1 visa holders other than those registered for course credits at Rutgers, arranging for insurance payment or providing proof of alternate coverage must be handled by the host department directly with Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services at the time the department requests the issuance of your I-20 or DS-2019. If you will be bringing any F-2 or J-2 dependents with you to Rutgers, your host department will also need to arrange for insurance coverage or provide proof of alternate coverage for them.

Please note: some host departments expect F-1 and J-1 visitors to reimburse the department for any insurance payments made by the department, while other host departments are able to cover the costs. You can assume that if your department does not ask you to pay, they do not expect you to pay.

Host departments arrange for health insurance as follows:

If your appointment at the university includes health benefits, your host department will only need to arrange for additional coverage if your health benefits will not begin on your first date of employment. In such cases, the host department can either purchase the Student Health Insurance Plan to cover the period prior to the date health benefits become effective or, alternatively, they can provide the international student and scholar services office at Rutgers Global with proof of alternate coverage for that period. University appointments that include health benefits also offer the option of including a spouse and/or children at a small extra cost to the employee. The current costs for the Student Health Insurance plan can be found here.
If your appointment at the university does not include health benefits, your host department must, at the time of asking us to issue your I-20 or DS-2019 form, either purchase the Student Health Insurance Plan to cover the period of the I-20 or DS-2019 form or, alternatively, provide the center with proof of alternate coverage for that period. The current costs for the Student Health Insurance plan can be found here.

F-2 and J-2 Dependents: Health Insurance Requirements +

Rutgers requires that all F-2 and J-2 dependents on Rutgers' visa sponsorship be covered by a health insurance policy that meets or exceeds the university's minimum insurance requirements.

F-2 and J-2 dependents can either be enrolled in the Rutgers Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) policy or can show proof of alternate insurance coverage with another insurance carrier, provided that the alternate policy will satisfy the Rutgers University minimum insurance requirements.

Our office will not issue a dependent Form I-20 (for F-2) or Form DS-2019 (for J-2) until the dependent's insurance coverage has been purchased or proof of alternate insurance has been provided to Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services by the F-1 or J-1 principal.

Enrolling Dependents of F-1 and J-1 Registered Students in the Student Health Insurance Plan

Enrollment forms for the Student Health Insurance Plan are available at the center. These enrollment forms should be submitted to the Eirinn Jones, insurance coordinator, and should not be sent directly to the insurance company.

If your dependent(s) will have a policy with another insurance carrier, a photocopy of that policy must be submitted to the center to document proof of insurance for your dependent(s). The insurance policy must be translated in English and state coverage in U.S. dollars if coverage amounts are listed on the policy.

Enrolling Dependents of J-1 Visitors in the Student Health Insurance Plan (Excluding J-1 Registered Students)

Rutgers' insurance requirements for J-1 visitors also apply to their visa dependents in the U.S.

If a dependent visa is requested at the time the host department submits its initial DS-2019 request to Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services, the host department must at the same time provide either payment for dependent insurance or proof of alternate coverage for the dependent for the full period to be covered by the requested DS-2019 form.

If the dependent DS-2019 is requested after the J-1 visitor has already arrived, payment for dependent insurance or proof of alternate coverage for the dependent must be presented to the insurance coordinator at Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services at the time the J-1 principal requests the center to issue the dependent DS-2019 form.