Enroll, Upgrade, or Request a Waiver from the Columbia Plan

Request a Waiver From the Columbia Plan

 

All full-time students are automatically enrolled in the Basic level of the Columbia Plan. To request a waiver from automatic enrollment, you must submit a request online before September 30 (February 1 for new Spring enrollment or June 14 for full-time Summer students). All requests are considered but approval is not guaranteed.

If you have not provided sufficient information or if your plan does not meet all of the requirements, you will be contacted by the Columbia Health Insurance Office. You may be asked to provide additional information or be automatically enrolled (and charged for) the Basic level of the Columbia Plan.

Insurance plans offered by carriers not licensed in the U.S. DO NOT meet the University’s waiver criteria #6 (below). If you feel your non-U.S. plan does satisfy all the requirements (including #6) you should be prepared to provide plan documents translated into English with currency amounts converted into U.S. dollars.

Please review your alternate coverage to determine if it meets all of the following criteria:

1. My plan provides coverage for all medically necessary* care while I am in New York City or traveling in the United States or abroad. Alternate plans must provide routine and urgent care for both inpatient and outpatient medical and mental health services. A policy that provides only emergency or urgent care does not meet this requirement.

   * Please refer to the detailed Health Insurance Plan Brochure for a definition of medically necessary.
    

2. The lifetime maximum benefit for my coverage is at least $300,000 per condition with no per incident maximums.
3. My coverage will remain in force as long as I am a registered student including approved leave of absence for medical reasons and non-degree status at Columbia University.
4. My coverage is effective on September 1, 2011 (January 17, 2012 for new spring enrollees and June 1, 2012 for new summer enrollees) through August 31, 2012 and will cover me for any pre-existing conditions.
5. My plan covers all of the following types of care: treatment for injuries resulting from the practice or play of athletics, inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care and treatment for chemical dependency.
6. My plan is licensed to do business in the United States and has a U.S. based claims office and a U.S. telephone number so local hospitals and providers can contact my carrier to discuss my care and bill directly. Foreign state government plans do NOT meet this requirement.

 

Medicaid Waiver Request
 

Any student with active Medicaid coverage may request a waiver of the University’s insurance requirement. Waiver requests from students with New York State Medicaid generally will be approved. Students with Medicaid coverage from outside New York State may also request a waiver. All waiver requests are submitted online and are evaluated on an individual basis.

 

When making their waiver decision, all Medicaid-covered students should consider the gaps in coverage they may experience while attending the University, for instance, travel anywhere outside their home state or abroad.
 

New York State Medicaid-covered students may not be covered when traveling outside of the state. In addition, referral options for students on Medicaid needing specialists’ care off campus may be limited.

Students with Medicaid from outside New York State may not have health coverage outside of their state of residence and may need to return home for on-going treatment.
 

Students with Medicaid who are interested in the student insurance plan may wish to address concerns about cost with their school’s Financial Aid Office.