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Domestic Health Insurance
Does the University offer any insurance policy for college students?
The University offers a comprehensive form of accident and sickness insurance for domestic students enrolled in 6 or more on campus credit hours. For further information regarding the domestic health insurance through the University at Albany, please go to the Chickering web site, www.chickering.com - then click on “student connection’, then “find your school" and enter ‘812839’ as your policy number. You will be able to find detailed information regarding what the policy covers, look for participating providers, download a temporary id card, enroll dependents and find other useful information.
How do I sign up for the domestic health insurance ?
Enrollment in the insurance plan is done through MyUAlbany. Click on the My Optional Fees link and select Accident/Sickness Insurance. Enrollment in the insurance needs to be done each semester and must be done before the enrollment deadline (2/22/08 for Spring/Summer 2008). You should include this payment with your tuition payment. Student Accounts assesses charges and collects payment for the insurance. Once the enrollment deadline has passed, students cannot enroll without a qualifying event. Enrollment for insurance for the summer semester is done directly through Chickering. Please go to the Chickering web site, www.chickering.com - then click on “student connection’, then “find your school" and enter ‘812839’ as your policy number. If you click on the Enroll link you will find the Summer Enrollment form.
Can I cancel the insurance once I've enrolled?
Once selected in MyUAlbany the insurance cannot be canceled.
Click here to sign up for your free copy of Navigating Your Health Benefits for Dummies.
Health Insurance for College Students
What Everyone Should Know
UAlbany strongly recommends that each student have health insurance when they arrive on campus. In addition, it is important that the policy be suitable for their potential needs. What are their potential needs?
While most UAlbany students come to the University Health Center for relatively minor conditions, occasionally, a student will become ill away from home and need immediate attention. Conditions such as significant musculoskeletal injuries, high fevers, or severe abdominal pain may require services unavailable at the Health Center.
Though most insurance will cover visits to a hospital emergency department (for true emergencies), coverage for other services is variable from one carrier to another. This is especially true of HMO's. Additionally, some insurance carriers do not insure dependent children after the age of 19.
Services which may or may not be covered (either completely or partially) include:
- Urgent care visits
- Local specialists
- Lab tests (not available in the Health Center)
- X-rays ordered by UAlbany Health Center Providers
- Sexually Transmitted Disease tests
- PAP tests
Lab Work
The University Health Center performs some in-house lab work, such as pregnancy testing, rapid strep tests or urine tests. However, in many cases, lab work will need to be sent to a local laboratory for testing. The two local labs in Albany are Quest and Northeast Health. Please check with your insurance company to see which of these are covered. All students will need to sign a waiver at the time of all lab work performed at the Health Center. This waiver places the responsibility of payment upon the student in the event their insurance does not cover the ordered tests.
What proof of insurance will the student need while in Albany?
When the student comes to college, it is important that they have an updated insurance card to carry in their wallet. They must bring the insurance card to every University Health Center visit as well as to every physician, pharmacy, hospital, radiological and laboratory visit.
What about ambulance service?
UAlbany has a student volunteer ambulance service called 5 Quad. When a student is transported to the hospital by 5 Quad, the ride is free of charge. In some cases, however, if 5 Quad is not available, the student will need transportation by a local ambulance company and there will be a charge for the transport. You should check with your insurance carrier to be sure that this is covered in your plan.
What's the best way to determine what our family policy covers?
The best way to determine if your insurance company covers the student while they are in Albany is to call them directly and ask them the pertinent questions. Here is a check list:
- Does your insurance cover emergency department visits?
- Does your insurance cover urgent care facility visits?
- Does your insurance cover specialist physicians in the Albany area?
- Does your insurance cover prescriptions ordered by an out of area provider?
- Will your insurance cover lab tests & x-rays ordered by the UAlbany Health Center Physicians, Physician Assistants & Nurse Practitioners?
- If lab work is covered, which lab is the carrier affiliated with (Quest or Northeast)?
- If the coverage offered is insufficient, does your insurance offer a "rider" at an additional charge which will expand coverage?
- Does your insurance cover dependents after age 19?
- Does your insurance cover emergency transport (ambulance service)?
Please remember it is the student's responsibility to understand what their insurance does and does not cover. In cases of uncertainty, the student or their parents should contact the insurance carrier.
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