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Insurance

The American health care system and health insurance may be very different from what international students have experienced in other countries. The Center for International Education & Global Strategy has an Insurance Coordinator to help students enroll in insurance and with other insurance-related matters. While the ISSS office does not directly advise on insurance, we provide this webpage as a resource to help students navigate insurance policies, benefits and procedures as well as connect them to staff and offices that can assist.

Insurance Requirement for Enrolled Visa Holders

All international students who are not U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents are automatically enrolled in mandatory health insurance through United Healthcare when they register for one credit hour or more. Students must have health insurance for the entire academic year without gap. Students must keep their health insurance active throughout summer, even if they are not taking courses or leave the U.S. temporarily. Spouses and/or children of enrolled students are also required to carry health insurance within thirty one (31) days after arrival to the U.S. The student must enroll their dependents and pay the insurance company for the cost of the dependents' insurance.

We recommend that you do not purchase other insurance before you arrive in Albany as it may not meet the University's Mandatory Health Insurance requirements. You will be required to enroll in our University's group health insurance (United Healthcare) if you do not have other health insurance that meets the University's health insurance requirements.

New Students: Coverage starts August 15th for students admitted for Fall term and January 15th for students admitted for Spring term. If you will arrive to the U.S. prior to those dates and need coverage during that time you can contact the International Insurance Coordinator to purchase additional coverage for that period.

The United Healthcare medical insurance does not cover routine eye or dental care. You can avoid additional, large health expenses here by completing necessary eye or dental care before you travel to the U.S. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, you might consider bringing a second pair and a copy of your prescription.

Graduate student employees seeking to opt-in to employment based insurance instead of the International Insurance plan should carefully review the enrollment procedures for their employment based plan. This enrollment information will be sent to eligible graduate student employees from either the University at Albany Human Resources office or the University at Albany Research Foundation Human Resources office).

Forms and Brochures

International Insurance (United Healthcare) Account Access & Getting Your Insurance Card

You must be registered for classes before you will receive an enrollment email from United Healthcare and be able to access your account online. If you are a new student starting in Fall you will be covered starting August 15th. If you will be a new student starting in Spring you will be covered starting January 15th.

When you visit a doctor/medical office you will be asked for your insurance card. You can obtain a mobile version of your insurance card through your United Healthcare account (and can also request a physical card be mailed to you if you prefer-- check the address on your account to make sure it is your US address and not your overseas address). You should get an email from UHCSR ([email protected]) after you have registered for classes and been enrolled in the insurance plan. This email will come to your UAlbany email address.

You can go to MyAccount.uhcsr.com to set up your account once enrolled. You can create an account using your UAlbany email or UAlbany ID number. Once your account is set up you can obtain the insurance card from your online account. If your ID card is not available, please call Customer Service at 1-800-767-0700 (7:00 AM - 7:00 PM, CST, Monday through Friday). If you are having trouble obtaining the insurance card please contact the International Insurance Coordinator (Henny) at [email protected].