Summer Health Coverage for Graduate Students
To ensure that you receive Summer 2012 health coverage and benefits, please make sure you identify the category below that applies to you, read the relevant information, and take action as appropriate.
The categories are:
- Students with Summer Waiver-generating Assistantships
- Students with Summer Waiver-generating Fellowships
- Students with No Summer Waiver-generating Appointment
- Students Registered in absentia or in a Study Abroad Program
- Newly Admitted Students in Summer
- Individuals Who Graduate May 2012
Note: Student Insurance, McKinley Health Service, and Dental/Vision Insurance each have a particular coverage period, which may vary from the dates of the academic term or from the dates of any summer appointment a student may hold.
The 2012 summer term is defined as the period between May 14 and August 4.
Summer 2012 coverage dates are as follows:
Student Health Insurance: May 12, 2012 – August 20, 2012
McKinley Health Center: Spring coverage ends May 26, 2012. Summer coverage ends August 25, 2012.
Dental/Vision Insurance: June 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012
For more information, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions. If you have questions not addressed in the FAQ, please contact the Graduate College at Grad@illinois.edu.
1) Students with Summer Waiver-generating Assistantships
Students with summer assistantships are not required by the University to register in the summer, unless the student is newly admitted for summer. All graduate students with a summer waiver-generating assistantship appointment are entitled to health care benefits for the summer coverage dates. A waiver-generating appointment refers to a research, teaching, pre-professional, or graduate assistantship of at least 25% and not more than 67% for at least 41 days of the summer academic term.
Health benefits include:
- Full payment of the health service (McKinley) fee
- Partial payment ($233) of the health insurance fee for students who were covered under the plan during the Spring 2012 term
- Basic dental and vision insurance
Assistants who do not plan to register for Summer 2012
Required action: Sign up for summer health insurance coverage.
If you have a summer waiver-generating assistantship and are not required by your program to register for summer, you must sign up for summer health insurance coverage at https://www.grad.illinois.edu/healthins/ to receive the health insurance coverage and appropriate fee payment by the University. If you do not sign up, the campus will be unable to apply the health insurance fee assessment and appropriate payment of that fee to which you are entitled with your assistantship. Completing the sign-up is simple and should take less than five minutes.
Note: Only students who had the insurance coverage in the spring semester are eligible to sign up for the summer coverage.
Assistants who have registered or plan to register for Summer 2012
Required action: No action necessary if registered for at least 3 hours.
Registration at any level in Summer 2012 will automatically trigger the assessment and appropriate payment of the health insurance fee for students with a waiver-generating assistantship. Registration in at least three hours in Summer 2012 will automatically trigger the assessment and appropriate payment of the health service (McKinley) fee for students with a waiver-generating assistantship.
Payments for health benefits will not be credited to the student account until the assistantship appointment is reflected in the campus system. The student should pay the balance of the health insurance fee by the due date for paying all charges posted to the account. In the event that the appointment does not materialize, the student would be responsible for paying the full health insurance fee. The summer waiver-generating assistantship entitles the student to health insurance coverage effective on the start date of summer coverage (May 12, 2012).
Note: If you are unsure of your summer assistantship status, you should contact your hiring department to confirm that your assistantship has been processed. You may seek treatment from McKinley Health Center before the summer assistantship has been fully processed by signing a billing release form at McKinley. This form will obligate you to pay the health service fee in the event your appointment is not processed.
2) Students with Summer Waiver-generating Fellowships
Required action: Register for summer courses.
Students with waiver-generating fellowships for the summer are required to register for at least four hours in an eight-week course. The registration in at least four hours in Summer 2012 will trigger the assessment of the appropriate fees and the processing of the appropriate health care benefits. Payments for health benefits will not be credited to the student account until the fellowship appointment is reflected in the campus system. The student should pay the balance of the health insurance fee by the due date for paying all charges posted to the account. In the event that the fellowship appointment does not materialize, the student would be responsible for paying the full health insurance fee.
The health benefits include:
- Full coverage of the health service (McKinley) fee
- Partial payment ($233) of the health insurance fee for students who were covered under the plan during Spring 2012
- Basic dental and vision coverage
Note: If you are unsure of your summer fellowship status, you should contact your appointing unit to confirm that your fellowship has been processed. You may seek treatment from McKinley Health Center before the summer fellowship has been fully processed by signing a billing release form at McKinley. This form will obligate you to pay the health service fee in the event your fellowship is not processed.
Fellows may direct questions about fellowship registration and waiver policies to the Graduate College Fellowship Office at GradFellowships@illinois.edu.
3) Students with No Summer Waiver-generating Appointment
Students who were registered during the spring term and were assessed the health service and health insurance fees can receive summer health coverage in one of two ways: purchasing an extension or registering for classes.
Students who do not plan to register for Summer 2012
Required action: Purchase extension(s).
If a student does not register during summer, the student must purchase an extension in order to receive health coverage. To be eligible to purchase an extension of health insurance coverage and/or your McKinley coverage, the student must have been assessed (had coverage) in the preceding spring term.
- To request an extension of student health insurance, you must sign up at https://www.grad.illinois.edu/healthins/. The deadline to request an extension for health insurance for Summer 2012 is June 22, 2012. Students purchasing extensions would be responsible for paying the full cost of the summer insurance fee ($310).
- To request an extension of the health service (McKinley) fee, go to the McKinley Business Office, 1109 S. Lincoln Avenue. More information is available at www.mckinley.illinois.edu/units/business_office.htm
Note: Students who had spring dental and vision coverage will continue to have dental and vision coverage through August 31, 2012.
Students who plan to register for Summer 2012
Required action: No action necessary if registered for at least 3 hours.
Registration at any level in Summer 2012 will automatically trigger the assessment of the health insurance fee. Registration in at least three hours in Summer 2012 will automatically trigger the assessment of the health service (McKinley) fee. Students who had spring dental and vision coverage from a waiver-generating appointment will continue to have dental and vision coverage through August 31, 2012.
4) Students Registered in Absentia or in a Study Abroad Program
Students registered in absentia are not automatically assessed the health insurance fee or the health service (McKinley) fee, regardless of the number of hours for which they are registered. If you are registered in absentia, and would like student insurance coverage, you must purchase an extension. (Note: In order to be eligible for an extension, you must have been assessed the student health insurance fee in Spring of 2012.) The deadline to request an extension for student insurance is June 22, 2012. Information and forms are available at www.si.illinois.edu. Students registered in absentia are not eligible for health services from McKinley. For more information about in absentia registration, consult the Graduate College Handbook at www.grad.illinois.edu/gradhandbook/chapterII/section02#topic4.
Students who travel outside the United States to take courses or conduct research are required to purchase University designated insurance. For more information, contact the Study Abroad Office at sao@illinois.edu or visit the Web at www.culturalinsurance.com/uil0047/.
5) Newly Admitted Students in Summer
Required actions: Register for summer courses.
Campus policy requires students to be registered in their term of admission. Therefore, if you were admitted for the summer term, you are required to register for summer. Registration at any level in Summer 2012 will automatically trigger the assessment of the health insurance fee. Registration in at least three hours in Summer 2012 will automatically trigger the assessment of the health service (McKinley) fee.
If you have been a student at Illinois prior to beginning your current program and filed an exemption for health insurance, the exemption will still be in effect. If you want student health insurance, you will need to file for reinstatement at the Student Insurance Office. Information and forms are available at www.si.illinois.edu.
Newly admitted students with a waiver-generating assistantship should refer to Section 1. Students with Summer Waiver-generating Assistantships.
Newly admitted students with a waiver-generating fellowship should refer to Section 2. Students with Summer Waiver-generating Fellowships.
6) Individuals Who Graduate May 2012
Required action: Purchase extension(s).
Individuals who graduate in May 2012 have the option of extending their student health insurance for one or two semesters if they had coverage in Spring 2012. To purchase an extension of student health insurance, go to the Student Insurance Office in Room 100A North, Henry Administration Building, 506 S. Wright Street before June 22, 2012. Any student purchasing an extension would be responsible for paying the full cost of the summer insurance fee ($310). More information is available at www.si.illinois.edu.
To request an extension of the health service (McKinley) fee, you must go to McKinley Business Office, 1109 S. Lincoln Avenue. More information is available at www.mckinley.illinois.edu/units/business_office.htm.
Students who had spring dental and vision coverage will continue to have dental and vision coverage through August 31, 2012. No extension is available.
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