Graduate Summer Health Insurace Frequently Asked Questions
The following FAQ's should help you determine if you are eligible for health benefits associated with a summer assistantship, plus clarify related policies and procedures.
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Some departments require registration for all students with assistantships, regardless of the term. Check with your department. Graduate students holding waiver-generating summer fellowships are required to register for 4 hours in an eight-week course. Graduate students whose term of admission is summer must register during summer term. |
A graduate, research, pre-professional, or teaching assistantship of at least 25% and not more than 67% for at least 41 days of the summer academic term is waiver-generating. |
If you are registered and have an appointment of 68% or more, you are eligible for a waiver of the Service Fee, AFMFA, and Library/Tech fees only. You therefore must pay for tuition and for health coverage fees assessed with your registration (health service fee and health insurance fee). If you do not register but want health coverage, you must purchase health coverage separately. |
The University pays the health service fee (“McKinley fee”) and part of the health insurance fee for eligible assistants and fellows. Eligible assistants and fellows also receive dental and vision coverage. |
The payments will not be credited to your student account until your summer appointment (assistantship or fellowship) is fully processed. You should contact your department with any questions you may have about the processing of your assistantship or fellowship appointment. Once the appointment is processed, the health service (McKinley) fee will be paid by the University, the University payment toward the insurance fee will be applied, and your name will be sent to the dental and vision providers as eligible for coverage. |
The coverage dates for summer health insurance are May 14, 2011 - August 20, 2011. McKinley Health Center spring coverage ends May 28, 2011 and summer coverage ends August 20, 2011. The coverage dates for summer dental and vision benefits are June 1, 2011 – August 31, 2011. |
You have two options. You can register or you can purchase an extension. Registration at any level in Summer 2011 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 2011 will automatically trigger the assessment and appropriate payment of the health service (McKinley) fee for students with a waiver-generating assistantship. To be eligible to purchase an extension of your health insurance coverage and/or your McKinley coverage, you must have been assessed (had coverage) in the preceding spring term. With either option, the student would be responsible for paying the full amount of the assessed fees/charges. |
Registration for less than 3 hours in the summer term will not trigger the assessment of the health service (McKinley) fee. If you register for less than 3 hours, do not hold a waiver-generating appointment, and want access to McKinley, you must purchase an extension. You are only eligible to purchase an extension if you were assessed the health service fee (McKinley) in the preceding spring term. To purchase an extension of McKinley coverage, you must go to McKinley Health Center Business Office, 1109 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana. More information is available at www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Units/business_office.htm. |
A student with an exemption is not assessed the health insurance fee. In order to qualify for an exemption you must have other equivalent health insurance. Exempting from the student health insurance fee means you are choosing to exempt out of this plan for the entire time you are a student at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign campus. The exemption remains in force even if you go from being an undergraduate to a graduate student, or leave the University and then return. Students who have exempted must apply for reinstatement in order to get on the plan. If you want to file for exemption or reinstatement, visit the Student Insurance Office in Room 100A North, Henry Administration Building, 506 S. Wright Street, or contact them via e-mail or phone (see www.si.illinois.edu). |
If you have received an exemption of the health insurance fee, you would not be charged the health insurance fee and are, therefore, ineligible to receive the University contribution toward the health insurance fee. You would be eligible for the health service (McKinley) benefit. |
If you’ve already paid for an extension for your health insurance, visit the Student Insurance Office or contact them via e-mail or phone (see www.si.illinois.edu) and explain that you need a refund of your extension of coverage because you have a waiver-generating appointment for summer. They will need a signature from you in order to authorize such a refund. |
If you’ve already paid for access to the McKinley Health Center (see www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Units/business_office.htm), you should go to the McKinley Business Office and explain that you need a refund because you have a waiver-generating appointment for summer. |
If your situation changes such that the information provided in your first submission is no longer valid (e.g. you decide to register after you originally indicated you would not be registered), you may access the form and complete a new entry. The information in the subsequent submission will replace the earlier information. Note that the deadline for making changes is June 22, 2011. |
You may access the online form and request a cancellation of the request to extend the health insurance. The request for the cancellation must be submitted by the deadline of June 22, 2011 in order for the charges to be removed. |
If you want to add dependents to your health insurance, you must do so through the Student Insurance Office. Information is available at www.si.illinois.edu. If you want to purchase McKinley coverage for a spouse or domestic partner, you must do so at McKinley. More information is available at www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Units/business_office.htm. |
You may purchase an extension of your health insurance to have coverage after your graduation. To do so, go to the Student Insurance Office in Room 100A North, Henry Administration Building, 506 S. Wright Street, www.si.illinois.edu before June 22, 2011. You may also purchase coverage at McKinley for the summer after your graduation. To do so, go to McKinley Business Office, 1109 S. Lincoln Avenue, www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Units/business_office.htm. |
Yes, if you had dental/vision coverage in the spring term you will continue to have coverage until August 31, 2011. |
No. Coverage agreements between the University and Dental/Vision Insurance providers (Delta Dental and EyeMed) allow for two open enrollment periods: one in the fall (September) and one in the spring (February). For more information, see www.grad.illinois.edu/current/dental.htm and www.grad.illinois.edu/current/vision.htm. |
Students registered in absentia are not 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. 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 registered in a study abroad program, or independently engaged in study or research outside of the United States are required to purchase University approved insurance. For more information, contact the Study Abroad Office at sao@illinois.edu or visit the Web at www.culturalinsurance.com/uil0047/. |
A teaching assistant appointment between 25 percent and 67 percent of full-time service for at least 21 days in Summer I (four-week part of summer term) will be considered to be a waiver-generating appointment, and therefore eligible for the Health Insurance and Health Service benefits. Members of this group will be contacted separately with information regarding summer health benefits. |
Students enrolled in the College of Medicine or College of Nursing on the Urbana-Champaign campus with waiver-generating assistantships paid through the Urbana-Champaign system are entitled to the health benefits associated with the assistantship appointment. However, the tuition and fees for these programs are assessed by the UI-Chicago system, which means that the health benefit coverage cannot be automatically applied by the Urbana-Champaign campus. In order to receive the benefits, these students should contact the Graduate College via email at grad@illinois.edu to request the benefits. |