Waiver Requirement for Student Health Insurance

Students must complete the waiver process to opt out of the University-sponsored health insurance plan.

• All matriculated graduate and professional students, including international students, are required to maintain health care coverage.
• Action must be taken each year; waiver information doesn't roll forward from year to year.
• Students are enrolled in and charged for  the RFU sponsored student health insurance plan if they fail to submit a wavier by the deadline.
• Pending policies do not meet the student insurance verification requirement and are not accepted as coverage.

What does this mean?

Under the health insurance waiver program, RFU requires students who are registered full time to:

1. Carry health insurance that meets specific coverage requirements (i.e., comparable coverage); and
2. Provide proof of this insurance on an annual basis.

If proof of a student's alternate health insurance coverage is not submitted (whether a student fails to submit any documentation or because a student's health coverage is determined not to provide adequate qualifying coverage); the student will be responsible for the full cost for single coverage under the University-endorsed Academic Blue Student Health Insurance Plan.

What is Qualifying Coverage?

Qualifying coverage is coverage from a U.S. based insurer that meets the minimum standards as defined by the ACA and Rosalind Franklin University.  Waiver applications will be denied if the plan does not provide the following.

Alternate insurance plans:

• Must provide routine, non-emergency care, in addition to emergency care, in the Chicago area*
• Must provide "essential health benefits" per the Affordable Care Act(ACA); see details below.
• Cannot exclude pre-existing conditions, or have waiting periods before coverage applies.
• Must provide active coverage from the day I arrive on campus through the end of my academic program.
• Must have a claims administrator who is based in the U.S., and a U.S. telephone number and address for submission of claims; in addition, the insurance policy must have issued within the U.S.
• If I am an F1 student, my plan must cover medical evacuation and repatriation expenses (no exceptions).
• If I am a domestic student (or have a different visa status than noted above), my plan must cover medical evacuation and repatriation expenses only if I will be studying/traveling/doing research out the U.S. during this academic year.