CMU's Student Health Insurance Policy
Full-time students at Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh or New York campus locations must carry medical insurance that meets the university's requirements of coverage. The intent of this policy is to insure that students have access to health care and are protected from significant financial loss in the event of a serious illness or injury. Review the formal Student Health Insurance policy statement.
The university contracts excellent and affordable student medical insurance, and each year full-time Pittsburgh and New York campus students are default charged for the lowest premium plan contracted by the university.
These full-time students must enroll in the university's contracted student insurance plans, or request a refund of the premium by completing a medical insurance waiver form on which they verify that their alternative insurance meets the university's mandated requirements.
WHO MAY ENROLL IN THE INSURANCE PLANS OFFERED
While full-time students at the Pittsburgh and New York campus locations must meet the mandated insurance policy, full-time students, matriculating part-time students, visiting scholars, post docs, and others with an active ongoing university relationship at any Carnegie Mellon University campus may voluntarily enroll in the contracted medical insurance.
Full or part-time matriculating students, visiting scholars, post docs, and others with an active ongoing university relationship at any domestic campus may also enroll in the optional vision insurance. Students in these categories at the Pittsburgh campus may also enroll in the optional dental insurance.
Post docs, visiting scholars and others with a relationship with the university are permitted to enroll as of the date their relationship with the university begins, but not before, and may remain on the plan through July 31. They can then renew only if they remain in a relationship with the university. We also ask their departments to confirm their relationship in writing.
THE STUDENT INSURANCE ENROLLMENT PROCESS
Each academic year, the accounts of full-time CMU students enrolled at the Pittsburgh or New York campus locations are charged for CMU's lowest-premium student medical insurance plan, the Standard Individual plan. This default insurance premium charge is posted to the student's HUB invoice account in the first semester of his or her attendance each academic year. The fee charged represents the insurance premium for coverage beginning that semester and continuing through July 31 of that academic year. Details about Enrollment Services' selection process for the default charging can be found here.
Students make their insurance enrollment decisions once each academic year, usually in the Fall semester. Each semester (Fall, Spring and Summer) has an associated insurance open enrollment period. New students arriving to campus for the first time, or students just returning to campus for the first time in the current academic year, must finalize their insurance decisions within their initial semester's open enrollment period. Open enrollment period deadlines are documented below.
To finalize the insurance decision for the current academic year, a student must complete a waiver form if he or she has alternative insurance and wishes to be considered for a refund of the fee, or the student must complete an enrollment form to enroll in the insurance. Carnegie Mellon currently offers two plans: Standard and Enhanced. The university has contracted with Tuition Management Systems to offer students an insurance monthly payment plan to spread premium payments over 9 monthly payments.
Prior insurance decisions do not roll over into the next academic year; students must re-enroll or waive each academic year. Students wishing to enroll in the insurance should do so as soon as possible each academic year, so that they receive their new insurance cards before medical needs surface. Delaying enrollment can mean a student has to pay out of pocket for early needs, including prescriptions, and then file reimbursement claims forms once new insurance cards are received.
Optional dental and vision enrollment forms must also be recompleted each academic year.
CARRY INSURANCE CARDS AT ALL TIMES
Students are responsible for providing their insurance information to providers. Waiver information is kept on file primarily as a record of waiver policy compliance.
Please review our Common Questions file for more details regarding the student insurance enrollment process, cards, addition of dependents, etc.
