Health insurance is mandatory at The University of Akron for international students and (the accompanying dependents (spouse and/or children) of J-1).

The University of Akron requires health insurance for international students for several reasons, including:

• Health care can be very costly in the US.
• The US does not have a national health care plan.
• Health services may be restricted if you do not have health insurance.
• Health Insurance is a Federal Immigration requirement.

If you have paid the insurance prior to the first email notification of June 21, 2012,no you do not have to cancel, however you may have to upgrade. Policies that offer insufficient coverage will not be accepted. Note: If you have renewed, but have not paid the premium, yes, you should cancel the policy.

No.Major medical insurance coverage has always been mandatory for international students. To that end, the cost of the premium has always been calculated into the living expenses amount listed on the Declaration and Certification of Finances (DCF) Form that each international student is required to complete and submit along with adequate financial documentation before the I-20/DS-2019 is issued. Therefore, you have sworn that you are financially able to pay the University Student Health Plan fee.

• The  plan must be a government-sponsored program, employer benefit for the student or parent of the student (if the student is a dependent),  or be provided by another source (i.e. scholarship) that guarantees acceptable coverage will remain in force during the entire length of your stay.
• The plan must be provided by a company licensed to do business in the United States with (a) a U.S. claim payment office, (b) a U.S. telephone number, and (c) plan literature available in English. Travel insurance plans and reimbursement programs of any kind do not qualify.
• The plan must exceed the coverage provided the University Student Health Plan. If the waiver is approved,  the student must provide proof of payment for the entire year.  No monthly or installment payment will be permitted.  Note: Many plans may appear comparable, but there are “internal limits”, “exclusions” and “pre-existing illness clauses” which leave students almost unprotected.

The University of Akron solely determines whether an international student has met the waiver requirements.  While the online waiver site is administered by United Healthcare, the site has been pre-programmed to evaluate a student’s waiver application pursuant to the specific coverage criteria set by The University of Akron.  United Healthcare has no involvement in approving or denying a waiver application. 

The hard waiver program applies to all non-immigrant students enrolled in a degree-seeking, guest or exchange program at the University. 

No, dependents are not subject to the hard waiver program; however, the University expects that dependents will maintain adequate health coverage throughout their stay in the United States.  As a reminder, dependents with J-2 visa status are required by law to maintain health insurance at proscribed minimum levels throughout their stay or risk the loss of legal status.

When an international student enrolls online in the student health plan, he/she will be directed to the OIP eMarket to process the payment.  Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and eChecks are acceptable forms of payment.

The annual 2012–2013 Student Health Insurance fee is $1158. The fee for Fall, 2012 is $453. International students who do not qualify for the waiver must pay this fee before they will be permitted to register for classes. Beginning Fall, 2012, degree-seeking students will be required to pay the annual insurance fee prior to class enrollment.

Before entering the on-line waiver site, an international student should have (1) his/her current health plan ID card; and (2) his/her health insurance carrier’s brochure or plan description.

Any international student who fails to demonstrate acceptable coverage by the established deadline must enrolled the University Student Health Plan. 

For questions regarding the online waiver process or payment process, please contact the Office of International Programs at OIP-Insurance@uakron.edu or Ms. Denise Garrett Brown @ dgbrown@uakron.edu or Mrs. Melissa Samson-Akpan @ msamson@uakron.edu or call 330-972-6349.