Mandatory Health Insurance

Overview | Why the Requirement | Quality, Cost & Coverage | International Students | Enrollment | Dates of Coverage | Student Health Services | Optional Coverage |
Payment Options | Waiver | Help

Waiver

The waiver process, including appeals

• If I waive off the insurance plan for Spring 2008, then I am good for the next four years at Emory, right?
  
  
• What if I make a mistake while I am completing the waiver, or if my insurance situation changes between the day I complete the 2007-08 waiver and the January 16th deadline?
  
  
• Why does Emory have a requirement that the annual deductible on my plan must be $2,500 or less or I must have a certified Healthcare Savings Account (HSA)?
  
  
• What if I fail the waiver process or I miss the deadline and get charged for the Emory/Aetna insurance plan and I want to appeal the charge?  Can I do that?
  
  

If I waive off the insurance plan for Spring 2008, then I am good for the next four years at Emory, right?
No!  Every Emory degree-seeking and international student must complete the enrollment/waiver process once a year (each Fall Semester) every year.

What if I make a mistake while I am completing the waiver, or if my insurance situation changes between the day I complete the 2007-08 waiver and the January 16th deadline?
You may reenter the OPUS mandatory insurance waiver site as many times as you wish prior to January 16th and cancel or change your waiver.

 Why does Emory have a requirement that the annual deductible on my plan must be $2,500 or less or I must have a certified Healthcare Savings Account (HSA)? 
Emory has found that students avoid going to the doctor or the emergency room, refuse needed hospitalizations, or won’t allow important tests, x-rays or scans to be done, if their deductible is very high ($5,000, $10,000).  The whole point of the mandatory insurance requirement is to give Emory students insurance coverage that will allow them to get important, needed healthcare so that they can successfully complete their degrees.  This waiver criteria helps us to achieve that goal. 

What if I fail the waiver process or I miss the deadline and get charged for the Emory/Aetna insurance plan and I want to appeal the charge?  Can I do that?
Yes, but you will need a pretty good reason (e.g. “I was in the hospital in a coma,” “I was abducted by Martians,” etc.). Emory will have a formal committee to review and vote on appeals. Each Fall, the deadline for this appeals process for the annual plan will be on or about Febuary 16th. If you have questions or concerns about the mandatory student health insurance requirement or your individual situation relative to the requirement, please contact the Student Health Services Insurance Office at 404-727-7560, 404-727-7284 or mandatoryinsurance@listserv.cc.emory.edu , or Michael Huey, MD, Executive Director, at mhuey@emory.edu or 404-712-8652. To view the Mandatory Insurance Waiver FAQs page, click here.