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Summer Health Coverage for Graduate Students

Due to the ongoing circumstances of the pandemic, the Graduate College, with the support of the Chancellor and the Office of the Provost, has approved again this year a modification to the Summer Automatic Fee Waiver Policy. This modification will extend the fee waivers under this policy to include partial coverage of the Health Insurance Fee and full coverage of the Health Service Fee. Please see the section below on “Students with No Summer Waiver-Generating Appointment” for additional information.

To ensure that you receive Summer 2022 health coverage and benefits, please make sure you identify the category below that applies to you, read the relevant information, and take action as appropriate.

The categories are:

  1. Students with Summer Waiver-Generating Assistantships
  2. Students with Summer Waiver-Generating Fellowships
  3. Students with No Summer Waiver-Generating Appointment
  4. Students Registered In Absentia or in a Study Abroad Program
  5. Newly Admitted Students in Summer
  6. Individuals Who Graduate May 2022

Note: Student Insurance, McKinley Health Service, and Dental/Vision Insurance each have a particular coverage period, which may vary from the dates of the academic term or from the dates of any summer appointment a student may hold.

Summer 2022 coverage dates are as follows:

  • Student Health Insurance:  Summer coverage dates are May 14 – August 19
  • McKinley Health Center: Spring coverage ends May 14, Summer coverage ends August 22
  • Dental/Vision Insurance: Summer coverage dates are June 1 – August 31 

For more information, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions. If you have questions not addressed in the FAQ, please contact the Graduate College at grad@illinois.edu.

Note for Summer 2022: Please refer to the Office of the Registrar website for more details on fee assessment.

1) Students with Summer Waiver-generating Assistantships

Students with summer assistantships are not required by the University to register in the summer, unless the student is newly admitted for summer. All graduate students with a summer waiver-generating assistantship appointment are entitled to health care benefits for the summer coverage dates. A waiver-generating appointment refers to a research, teaching, pre-professional, or graduate assistantship of at least 25% and not more than 67% for at least 41 days of the summer academic term.

Health benefits include:
  • Full payment of the health service (McKinley) fee
  • Partial payment of the health insurance fee for students who were covered under the plan during the Spring 2022 term
  • Basic dental and vision insurance

Assistants who do not plan to register for Summer 2022

Required action:  Extend health insurance for summer.
 
If you have a summer waiver-generating assistantship and are not required by your program to register for summer, you must sign up for summer health insurance coverage at https://app.grad.illinois.edu/healthins/ to receive the health insurance coverage and appropriate fee payment by the University.  If you do not sign up, the campus will be unable to apply the health insurance fee assessment and appropriate payment of that fee to which you are entitled with your assistantship. Completing the sign-up is simple and should take less than five minutes. The cost for an extension of health insurance for summer term is $916. A partial payment of 87% will be applied to your student account by the University.
 
The deadline to request an extension for health insurance for Summer 2022 is June 24, 2022.
 
Note: Only students who were assessed the insurance coverage in the spring semester are eligible to sign up for the summer extension coverage.
 

Assistants who have registered or plan to register for Summer 2022

Required action: No action necessary if registered.
 
Registration at any level in Summer 2022 will automatically trigger the assessment and appropriate payment of the health insurance fee for students with a waiver-generating assistantship. Appropriate payment of the health service (McKinley) fee for students with a waiver-generating assistantship will also be applied.
 
Payments for health benefits will not be credited to the student account until the assistantship appointment is reflected in the campus system. The student should pay the balance of the health insurance fee by the due date for paying all charges posted to the account. In the event that the appointment does not materialize, the student would be responsible for paying the full health insurance fee. The summer waiver-generating assistantship entitles the student to health insurance coverage effective on the start date of summer coverage. The cost of summer health insurance for registered students is $916. A partial payment of 87% will be applied to your student account by the University.
 
Note:  If you are unsure of your summer assistantship status, you should contact your hiring department to confirm that your assistantship has been processed. You may seek treatment from McKinley Health Center before the summer assistantship has been fully processed by signing a billing release form at McKinley. This form will obligate you to pay the health service fee in the event your appointment is not processed.
 

2) Students with Summer Waiver-generating Fellowships

Required action:  Register for summer courses.

Students with waiver-generating fellowships for the summer are required to register for the summer term. Registration at any level in Summer 2022 will cause the assessment and appropriate payment of the student health insurance fee and Health Service fee. Payments for health benefits will not be credited to the student account until the fellowship appointment is reflected in the campus system. The student should pay the balance of the health insurance fee by the due date for paying all charges posted to the account. In the event that the fellowship appointment does not materialize, the student would be responsible for paying the full amount of summer health charges.
 
The health benefits include:
  • Full coverage of the health service (McKinley) fee
  • Partial payment (87%) of the health insurance fee
  • Basic dental and vision coverage 
Note:  If you are unsure of your summer fellowship status, you should contact your appointing unit to confirm that your fellowship has been processed. You may seek treatment from McKinley Health Center before the summer fellowship has been fully processed by signing a billing release form at McKinley. This form will obligate you to pay the health service fee in the event your fellowship is not processed.
 
Fellows may direct questions about fellowship registration and waiver policies to the Graduate College Fellowship Office at GradFellowships@illinois.edu.
 

3) Students with No Summer Waiver-generating Appointment

Students who were registered during the spring term and were assessed the health service and health insurance fees can receive summer health coverage in one of two ways: purchasing an extension or registering for classes.

STUDENTS WHO PLAN TO REGISTER FOR SUMMER 2022

Required action: No action necessary if registered.

Registration at any level in Summer 2022 will cause assessment of the health insurance fee.

Students who held a waiver-generating appointment during Spring 2022 will receive the standard summer automatic waiver, which will also include a partial (87%) waiver of the summer health insurance fee and full coverage of the health service fee, as approved by the policy modification again for Summer 2022. For students receiving the summer automatic waiver, registration at any level in Summer 2022 will provide access to McKinley through the coverage of the health service fee.

Students who had spring dental and vision coverage from a waiver-generating appointment will continue to have dental and vision coverage through August 31, 2022.
 

Students who do not plan to register for Summer 2022

Required action: Purchase extension(s).
 
If a student does not register during summer, the student must purchase an extension in order to receive health coverage. To be eligible to purchase an extension of health insurance coverage and/or your McKinley coverage, the student must have been assessed (had coverage) in the preceding spring term.
Note: Students who had spring dental and vision coverage will continue to have dental and vision coverage through August 31, 2022.
 

4) Students Registered in Absentia or in a Study Abroad Program

Students registered in absentia are not automatically 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 request an extension of your student health insurance at https://app.grad.illinois.edu/healthins/. To be eligible for an extension of health insurance coverage in summer, students must have been assessed (had coverage) in the preceding spring term. Students registered in absentia are not eligible for services from McKinley.  For more information about in absentia registration, consult the Graduate College Handbook.
 
Students who travel outside the United States to take courses or conduct research are required to purchase University designated insurance. For more information, contact the Study Abroad Office at sao@illinois.edu or visit their website.
 

5) Newly Admitted Students in Summer

 
Required actions: Register for summer courses.
 

Campus policy requires students to be registered in their term of admission. Therefore, if you were admitted for the summer term, you are required to register for summer. Registration at any level in Summer 2022 will cause assessment of the health insurance fee.

If you have been a student at Illinois prior to beginning your current program and filed an exemption for health insurance before the Fall 2013 Term, the exemption is considered permanent and will still be in effect. If you want student health insurance, you will need to file for reinstatement in person at the Student Insurance Office, located in Room 29, McKinley Health Center, 1109 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana.

Newly admitted students with a waiver-generating assistantship or fellowship will receive the following health benefits:

  • Full coverage of the health service (McKinley) fee
  • Partial payment (87%) of the health insurance fee
  • Basic dental and vision coverage
 

6) Individuals Who Graduate in May 2022

Required action: Purchase continuation of insurance and/or extension of McKinley access.

Individuals who graduate in May 2022 have the option of continuing their student health insurance for up to 90 days if they had coverage in Spring 2022. To purchase a continuation of student health insurance, please go to the University's United Healthcare Student Resources website (si.illinois.edu) and complete the Continuation Enrollment form (which will be available later this spring). The continuation of coverage must be purchased, and payment received, within 31 days after the expiration of Spring 2022 student insurance coverage.  Any student purchasing a continuation would be responsible for paying the full cost of the insurance continuation. More information is available at si.illinois.edu.
 
To request an extension of the health service (McKinley) fee, you must go to the McKinley Business Office, 1109 S. Lincoln Avenue. More information is available at https://mckinley.illinois.edu/fees/service-fees.
 
Students who had spring dental and vision coverage will continue to have dental and vision coverage through August 31, 2022. No extension is available.