Effective Date
Office of Primary Responsibility
Office of Financial Services
Summary of Policy
All students are required to maintain health insurance coverage that meets or exceeds the minimum requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) while they are a student with the College.
Students will be required to provide proof of health insurance coverage in an ACA compliant health insurance plan to the College when enrolling for the first time and each academic year thereafter. Students who do not provide proof of health insurance coverage in an ACA compliant health insurance plan by the deadline set by the College, will automatically be enrolled in an ACA compliant health insurance plan, for which plan premiums will be charged to the student account and for which the student is responsible for paying.
If a student withdraws or otherwise stops attending the College during a semester, the student will remain enrolled in the health plan for the duration of the plan period and the student will continue to be responsible for plan premiums for the duration of the plan period.
Additional information about the student health insurance requirement is available here.
Reason for Policy
Allegheny College is concerned about the well-being of its students. This policy is aimed to help ensure that students covered by this policy will have access to health care by requiring primary health insurance coverage. Federal law also requires a minimum level of health insurance and having the same will also hopefully limit potential exposure to high out-of-pocket costs commonly associated with uninsured health care.
The Policy
All students are required to carry adequate health insurance that can be used in the Meadville area. Contact your insurance carrier to verify coverage locations. We recommend that students bring their current health insurance card to campus.
Health Insurance Facts
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that unless you qualify for a health coverage exemption, all US citizens must carry adequate health insurance or pay an income penalty. Allegheny students can seek basic care at the Winslow Health Center. However, students will need adequate health insurance for any possible hospital visits, physical therapy, laboratory work, or other services off campus.
The Affordable Care Act mandates that health insurance coverage has a term of one year minimum unless there is a qualifying event that triggers a special enrollment period. Medicaid from any state other than Pennsylvania is not covered in Meadville. More information can be found at: healthcare.gov | irs.gov | supremecourt.gov
Health Insurance Options
Students under the age of 26 can be covered on their parent’s insurance plan. Students can purchase coverage on the Market Place. Allegheny enrolls and pays the premium for students who do not decline coverage or wish to purchase United Health Care Coverage. The associated premium is added as an insurance fee on each student billing statement. The United Health Care plan:
- Meets the ACA criteria for adequate insurance.
- Is accepted by most local health facilities.
- Does not provide 100% coverage. The student will be responsible of some of the costs.
- Read more about student United Health Care plan
To decline coverage and remove fee: Log into your WebAdvisor account and select the “Insurance Form” link. Complete the form and submit. Deadline for submission is August 31 of each academic year. This form must be completed each year. Declining insurance for one year does not carry over to subsequent years.
Allegheny officially submits students for coverage to United Healthcare for a one year term on September 1, therefore coverage cannot be declined after the August 31 deadline. If you do not decline the coverage by August 31 you will be responsible for payment.
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