Medical Insurance Waivers

sincerelyydavid · 08-15-2012, 11:59 PM

I tried waiving my medical insurance this year and was denied. However, it was waived the previous year. To my knowledge, my medical insurance has not changed. Anyone have any experience with this?

mathmomvt · 08-16-2012, 12:09 AM

My understanding is that most schools do not check everyone's insurance when they waive, but they do random spot checks. So they might not have caught last year that yours was inadequate (if it was). Ask them what they problem is, and if you disagree, get evidence from your insurance company.

amarkov · 08-16-2012, 01:03 AM

And if your policy does violate the waiver conditions, it doesn't hurt to bug them anyway. I know a few people whose policies blatantly don't meet the conditions, but they talked to the right people and got the waiver accepted.

Debruns · 08-16-2012, 05:47 AM

Could you have made a mistake putting in the info? I've heard of that happening also.
I think if they deny it, an explanation should follow.

WayOutWestMom · 08-16-2012, 10:20 AM

It's also possible that the university has changed their insurance coverage requirements between last year and this one. (D2's uni did exactly that. They added a requirement for precription drug coverage her sophomore year.) Check to see if the coverage requirements have changed and if your policy stills meets minimum requirements.

sincerelyydavid · 08-17-2012, 10:15 AM

I got my insurance company to fill out a waiver form made specifically for them and gathered that it only covers emergency related issues, which does not meet school requirements. Perhaps I did make a mistake, or something went wrong, on the waiver form last year?

mathmomvt · 08-17-2012, 10:30 AM

David, call the school and ask what the problem is with this year's waiver. Then you'll know if it's a real issue or an error on the school's part, and have an idea what to do about it.

aunt bea · 08-17-2012, 11:15 AM

David: the universities have gotten really assertive about making sure everyone is "covered" either by their overpriced policy or by making sure you jump through hoops. For my daughter in NY, we fill out a quick checklist online (4 questions?) and type in her policy numbers with insurance medication coverage. It takes about 5 minutes.

For my new UC daughter, we had to fill out an application questionnaire and are waiting on "approval". The questionnaire asked for percentage coverages. They also asked (I'm paraphrasing): Does coverage include treatment for drug or alcohol-induced injuries?
Funny thing, our insurance is the same insurance company that they use, but we have more coverage of additional services.

I think its weird because you usually pay AS fees which includes coverage in the Student Health Services program on campus (for minor illnesses). The emergency services you are citing, should be enough to cover you, in case of a REAL EMERGENCY. Which is the real purpose of insurance right? The waiver from your insurance carrier should be enough and that's how I would argue it. Call your office and speak to someone who actually knows about insurance coverage.

Charlottemom · 08-17-2012, 01:50 PM

Just wanted to add that my sons school insurance policy went up so much this year that I added him back to the family policy.

Last year I believe the policy thru the school was +-$650/yr and this year it would be +-$1,400/yr!

I recall reading that the school insurance was going up drastically this year so be sure to check!