George Washington University
STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN

2022-2023 Academic Year

 Eligibility

Mandatory Eligibility: All undergraduate students matriculated in a degree-granting program, medical, on-campus nursing, on-campus Health Science, and all international students holding a J1 or F1 visa are required to have health insurance while they study at GW. These students will be automatically enrolled in the GW SHIP and must submit a waiver form if they have another insurance plan that meets the required waiver criteria.

Voluntary Eligibility: All graduate students not listed above matriculated in a degree-granting program, all non-degree seeking undergraduate students with at least 12 credit hours, all non-degree seeking graduate students with at least 9 credit hours, students on continuous enrollment, students on a school-approved leave of absence, and all online Medical and Nursing students who participate in clinical rotation on campus are eligible to enroll on a voluntary basis. (Note that some GW graduate assistants or graduate research assistants receive subsidized funding to cover the costs of the GW SHIP. Contact your department or research advisor for more information.)

Online courses, correspondence, and television (TV) do not meet the eligibility requirements. Students who participate in the early college program do not meet the eligibility requirements.

 Insurance Cost & Coverage Periods

Coverage Period Annual* Fall Spring/Summer Summer Only
Dates of Coverage 8/12/2022-8/11/2023 8/12/2022-12/31/2022 1/1/2023-8/11/2023 5/1/2023-8/11/2023
Mandatory Student Cost $2,700.00 $1,050.00 $1,650.00 $762.00
Voluntary Student Cost $4,094.00 $1,593.00 $2,501.00 $1,155.00
Deadline Dates September 12, 2022 September 12, 2022 February 1, 2023 May 20, 2023
The spring/summer waiver appeal deadline is 4/30/2023
 
*Students cannot enroll in annual coverage during the Fall 2022 semester, as students are charged and enrolled by semester based on eligibility. If you do not maintain eligibility for spring, you will not be eligible to continue spring coverage as of 1/1/2023.
 

Plan Highlights

The benefit information is located on the left side of this page. GW has partnered with University Health Plans to administer the plan and help with waiver, enrollment, or eligibility related questions. University Health Plans can be reached at 833-251-1721 or info@univhealthplans.com. Aetna Student Health can be reached at 877-480-4161 for any benefit or claim-related questions.  

Waiver Process

Mandatory students with comparable coverage can opt-out of the Student Insurance Plan by completing the waiver form located on the left side of this page by the deadline. Before waiving, compare the cost, coverage, and benefits of the Plan to your existing plan. Failure to complete the waiver will result in a student being enrolled and responsible for the Health Insurance Fee. Students who miss the annual waiver deadline are permitted to waive spring coverage.

Please note, health insurance plans marketed solely to international students are often not filed and approved in the U.S., have limited benefits, provider networks and/or coverage periods that do not comply with GW’s waiver requirements. GBG Insurance, HDL Global Specialty, ISO, PGH (United), PSI, Student Medicover, and Tata AIG are examples of companies that do not meet the waiver requirements.
 

 Enrollment Process

Mandatory students are automatically charged and enrolled in the SHIP if you do not submit a waiver form. NO ACTION IS REQUIRED TO ENROLL. Mandatory students are enrolled and charged by semester and MUST maintain mandatory spring eligibility for the plan to be automatically enrolled and charged for Spring 2023 coverage. 

Voluntary students are eligible to enroll on a voluntary basis by completing the voluntary enrollment form located on the left side of this page by the deadline. (Note that some GW graduate assistants or graduate research assistants receive subsidized funding to cover the costs of the GW SHIP. Contact your department or research advisor for more information. See enrollment process below.) Voluntary student premiums can be paid at the time of enrollment, however, the premium cannot be charged to your student account. Coverage must be purchased by semester and students MUST maintain spring eligibility for the plan to purchase Spring 2023 coverage.

Eligible students may insure their dependents, including their spouse and unmarried children under the age of 26 for an additional cost by completing the enrollment form located on the left side of this page by the deadline. Dependent premiums can be paid at the time of enrollment, however, dependent premiums cannot be charged to your student account. Dependent eligibility is effective and expires concurrently with that of the insured student, meaning coverage is only available to dependents if and when the student is insured under the plan. 

Enrollment Process for Subsidized Graduate Fellows, Graduate Assistants, & Graduate Research Assistants

As a GW graduate fellow, graduate assistant, or graduate research assistant receiving funding from your school or college, you may elect to participate in the GW Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) with Aetna Student Health at the listed “mandatory” student rate. You are eligible to choose this lower cost insurance option because of your role this academic year as a graduate fellow or assistant. Because graduate assistantships may change, you are required to re-enroll in GW SHIP through the Student Account eBill portal for the Spring 2023 semester. Spring enrollment ends February 1, 2023.

 To sign-up for GW SHIP at the mandatory rate, please follow the enrollment steps below:

  1. Log into Student eBill and click the “Make a Payment” button.
  2. On the payment screen, scroll down to the “Additional Items” section, and click the + button to add the GA/GRA health insurance. 
    1. If you would like to pay for the insurance immediately, select the “Pay Now” radio button. (See below for payment options.)
    2. If you are a fully funded student who is eligible for a GW SHIP-related payment and/or you would like to sign up for our GRA/GA payment plan to spread your insurance payment out over the full semester, select the "Pay Later" radio button. 

 If you selected “Pay Now”: Select your payment method of choice (credit card, electronic check, or your saved payment method) from the payment screen, enter your payment details as needed, and submit your payment. Once your payment is confirmed, you will see a “Student Health Insurance Chg” line item on your account details for the semester.

 If you selected “Pay Later”: Review the Account Payment screen, then click the continue button to confirm your enrollment in the insurance. Once this step is complete, you will see the “Receipt” screen appear, and a “Student Health Insurance Chg” line item will be added to your account details for the semester.

 Please note that because graduate assistantships may change, you are required to re-enroll each semester you remain a graduate assistant by completing the above process. 

 Fully-Funded Graduate Fellows, Graduate Assistants, and Graduate Research Assistants who have enrolled in GW SHIP (GWSPH and SMHS excluded), are eligible for a subsidy towards the cost of the plan. For the purposes of SHIP, “fully-funded” is defined as funding of at least $10,000 per semester for doctoral students, or at least $8,000 per semester for masters students.

 The Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships will issue a special payment per semester enrolled (Fall and Spring) to the student account. Please contact the Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships at gradfell@gwu.edu if you have questions about the special payment.

Note: If you are not registered for a credit allotment, it may affect your health insurance subsidy payment. If you have a zero credit registration (i.e. continuous enrollment, continuous research) it is the student’s responsibility to notify the Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships Office that they are registered but for zero credits so the award may be correctly posted in Banner, preferably prior to the semester's start. Failure to do so may result in late fees when the award doesn’t post correctly.

 

GW Student Health Center

The Student Health Center is the University's on-campus health facility. It is located at 800 21st St. NW, Ground Floor, Washington D.C, 20052. Staffed by Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Mental Health Providers, and Registered Nurses. Please visit https://healthcenter.gwu.edu/ or call 202-994-5300 for more information and hours of operation.

For students enrolled on the SHIP,  the following services provided at the GW Student Health Center (SHC) are covered at 100% with no Copay or Deductible. Medical office visits, Prescription medications routinely dispensed at Health Service, Routine STD screenings, (Once Annually) Physical Examinations, Immunizations, A yearly influenza vaccination when provided at the SHC only.

Annual Deductible waived for services rendered at GW Mental Health Services. Office Visits are covered at 100%. Group Counseling is covered at 100%. Referrals are available to providers in the community. For more information, call the SHC Mental Health Services at (202) 994-5300.