Today, a representative from Aetna Student Health was on campus to host a question and answer session with regards to the new health insurance plan for ND graduate students. A brief background of the insurance plan was provided as well as an overview of the website (aetnastudenthealth.com). The floor was then opened for questions. Here are a few key points and questions that arose during the afternoon.

Q: What is “aggregate maximum”?
A: The aggregate maximum ($100,000 for the student policy) is the maximum amount of money that Aetna will cover in the policy year per injury/illness. So if you have asthma and break your leg, then you could get covered up to $100,000 for each.

Q: What is the policy number for Notre Dame?
A: 474916

Q: Does the aetna student health plan cover vision and dental?
A: (1) The plan includes a vision discount plan, which provides a discount on lenses etc, but does not a vision insurance plan, per say. (2) There is a dental plan in which students can enroll, called Advantage Dental. This can be done online at aetnastudenthealth.com.

Q: When do I have to waive the school-sponsored insurance?
A: You have until September 14th to prove that you have comparable coverage. You must waive out of the Aetna student plan online at aetnastudenthealth.com by the deadline, or you will be charged for the Aetna student plan.

Q: Am I currently being covered even though it isn’t September 14th yet?
A: Yes. All degree-seeking graduate students are automatically enrolled with the health insurance plan as of August 15. If you do not want to be on the plan, you must provide proof of comparable insurance by September 14th at aetnastudenthealth.com.

Q: When do we get our health insurance cards?
A: Once the deadline to waive the insurance has passed (September 15th), the school will send our names to Aetna, they will be processed, and cards should be sent by the beginning of October.

Q: But what if I want/need a card before then?
A: You must go to aetnastudenthealth.com and enroll in the student health insurance plan. This may seem confusing because you are already automatically “enrolled” as of August 15th, so think of it as telling Aetna that you are NOT waiving the insurance. To enroll in the plan, (1) go to aetnastudenthealth.com; (2) on the top right, select University of Notre Dame from the drop-down menu and click “Go”; (3) In the left orange box in the middle of the page, click “enroll;” (4) click the “Enroll/Waive: International and Graduate Students” link if you are enrolling yourself and NOT a dependent; (5) you will need your student ID number as you work your way through the 7 pages, but don’t worry… it doesn’t take very long; (6) once you have completed enrollment, you will be given a confirmation number on the final page as well as in an e-mail; (7) once you have enrolled, it will take 1-2 weeks to process and to give you a member ID #; (8) once you have your member ID #, you can register with Aetna Navigator, which is found under the “For Members” option in the blue column on the left side of the page after completing step 2 above; (9) from Aetna Navigator, you can print out a temporary card as well as request a plastic card.

Q: How do I get coverage for my spouse/child?
A: These are “dependents” and should be enrolled in a similar way as for the student, but instead of selecting the option for “International and Graduate Students,” you should select “All other students and dependents.”

Q: How much does the insurance cost?
A: The annual price for the insurance is as follows… student: $1239, spouse: $3098, each child: $1859, all children: $2416, spouse and all children: $5514. However, the University subsidizes the cost of health insurance for the graduate students ONLY, so the cost is brought down from $1239 to a mere $372. The university does not subsidize the insurance for spouses or dependents.

Q: Where can I find more information?
A: The best places to find information are at the University Health Services website (uhs.nd.edu/insurance-billing) or the Aetna Student Health website (aetnastudenthealth.com).