Office of Student Life

Student Health Insurance

SELECT / WAIVE OVERVIEW

Each academic year, domestic students who are enrolled in enough courses to be considered half-time in a program of study are asked to verify they comply with the University health insurance requirement by completing the Select/Waive process by the established deadline.

International Students are required to enroll in Student Health Benefits Plan as a condition of their enrollment at The Ohio State University regardless of credit hours and can find more information by visiting the tab for International  Students here.

Take a moment to compare your current health insurance with the Student Health Benefits Plan to see what works best for you. It is important to make sure you have in network access to medical, mental health, pharmacy, dental and vision providers while on Campus, including the Wilce Student Health Center. Use this interactive chart to help you review.

WHAT ARE MY CHOICES IN THE SELECT/WAIVE PROCESS

  1. Select the Student Health Benefits Plan = Medical, Mental Health, Dental, Vision, Pharmacy Benefits.

  2. Select the WilceCare Supplement and waive the Student Health Benefits Plan. NOTE: The WilceCare Supplement is not insurance. You must maintain other annual health insurance for the entire academic year to qualify and it must be active on the fee due date each semester.

  3. Waive the Student Health Benefits Plan.  You must maintain other annual health insurance for the entire academic year to qualify and it must be active on the fee due date each semester.

 

DEADLINES APPLY

Tell us what you decide by completing the annual Select/Waive process by the published deadline.  The deadline for summer 2024 semester is April 30, 2024.

To waive SHI Benefits Plan, students must submit proof of medical coverage for the academic year. We advise students to verify their other coverage will serve them well while they're at school. 

ANNUAL SELECTION 

A Student Health Benefits Plan choice stays in place for the remainder of the policy year, unless the student experiences a Qualifying Event. This applies to a default choice as well (see below). The policy year corresponds to the academic year. A WilceCare Supplement and Waiver choice stays in place for the remainder of the policy year. A Waiver choice stays in place for the remainder of the policy year. However, students can newly select Student Health Benefits Plan coverage for a subsequent academic term if they do so before the published Select/Waive deadline for that term.

AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT: If students do not complete the Select/Waive process before the deadline, their choice defaults to the Student Health Benefits Plan and the fee will post to their university Statement of Account for each coverage period they remain eligible within the policy year. Default coverage is single (“student only”) or, if you are a returning member, the level you selected for the previous term. 

NOTE: It is the student's responsibility to view their online Statement of Account at the beginning of each term (and any time changes are made to their course enrollment) to ensure that it reflects the appropriate level of health insurance for that term, regardless of a college or university program's involvement in the registration process and/or who is paying the fee.

FEE PAYMENT

Whether the choice goes into effect is confirmed when the appropriate health insurance fee posts (or does not post) to the student’s Statement of Account.

The Student Health Benefits Plan fee must be paid in full before benefits are available for use. Fee payment options can be found here.