Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Domestic students who are enrolled at least half-time in a degree-seeking program and are attending any campus of The Ohio State University are subject to the requirement. Half-time is defined by eligible credit hours: 6 for undergraduate students, 4 for graduate and professional students, and 3 for post-candidacy students. For credit hour eligibility exceptions and exclusions, visit our Eligibility page. 

All international students enrolled in courses are required to enroll in the Student Health Benefits Plan.  

Students who are required to have health insurance. See the answer above for details and clarification. Central Ohio Technical College students are not eligible to purchase the Student Health Benefits Plan. 

If you were enrolled in the Student Health Benefits Plan for the term prior to your leave, yes, you may be eligible to keep your health insurance.  Please contact our office for additional information and requirements related to extended coverage due to a Leave of Absence. 

Feedback from students indicated a need for continuous coverage through the summer months. What you pay for coverage each term is the annual (12 months) cost of the plan divided into two equal parts. When you enrolled for spring, you paid for 6 months of coverage (through summer). 

For other graduation questions, get answers on our Graduating Members page.

Parents or siblings are not eligible for enrollment as a dependent in the Student Health Benefits Plan. Visit our Eligibility page for more information.

Yes, a legal spouse is eligible for coverage. Visit our Eligibility page for more information.

Yes, a domestic partner is eligible for coverage.  However, you must be registered with the City of Columbus Domestic Partner Registry prior to the start of a coverage period and provide the SHI office a copy of your personalized certificate and a copy of the notarized application upon request.  Visit our Eligibility page for more information.

Yes, unmarried children under age 26 may be eligible. The term "children" includes a student's biological children, stepchildren, foster children, adopted children from the date of placement in the student's home and who depend on the student for their support; children for whom the student has been granted legal custody; and children for whom the student has legal obligation to provide coverage due to a court order.  Visit our Eligibility page for additional information.

To enroll an eligible dependent, the student must elect coverage online through their My Buckeye Link by the posted deadline unless the student experiences a Qualifying Event.  See our Selection Procedures page for additional information.

• SELECT the plan via My Buckeye Link in the first term you are enrolled each academic year, and do so before the Select / Waive deadline. 
• ENROLL IN ELIGIBLE COURSES in both autumn and spring, and register for those courses before the coverage period start dates if at all possible. With few exceptions, you have to be enrolled in courses that meet credit hour and course eligibility if you wish to have student health insurance.  See Rates, Dates and Deadlines for additional information.
• Look at your STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT and verify that the student health insurance fee appears on the itemized list of fees. If it doesn't appear, you do not have active coverage. 
• PAY your student health insurance fee. 

No. You cannot waive the Student Health Benefits Plan in spring if you had it in autumn. Your student health insurance selection is an annual selection, not a term-by-term selection. This means that once you select student health insurance, your coverage stays in place for the entire policy year which covers all academic terms. This is enforced even for students who purchase other coverage during the policy year. 

If you experience a Qualifying Event during the policy year, you can submit a request to terminate your student health insurance. However, if approved, termination will begin at the start of the next coverage period, not during the period containing the Qualifying Event. No fee refunds will be issued for the coverage period containing your Qualifying Event. See our Qualifying Events page for additional information.

Students SELECT the Student Health Benefits Plan via My Buckeye Link in the first term you are enrolled each academic year, and do so before the Select / Waive deadline.  Students who do not make a selection before the deadline each year will remain auto-enrolled in the Student Health Benefits Plan.

Visit our Rates, Dates, and Deadlines page for additional information.

Visit our Rates, Dates, and Deadlines page for additional information.

Note that the university processes your health insurance cost as a term fee, rather than a monthly payment like many employer-sponsored or marketplace plans. This is designed to allow students to use financial aid to pay for their coverage. 

Students who meet the eligibility requirements are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Benefits Plan at the start of their first enrollment term each academic year. You have the opportunity to confirm this selection or choose to waive the Student Health Benefits Plan before the published Select/Waive deadline. If you successfully complete a waiver, the fee will come off your account within 1-3 business days. 

Your student health insurance premium appears on your Statement of Account, and you pay for it just as you do your other school fees. Ohio State's Tuition Option Payment Plan (TOPP) allows students and their families to divide the cost of tuition, housing, and fees into installment payments for autumn and spring semesters.  

See our Fee Payment page for additional information.

If you wish to have your Title IV federal financial aid applied to the Student Health Benefits Plan fee, Ohio State requires that you grant permission in your My Buckeye Link. Detailed instructions and information available here. Title IV aid includes Pell Grants, Direct Student Loans, Perkins Loans and TEACH and SEOG grants.

A Qualifying Event is an identified event that allows a 31-day window for a student to request a change to their Student Health Benefits Plan selection or waiver.  Visit our Qualifying Events page for additional information. Please note that the loss of a university subsidy, a change in personal financial circumstance, or an employer Open Enrollment period are not qualifying events for our plans.

This is potentially a Qualifying Event if you meet eligibility at the time of your coverage loss. You must complete and submit a Qualifying Event Request along with supporting documentation within 31 days of the qualifying event. 

If you experience a Qualifying Event during the policy year, you can submit a request to terminate your student health insurance. However, if approved, termination will begin at the start of the next coverage period, not during the period containing the Qualifying Event. No fee refunds will be issued for the coverage period containing your Qualifying Event. See our Qualifying Events page for additional information.

Health insurance exists to protect us from major medical costs, including those that are unexpected and unplanned. Even when you are well, it is important that you be aware of your personal liability should you become ill or injured. Visit our Guidelines for Adequate Coverage page when selecting the best plan for your own (or your family’s) financial and health circumstances. To learn more about your university options, read about the Student Health Benefits Plan and WilceCare Supplement. 

If it's health insurance that meets our requirements and will be effective for the academic year, then you can waive the Student Health Benefits Plan in your eligible term of each academic year. 

If you're an eligible domestic student, you submit a waiver via My Buckeye Link prior to the published Select/Waive deadline. A waiver requires that you submit proof of adequate, annual health insurance. 

International Students who qualify for an exemption must submit a Petition to Waive Request.  See our Information for International Students page for waiver eligibility and criteria.

There is only one deadline to waive coverage each academic year, and that is prior to your first academic term of each academic year. Specific Select/Waive deadlines will be published each year and term. Visit our Rates, Dates, and Deadlines page for more information. 

Students that miss the Select / Waive deadline in My Buckeye Link may still request a waiver by submitting a Petition to Waive Request.  

No, the waiver you submit for the first term of an academic year will remain in effect for that full academic year. If you'd like to newly select coverage for a subsequent term, you may do so as long as you submit your selection prior to the published deadline. If your other health insurance changes during the year, make sure you contact us with your updated health insurance information to avoid a problematic audit.

This is potentially a Qualifying Event if you meet eligibility at the time of your coverage loss. You must complete and submit a Qualifying Event Request along with supporting documentation within 31 days of the qualifying event. 

When your waiver is correctly submitted you will receive a confirmation email.  The fee does not update immediately. Please allow 1-3 business days for your Statement of Account to reflect your waiver.   

It's the information you would find on your ID card including: insurance carrier/company name; the group number; the subscriber ID number; and the subscriber's name and date of birth ("subscriber" means the person who is initially eligible for and issued the policy).

When a waiver is denied, a student is automatically enrolled in the Student Health Benefits Plan. Once you are enrolled in the Student Health Benefits Plan, you must remain enrolled until the academic year is completed. If you obtain other health insurance that will be in compliance with the university's requirements, your next opportunity to waive will be for your first term of enrollment in the next academic year.

If you select autumn coverage, it begins 7 days prior to the start of the academic term. Spring/summer coverage begins January 1. Visit our Rates, Dates, and Deadlines page for specific information. 

For the entire plan year as long as you remain eligible (meeting the minimum credit hour requirement). 

The Ohio State University has partnered with UHCSR and HealthSmart Benefit Solutions to offer the Student Health Benefits Plan. UHCSR is the insurance carrier, and HealthSmart administers the medical and prescription benefits.

No.  Our partners, UHCSR and Delta Dental no longer mail ID cards to your address.  You can print a copy of your ID card online.  See our Member ID page for instructions.

Carry it with you at all times or have it electronically accessible. Your card identifies to providers that you (and your dependents) have coverage. It includes a unique member identification number and a toll-free phone number to contact member services.

No.  Our partners, UHCSR and Delta Dental no longer mail ID cards to your address.  You can print a copy of your ID card online.  See our Member ID page for instructions.

A provider is where/who you get covered services from, such as a doctor, nurse practitioner, licensed therapist, hospital, or facility.

A network provider is doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers who have contracted to provide specific medical care at negotiated prices. Using a network provider lowers your out-of-pocket costs.

Visit our Find a Provider page.

Yes, but you may reduce your out-of-pocket costs if you choose a provider from the OSU Health Plan Network inside Franklin County and the United Healthcare network outside of Franklin County. Visit our Find a Provider page for search and verification tools. 

For routine care and normal illness, visiting Student Health Services, Counseling and Consultation Service, Ohio State Optometry Clinics, and the Ohio State College of Dentistry Student Clinic will cost you less than other locations.

If those locations are closed or you wish to be seen elsewhere, or if you have different non-routine needs, use the Find a Provider page to search for individuals and locations. (A "provider" can be a doctor or other health professional individual, or it can be a location like a hospital.) Also you can use or print a copy of our one-page overview.

Care from a doctor's office is usually scheduled in advance. "Office visits" are typically for normal illness or for preventing illness or routine care. This can include a physical check-up or visits for a sore throat, immunizations, cough, stomachache, or sprained ankle. 

Urgent care is for when you need prompt attention but don't have life-threatening illness or injury. For example: injuries, fever that doesn’t go away, sudden pain, broken bones. Urgent Care locations stay open after business hours and on weekends. Urgent care centers cannot admit you for longer-term care. They do not have operating rooms. 

Emergency room is for life-threatening or very bad illness or injury. For example: Heart attacks, serious car accidents, bad burns, bad broken bones (bones that break the skin), very high fever, convulsions, or stroke symptoms. An emergency room ("ER") is connected to a hospital. If you have a life-threatening illness or injury, call 911 or go to the nearest ER. 

Out-patient identifies care for which you are not admitted into a facility such as a hospital.

You can also call the HealthiestYou Telehealth Line (number is printed on your UHCSR member ID card) to speak to a licensed medical doctor regarding diagnosis and treatment of many different acute illness. Someone is available to answer your call at any time of day or night. 

The Find a Provider page for the Student Health Benefits Plan allows you to search by these types of service. 

For additional information about when and where to seek care, visit the Student Health Services Emergencies information page.

Yes.  When seeking care, you will save the most at Ohio State Columbus-campus locations, which we call our Tier One providers.  Our on campus Tier One provider for Mental Health Services is Counseling and Consultation Service.  

Students may also use our next level Tier Two (“Preferred”) providers:

• OSU Health Plan Network (inside Franklin County)
• UnitedHealthcare Options PPO and United Behavioral Health Networks (outside Franklin County)

Yes.  When seeking care, you will save the most at Ohio State Columbus-campus locations, which we call our Tier One providers.  Our on campus Tier One provider for Dental Services is Student Health Services and/or College of Dentistry Student Clinics.  

Students may also use providers in the Delta Dental PPO or Delta Dental Premier Network.

Yes.  When seeking care, you will save the most at Ohio State Columbus-campus locations, which we call our Tier One providers.  Our on campus Tier One provider for Vision Services is College of Optometry Clinics.

The Student Health Benefits Plan will pay for covered services received abroad at the Tier 2 level. You will need to pay in full first and then request reimbursement within 90 days of the day of service. To request reimbursement, submit a bill and proof of your payment to the HealthSmart Benefit Solutions address on the front of your member ID card. Valid proofs of payment include: a copy of front and back of a cancelled check; copy of credit card statement showing a charge for payment for services billed; verification of cash payments detailed on providers letterhead signed and faxed by provider to the address on your card.

The Student Health Benefits Plan also includes additional global services through UHC Global. If you have an emergency while traveling at least 100 miles from your primary residence or when traveling in a foreign country, call the UnitedHealthcare Global phone number located on the back of your health insurance ID card immediately to coordinate your care. UnitedHealthcare Global can provide medical and travel assistance services. Note that if you are an international student, it does not apply in your home country.  

Yes. The only requirement to be seen at the Wilce Student Health Center is that you are an enrolled student at Ohio State. Additionally, students can be seen for one semester subsequent to their last enrollment. As a student, it is your responsibility to understand your insurance benefits and to fulfill your financial liability for services received at the Wilce Student Health Center.  Visit their website or contact them for additional insurance questions and or to confirm current fees.

WilceCare is not health insurance. Instead, it's a pre-paid option designed to supplement the health insurance that you already have so that you don't experience any convenience or cost barriers to getting care while you are on Columbus campus.

WilceCare is designed to help students who have annual health insurance plans that only provide regional coverage for basic care services, or that provide coverage subject to high deductibles, co-pays or co-insurance, or that have limited access to in network providers.

It's pre-paid outpatient medical care and prescription drugs provided exclusively at the Wilce Student Health Center.

Any domestic student who has met the credit hour requirements and has documented other adequate, annual health insurance coverage.

WilceCare provides for outpatient primary care benefits for students seen at the Wilce Student Health Center and prescription drugs dispensed there. WilceCare pays for routine x-rays, laboratory tests, physical therapy, minor office procedures, medical supplies when prescribed and in stock, office visits for the treatment of illness or injury, and prescriptions. Visit our WilceCare page and click on the policy year details menu bar for more information.

To enroll, the student must SELECT WilceCare online via My Buckeye Link. Because a WilceCare purchase requires the completion of a Waiver, you must provide evidence of active, adequate health insurance at the time of selection. 

You can enroll during the Select/Waive periods for autumn, spring/summer, or summer only terms (for students new to Ohio State) before the published deadlines. If you miss a deadline, you cannot add WilceCare until the following term. Regardless of the term you purchase WilceCare, the cost is the same. If you purchase WilceCare for summer term only, your cost is the same. 

The WilceCare fee appears on your Statement of Account, and you pay for it just as you do your other school fees. Ohio State's Tuition Option Payment Plan (TOPP) allows students and their families to divide the cost of tuition, housing, and fees into installment payments for autumn and spring semesters.  See our Fee Payment page for additional information.

No, it only covers medical care for illness and injury.

WilceCare is payment exclusively for services rendered at the Wilce Student Health Center on the Columbus campus. It is not a health insurance plan, does not have a provider network, and is not usable at any other location.

A network provider is doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers who have contracted to provide specific medical care at negotiated prices. Use of a network provider keeps your out of pocket costs down. 

The amount of money you pay to have health insurance. The Student Health Benefits Plan charges a per semester fee as your premium. 

A summary word for what you can expect from your health insurance plan when you have paid your premiums and have that plan. It refers to the fact that your health insurance will pay for covered services as detailed in their Summary Plan Description. 

Identifies what your health plan will pay for as legally documented in your Summary Plan Description. Plans are not necessarily required to cover every service you may need or desire.

The amount of Covered Medical Expenses that a covered person pays during the policy year before health insurance pays.

A specified dollar amount an insured person must pay for specified charges at the time of service. The co-pay is separate from and not part of the deductible or coinsurance.

The percentage share of what you pay for a covered service. It's often expressed as a ratio. For example, "80/20" means that health insurance pays 80% of the cost and you are billed for 20% of the cost. 

An insurance claim is a request for benefits payment to an insured employee or beneficiary (the claimant). The claim is generally submitted to the insurance company by the provider, the claim is processed based on the benefits, and payment is made to the provider.

Additional information can be found on our Claims Assistance page.

An EOB (explanation of benefits) is a form that explains how the payment amount for a health benefit/health insurance claim was calculated. It also may explain the claims appeal process and provide other information.

Additional information can be found on our Claims Assistance page.