Student Health Insurance
Your
health and well being are very important to the Institute. That’s why all
registered students are required to have health insurance — either through
Caltech or through another source such as your parent’s employer. Before the
start of every new academic year, you must make the choice to enroll in or
waive the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan and the Student Dental Plan.
The Student Health Insurance Plan is designed to meet the
unique health care needs of Caltech students and supplements services
offered at the on-campus Health and Counseling Center. You benefit from
effective communication and coordination of treatment between the Health and
Counseling Center staff and medical specialists in the community. In most
situations, this means you can access care faster and easier than you would
if enrolled in an alternative health care plan.
For details about the Health Insurance Plan, including
the waiver requirements, please visit
www.aetnastudenthealth.com.
For information about the
Dental Plan, please visit the
Dental and Vision Info
page.
Keep in mind that the two
plans are separate options — you can enroll in one plan and not the other.
For example, if you have access to alternative Medical coverage and waive
the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan, you can still enroll in the
Student Dental Plan.
2009-2010 Important Student Health Insurance
Information
Students now have the
option to waive the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan if they have
comparable alternative coverage that meets certain insurance requirements.
The alternative coverage can be through a parent’s or spouse’s
employer-provided insurance plan, for example. Before waiving though,
students should make sure the other coverage will provide adequate
protection as well as access to doctors in the Pasadena area. The Caltech
waiver requirements are available at aetnastudenthealth.com"select
Caltech under Find Your School".
Because of this new waiver
option, every student must make a choice each summer — to enroll in
or waive — the Health Insurance Plan and the Dental Plan for the upcoming
academic year. The time to choose for next year is June 1 – August 31,
2009. For medical, you can choose online at aetnastudenthealth.com"select
Caltech under Find Your School". For dental, you can download
enrollment/waiver forms at healthcenter.caltech.edu.
How much does the Plan
cost? For the
2009-2010 academic year, the Student Health Insurance Plan premium is $696
per Insurance Term. The premium is subsidized as part of the graduate
student financial arrangement, so the graduate student cost is $108 per Term
($324 total for all three 2009 – 2010 Terms). As long as you are enrolled in
the Plan for any part of the Term, your coverage and the full cost applies
for the entire Term.
For an additional charge,
you may also enroll your spouse and eligible dependent children in the Plan.
For information about adding dependents, please visit
aetnastudenthealth.com.
Be sure to make your choice
by August 31! Otherwise, you may receive your medical plan ID card late or
end up with coverage you don’t want.
There are also some benefit
additions and changes in the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan beginning
in 2009 – 2010.
·
New
preventive care coverage pays 100% (before the deductible) up to $300
per year for in-network annual physical exams and HPV immunizations.
·
New vision
care discounts help you pay for eye exams, eyeglasses and contact
lenses.
·
There is a
new $15 copay per in-network doctor’s office visit.
·
Outpatient
mental health and substance abuse coverage has a new limit of 36 visits
per year for non-serious conditions, and the $15 copay applies after the 25th
visit.
·
There is a
new limit of 30 visits per year for chiropractic care and 30 visits
per year for physical therapy.
·
Ambulance coverage pays 100% of reasonable charges.
·
There are
new out-of-pocket maximums: $1,000 in-network, $5,000 non-network.
·
Non-network coverage changes: the plan pays 60% of the negotiated charge after a $500
deductible.
·
The
extension of benefits provision is changing from six months to 31 days.
If you are receiving treatment for a covered condition when your Caltech
coverage ends, you and your covered dependents can continue to receive
benefits (except for mail-order prescriptions) for up to 31 additional days
for the continued treatment of that condition. Students who are graduating
or withdrawing continue to have the option to purchase continuation coverage
for up to six months.
For
additional Plan benefits and information, please visit
aetnastudenthealth.com or contact the Caltech Benefits Office at
626-395-6443.
