How to Request a Waiver from the Columbia Student Health Insurance Plan

A guide for full-time and international Morningside/Manhattanville/Teachers College students requesting a waiver from enrollment in the Columbia Student Health Insurance Plan.

Waiver Requirements:

  • Must have alternate coverage that meets the University requirements.
  • Must provide sufficient information regarding your alternate health insurance plan to allow independent verification that your plan meets the University requirements.

➜ This checklist will help you determine if your health insurance plan meets the waiver criteria. 

If you meet the criteria, follow the steps below to submit your request on the Patient Portal.

Please have the following information ready before you begin the process: 

  1. Information of the subscriber/ the person whose insurance you are under 
    1. First and Last Name
    2. Your relationship to the subscriber 
  2. Insurance information 
    1. Insurance carrier 
    2. Insurance plan 
    3. Policy number 
    4. Group Number: optional 
  3. Start and end dates of coverage - if your plan renews yearly, please use the default end date of 8/14/24  
  4. Image of your insurance card image front and back 
    1. Accepted formats are gif, jpg, png, and pdf
    2. Note: if you have ever uploaded an image, this image is saved in our system. If you have new insurance card, please upload the new card, front and back 
  5. International students: a letter from your insurance company confirming medical evacuation and repatriation coverage

Instructions 

  1. Log on to the Patient Portal. 
     
  2. Click the link that applies to your status on the landing page:
    → I am a Domestic student – US Citizen or Permanent Resident and wish to waive Insurance Enrollment - Begin Domestic Student Waiver 
    → I am an International student – (Any Student with a VISA code other than US Citizen or Permanent Resident) and wish to waive Insurance Enrollment - International Student Waiver Criteria
     
  3. You will be taken to the Insurance Waiver landing page
     
  4. Read the waiver criteria and select the checkboxes to affirm you have understood the conditions for submitting a waiver. Click Proceed. 
     
  5. Enter the requested subscriber and insurance information.  
    If your insurance carrier is not listed in the dropdown, click Provide Other Insurance Info. 
     
  6. Under the Insurance Card section at the bottom of the page, upload an image for the front and back of your current insurance card.
     
  7. Click Proceed. You will be taken to page with the information you have submitted confirming that you have successfully submitted a waiver request. 
     
  8. International students: You must also upload a letter from your insurance company confirming medical evacuation and repatriation coverage. 

    Navigate to Medical Clearances/ Insurance enrollment from the left hand menu of the Patient Portal. Scroll to the Additional items NOT required for clearance section. Select 'Update' next to the "International Waiver Docs."

    After the document(s) is successfully uploaded and in review, you can view your document by clicking on the image. Upload additional documents by clicking ‘Update’ again.  

    Click Save. 
     
  9. On Insurance Waivers section, you will see your status has changed from “Not waived” to “Pending.” 
     
  10. Processing can take up to 5-7 business days. 

All requests are considered but approval is not guaranteed. Charges on your student account are only removed if a waiver is approved

FAQ

How will I know if my request was approved?  

If your request is approved, your status will read “Approved.” 

How will I know if my request was denied or if more information is needed to process my request? 

All communication about insurance waivers will occur through the Patient Portal. If your request is denied or additional information is needed, you will receive a secure message through the Patient Portal. Please respond to requests promptly so as not to delay the processing of your waiver request.

My request was approved, when will the charge be removed from my student account? 

Once your request is approved, please allow 3-5 business days for the premium charge to be removed from your student account.

I am a continuing student and my waiver request was approved last year. Do I need to resubmit? 

Yes. Waiver requests must be submitted every year.