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

A guide for Morningside/Manhattanville students requesting a waiver (domestic students) or exemption (international students) 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.

If you meet the criteria, follow the steps below or follow along with the video 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 8/14/23  
  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 

Instructions 

  1. Log on to the Patient Portal. 
  2. Click the Insurance Waiver Request button on the landing page, or click Insurance Waivers on the left sidebar. 
  3. You will be taken to the Insurance Waiver landing page. Click Proceed. 
  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 and upload your insurance card.  
    1. If your insurance carrier is not listed in the dropdown, click Provide Other Insurance Info. 
  6. Click Proceed. 
  7. Review the information you entered. If all the information is correct, click Submit.  
  8. You will be taken to page with the information you have submitted confirming that you have successfully submitted a waiver request. 
  9. On Insurance Waiver landing page, you will see your status has changed from “Not waived” to “Pending.” 
  10. Processing can take up to 15-30 business days. 

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