California University of Pennsylvania - Student Insurance Hard Waiver Policy
For the 2009/2010 academic year, California University of Pennsylvania has enacted a policy that requires all full-time, undergraduate and international students and all NCAA athletes to carry health insurance coverage while they are enrolled at Cal U. This policy is often called a Hard Waiver policy at other higher learning institutions. Letters explaining this policy with instructions to submit your enrollment or waiver information, were mailed to your home address during the summer.
All full-time undergraduate students, all international students and all NCAA athletes attending California University of Pennsylvania and paying traditional on-campus fees, must enroll in or waive out of the insurance coverage offered through the University. All students, providing verifiable proof of comparable coverage, may waive the purchase of the sponsored plan. If a student does not provide the necessary proof or enroll in one of the two plans offered by the University, a hold will be placed on their student record. They will not be able to view their grades, register for future classes and/or graduate. In order to release the hold, the student must satisfy the student health insurance requirement by enrolling in or waiving out of the school-sponsored health insurance. Waivers received after 9/30/09 will incur a financial penalty of no less than $112.00 and may not be accepted.
Why a mandatory (or Hard Waiver) Student Health Insurance Policy?
There are several reasons why California University of Pennsylvania (like many other schools) has adopted this policy:
- The types and degrees of medical conditions faced by the Health Center have grown and will continue to grow in the future. When a student has no medical insurance or inadequate medical insurance, it reduces the level of care that the Health Center can recommend to the student.
- The care of injuries also increases the healthcare necessary to rehabilitate a student from an injury. Thus the costs of rehabilitation are increasing as well.
- Recent studies indicate that the academic and extra curricular success of a student depends upon the student’s health, and therefore, the availability and quality of a student’s medical insurance.
A mandatory student health insurance policy helps maintain the health of the entire student population and provides a more comfortable environment for personal and academic success.
What do I need to do?
Each student at Cal U is required to provide a response concerning health insurance. Each student needs to waive their participation in the school-sponsored plan or enroll in the school-sponsored plan.
A Waiver
There is no requirement that you purchase the Cal U-sponsored plan. Students who already have health insurance coverage through a parent, employer or other source are eligible to submit a Waiver. This is a form completed by the student that provides the University with some basic information about your health insurance coverage. The information needed can be found on your health insurance identification card.
Enrolling in the CAL U Sponsored Health Insurance
The University is pleased to offer our Student Health insurance plan this year through Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Cal U offers two Preferred Provider Plans. The purchase of the school-sponsored policy provides an excellent, one-year term of insurance.
The Enhance Benefit Grid and the Standard Benefit Grid offer a brief summary of the coverages. The costs of insurance for effective dates of coverage from August 1, 2008 through July 31, 2009 are:
Enhanced $2,380.00 Summary of Benefits
Standard $1,108.00 Summary of Benefits
Spouses and dependent child coverage may be added for an additional cost.
How do I submit a waiver (or an enrollment)?
California University of Pennsylvania has contracted with the Healthcare Advocates at Hulse/QM® (HQM) to administer our student insurance program. HQM has established two ways for you to purchase the school-sponsored plan or to submit your waiver information.
1. Go to www.hulseqm.com/myinsurance.
To use the online enrollment or waiver site, you will need two pieces of login information.• ID: The student’s last name and first initial entered without any spaces
• Password: The last 5 digits of the student’s Campus Wide ID
OR
2. Complete the 2009/2010 Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Form (see below), and mail or fax to the address on the form.
If you have questions about using the website, please call HQM at (800) 434-5320.
The Healthcare Advocates at Hulse/QM®
Cal U has contracted with Hulse/QM® to act as their Department of Student Insurance. Hulse/QM® is not an agent of any insurance company and collects no commissions from student insurance. Hulse/QM® provides services to the parents and students of Cal U.
Hulse/QM® brings to Cal U the following areas of expertise.:
- Response to student/parent inquiries about the coverages offered by the sponsored plan.
- Assistance in deciding the best approach: school-sponsored or private insurance.
- Administration of the school’s requirement that all students have medical insurance.
- Assistance to students or dependents of students choosing to purchase the sponsored plan.
- Advocate for students covered under the sponsored plan when they need to make a claim for medical benefits, such as:
- Making a claim submission.
- Correcting mistakes made by the insurance company.
- Explaining to students the insurance benefits they received.
If you have any questions about student insurance, a claim to the school-sponsored plan, or enrolling or waiving the school-sponsored plan, call the Healthcare Advocates at Hulse/QM® at (800) 434-5320 and press option 2.
The information collected will be in a database shared by departments that have the need for the most current health insurance information for you, such as Health Service. This information is solely for CAL U use, and will not be released to any outside sources.