- Campuses :
- Twin Cities
- Crookston
- Duluth
- Morris
- Rochester
- Other Locations
All Academic Health Center students will be automatically enrolled in the University-sponsored Academic Health Center Student Health Benefit Plan (AHC SHBP). This plan provides easy, affordable coverage for the unique needs of AHC students. Not sure if you are an AHC student? Find out here.
To enroll dependents on the plan, the primary member must submit a Dependent Enrollment Add/Change Form. Eligible dependents include a spouse or same sex domestic partner and a child or children. Dependent enrollment is contingent upon the Office of Student Health Benefits verification of primary member enrollment.
Students enrolled in the Student Health Benefit Plan will be mailed a health plan card from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota by the end of the sixth week of classes.
Cards are sent to the U.S. mail address on record with the University. Please make sure your address is up-to-date through One Stop: Go to Quick Links > Student Records > Personal Information.
If you recently updated your address in One Stop and think your card may have been sent to your old address, please email your name, student ID number, and “I have updated my U.S. Mail address in One Stop and would like a new card sent to me.” to umshbo@umn.edu.
The Office of Student Health Benefits must receive confirmation from you that your U.S. Mail address is correct in One Stop before a new card can be issued.
Before using your Student Health Benefit Plan coverage, please familiarize yourself with the information found under “Plan Details” (right).
Students may not waive Guardian Long Term Disability Insurance.
You can request to have the University-sponsored AHC Student Health Benefit Plan waived for two years if you are enrolled in one of the following group:
- a United States-based employer-sponsored group health plan;
- the University-sponsored Graduate Assistant Health Plan; or
- Minnesota Care
To request a two year waiver, submit the following documentation by fax, mail, or in person to the Office of Student Health Benefits:
The Office of Student Health Benefits will contact you with the decision on your waiver request within two weeks of receiving all required documents. Specific deadlines to waive for every semester can be found on the University of Minnesota One Stop website, under the link "Refund & Drop/Add Deadlines".
Should you lose coverage during the period for which you have been waived, you may enroll in the AHC SHBP within 60 days of losing coverage by providing proof of involuntary loss of coverage from your insurance company.
Note: At this time, Academic Health Center students will not be able to update health plan information through the University's web registration system.
Students enrolled in the University-sponsored AHC Student Health Benefit Plan during spring semester will be automatically covered on the Plan through the summer semester at no additional charge. Student who did not take classes spring semester will automatically be enrolled in the Student Health Benefit Plan unless they follow the waiver guidelines listed under "Waiving the Plan."
Once you graduate you’ll need health plan coverage. Many parent plans drop dependent coverage for students after graduation. The University of Minnesota has partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield to offer a guaranteed coverage option for an unlimited time period between graduation and the time you become eligible for employer-sponsored health plan. It’s called the University of Minnesota Student Conversion Plan, and it gives you your choice of five Blue Cross and Blue Shield individual plan options for guaranteed coverage without having to prove insurability. Costs are based on the deductible and network you choose.
To be eligible for the Student Conversion Plan after you graduate, you must be enrolled in the University-sponsored Student Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) for the previous 6 months. If you are currently covered by a different health insurance plan, consider switching to the SHBP prior to your last semester. This can only be done at the beginning of fall semester during open enrollment, or within 60 days of an involunary loss of coverage. Students who remain on a parent’s plan or other insurance plan will not be able to take advantage of the Student Conversion Plan after graduation.
Enrollment for the Student Conversion Plan will open near the end of your SHBP coverage. An email will go out to all eligible students enrolled in the SHBP when Student Conversion Plan enrollment materials are posted to the web. Students must enroll within 60 days of termination of SHBP coverage. Student Conversion Plan coverage will be effective retro-active to the last day of SHBP coverage. A student may stay on the Student Conversion Plan indefinitely and can cancel any month.
Students Terminating SHBP Coverage January 18, 2010
To enroll in the University of Minnesota Student Conversion Plan, enrollment forms must be received by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota on or before March 19, 2010. Coverage will be effective retro-active to January 18, 2010.
Student Conversion Plan Details – 16 pages (PDF)*
Student
Conversion Plan Enrollment/Change Form (PDF)*
Pay-O-Matic Form –
Automatic payment authorization form (PDF)*
Network Provider Directory (PDF*)
*Student Conversion Plan is not available for international students or
graduate students who were enrolled under the Graduate Assistant Health Benefit
Plan in the previous semester.
Enrollment materials are also available in the Office of Student Health Benefits.
Contact us at (612) 624-0627, 1-800-232-9017, or umshbo@umn.edu.
If you have any questions about the Student Conversion Plan, please call Blue
Cross and Blue Shield customer service at (651) 662-5030 or toll free at
1-800-531-6685 and identify yourself as a University of Minnesota student.
We recommend you call Blue Cross and Blue Shield first. If after speaking with
Blue Cross and Blue Shield you have specific Student Conversion Plan enrollment
or benefit related questions, please call Tom Seifert at (612) 373-9878.
Plan members and their dependents traveling 100 or more miles away from home and outside of their home country, have emergency medical, travel, and personal security assistance 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world, through MEDEX, a leading provider of international travel assistance services. From finding an English-speaking doctor to replacing a prescription, MEDEX has the resources and experience to offer rapid coordination and monitoring of medical care while you are abroad.
Medical Services Available
- 24-hour worldwide medical referrals
- Medical evacuations and repatriation of mortal remains
- Verification of insurance coverage to facilitate hospital admission
Personal and Travel Services Available
- Assistance with lost or stolen travel documents (i.e. passport)
- Emergency language interpretation services
- Emergency cash advance
MEDEX Website
Username: umshbo
Password: umstudent
MEDEX ID Card (267K, PDF)
MEDEX Assistance 1-800-527-0218
9/17/09 Update: A Guardian Long Term Disability Insurance website outlining the details of the Academic Health Center Long Term Disability Plan has been launched. Visit http://www.guardiandisabilitymn.com for plan details.
As of September 1, 2009, the Academic Health Center, the Office of Student Health Benefits, and Guardian Life Insurance Company are partnering to provide Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance coverage for eligible Academic Health Center students on the Twin Cities, Duluth, and Rochester campuses
This coverage is not optional for students in qualifying programs.
Academic Health Center students, enrolled in in a qualifying AHC program, will be automatically covered under a group Long Term Disability plan while a student. You will see a charge of $39.78—an average cost of $6.63 per month—for this coverage on your student account once at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. Payment of this fee for two consecutive semesters provides year around coverage until graduation from your program.
AHC students invest considerable time and money into their chosen profession. During a critical time in a student’s life, while attending the University of Minnesota, the rare occurrence of a disability could prove to be an extreme financial problem.
How does Long Term Disability insurance work for students? If, for example, a student develops a condition preventing the student from continuing their education, Long Term Disability insurance will offset the future income lost due to the student’s inability to practice in their chosen field up to the age they are eligible for Social Security benefits..
More importantly, upon graduation students will have the opportunity to convert to an individual Long Term Disability plan, or to a group trust contract. This means you can obtain individual coverage that you own and take with you—with absolutely no medical underwriting. This opportunity is significant, as Long Term Disability insurance can be difficult to obtain. An estimated 30 percent of graduates applying for disability coverage will be rejected or be offered limited benefits due to a pre-existing condition. This program eliminates that possibility.
Guardian Long Term Disability Insurance FAQ
07/01/09 Email: Waiver Reminder
08/11/09 Email: Long Term Disability
08/26/09 Email: Waiver Reminder
09/03/09 Email: Dependent Enrollment Reminder
Eligibility Questions
Office of Student Health Benefits
University of Minnesota
410 Church Street S.E., N323
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: (612) 624-0627 or 1-800-232-9017
Fax: (612) 626-5183 or 1-800-624-9881
Email: umshbo@umn.edu
Coverage Questions
Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Phone: (651) 662-5004 or 1-866-870-0438
http://www.bluecrossmn.com/uofm
Emergency Travel Assistance Questions
MEDEX
Phone: 1-800-527-0218
Email: info@medexassist.com
https://members.medexassist.com
Username: umshbo, Password: umstudent
Guardian Long Term Disability Insurance Questions
Foster Klima & Company, LLC.
Phone: (612) 746-2206
http://www.guardiandisabilitymn.com
Quick Reference Chart for Primary Member (PDF)
Quick Reference Chart for Dependents (PDF)
Full 2009-2010 Summary Plan Description (PDF)
Term |
Dates |
|---|---|
Fall |
8/24/2009 - 1/18/2010 |
Spring |
1/19/2010 - 8/25/2010 |
Summer |
5/24/2010
- 8/25/2010 |
Coverage for |
Cost |
|---|---|
Student ONLY |
$ 1,164.00 per semester |
Spouse ONLY* |
$ 1,524.00 per semester |
Single child ONLY |
$ 1,149.00 per semester |
Two or more
children |
$ 1,494.00 per semester |
Coverage for |
Cost |
|---|---|
| Student ONLY |
$ 593.00 |
| Spouse ONLY* |
$ 777.00 |
| Single child ONLY |
$ 586.00 |
| Two or more
children |
$ 761.00 |
* spouse or same-sex domestic partner