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Student Health Insurance
Health Insurance Waiver & Enrollment Information
New Jersey State law requires all institutions of higher education in New Jersey to offer health insurance coverage for purchase by students who are enrolled full-time. Previously the University met this requirement by directing our students to the Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as the exchanges. The University did so to allow students the freedom to select their own health plan that is best for them. The University will now be offering a Student Health Insurance Plan. The University still wants students to have the freedom to select their own health plan that is best for them. By having the University offer a Student Health Insurance Plan students are potentially able to get better rates than they would on their own, and can receive financial aid to help defray the cost of the insurance. The cost of the insurance is also able to be included in many student loans.
NJCU policy requires comprehensive health insurance coverage for all matriculated students who are registered full time and enrolled in a degree-seeking program.
Please note: Students enrolled in a fully online program are exempt from this requirement.
To meet this requirement, students may:
- Use an existing health insurance plan, or
- Enroll in a university-sponsored student health insurance plan (SHIP).
The University’s SHIP is serviced by Aetna Student Health Insurance. At the NJCU Aetna website you can:
- Provide enrollment information, or
- Complete the process for waiving coverage
- Print an insurance card
- Find an in-network provider, physician, hospital, pharmacy or lab
- Monitor claims status by registering for Aetna Navigator
Spring 2020
- Deadline to waive or enroll: March 9, 2021
- Waiver to be completed online on the Aetna Student Health Insurance Waiver website.
- Need Help? Check out our How To Guide
- For further questions call Aetna: 877-480-4161
All Full-Time Students Must Have Health Insurance
NJCU requires all full-time undergraduate and graduate students as defined by the University (12 or more credits for undergraduate, 9 or more credits for graduate) to carry health insurance. All full time students are automatically charged and must take action if they wish to waive the fee. The waiver website opens the week of December 1, 2020.
| Insurance Premium 2020 -2021 | Annual Coverage 8/15/2020-7/31/2021 | Spring Coverage 1/1/2021-7/31/2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Students | $1977 | $1224 |
| Graduate Students | $4797 | $2970 |
Waive or Purchase Your University Health Insurance
- NJCU requires all full-time undergraduate (12 credits or more) and graduate students (9 credits or more) to carry health insurance.
- If you wish to waive the University Health Insurance, you must provide proof of alternative coverage by completing the online waiver prior to the deadline of March 9, 2021.
Steps to Waive Coverage:
In order to opt out of the NJCU University Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan, the student must agree to maintain health insurance coverage throughout the entire year. Additionally, the insurance plan must provide in-patient and out-patient coverage in the Northern New Jersey Region.
If you do not complete a waiver by March 9, 2021, or self-enroll, you will be automatically enrolled in the Aetna University Health Insurance after the waiver deadline.
To waive the NJCU insurance coverage:
- Go to the AETNA Student Health Center website
- Select the “Enroll/Waive” button in the navigation menu located on the left side of the webpage.
- Review the information on the page and then select the “Enroll/Waive” button.
- Enter your student ID and date of birth and click on “Get Started”.
NOTE: The deadline for waiving insurance for the semester is March 9, 2021.
To Enroll in the NJCU Coverage:
If you wish to enroll (purchase) the University Health Insurance, administered by Aetna Student Health, you may self-enroll prior to the University enrollment period. The enrollment website will open the week of December 1, 2020.
Please also feel free to visit the Aetna website to help answer any questions.
If you would like to see if you qualify for other forms of health insurance like Medicaid or CHIP, please visit the healthcare.gov website.
Important Notes:
- Copies of your insurance card submitted to the Office of Student Accounts or any other NJCU office does not constitute a waiver and is not acceptable. All waivers must be completed online by March 9, 2021.
- Students who do not complete a waiver by the deadline will be automatically enrolled in the plan and will be responsible for the annual premium.
- Students who waive their insurance in the fall may not enroll in the spring semester.
- Following Aetna requirements, the University reserves the right to make the final determination regarding eligibility for the initial and continued enrollment in this insurance plan.
- The University reserves the right to audit all waivers in order to ensure compliance with the University insurance requirements. Please be sure to have a copy of your insurance policy as you may be asked to provide documentation.
- A valid insurance card must be available when submitting the insurance waiver. Pending insurance coverage or a letter from your employer or third company is NOT acceptable.
- Students who waive the Aetna Student Health Insurance are eligible to enroll if there is a Qualifying Life Event which causes them to lose other insurance. Please contact Aetna Student Health to enroll (within 30 days of the event).
- The waiver process is once an academic year, new full-time students in the Spring Semester will need to take similar action to waive/enroll by dates later communicated by the University.
Health Insurance Frequently Asked Questions
If a student has a question regarding waiving health insurance, please see WAIVE STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE or contact the Office of Student Accounts:
Office of Student Accounts – Hepburn Hall, Room 106
2039 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Jersey City, NJ 07305-1597
Tel: 201-200-3045
Fax: 201-200-2049
Email: bursar@njcu.edu *
If a student has a question regarding refunds, student loans, or paying for health insurance, please contact the Office of Financial Aid:
Office of Financial Aid – Hepburn Hall, Room 215
2039 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Jersey City, NJ 07305-1597
Tel: 201-200-3173
Fax: 201-200-3181
Email: financialaid@njcu.edu *
- All full-time matriculated undergraduate students and certification students enrolled in 12 or more credits;
- All full-time matriculated graduate students enrolled in nine (9) or more credits;
To waive the NJCU insurance coverage, follow the steps provided below:
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Select the “Enroll/Waive” button in the navigation menu located on the left side of the webpage.
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Review the information on the page and then select the “Enroll/Waive” button.
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Select appropriate area of study from the drop down menu.
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Enter your student ID and date of birth and click on “Get Started”.
In order to opt out of the NJCU University Health Insurance Plan, the student must agree to maintain health insurance coverage throughout the entire academic year. Additionally, the insurance plan must provide in-patient and out-patient coverage in the Northern New Jersey Region.
Students who did not enroll themselves during the open enrollment period may be able to enroll in the policy if they experience a Qualifying Life Event. Students should contact Aetna Student Health at 1-800-481-8814 within 31 days of their loss of coverage.
If a student needs to utilize the insurance prior to the final enrollment file being submitted to Aetna, they may do so by following the instructions provided below:
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Go to www.aetnastudenthealth.com.
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Select "New Jersey City University" from the drop down menu and then select the “View your school” button.
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Review the information on the page and then select the “Enroll/Waive” button.
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Select the “Enroll/Waive” button in the navigation menu located on the left side of the webpage.
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Select area of study from the drop down menu.
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Enter your student ID and date of birth and click on “Get Started”.
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Select the “Enroll” button located below the waiver section of the web page.
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Select the plan and enter your personal information and select “Submit”.
Once enrolled, students may get their insurance card by visiting the Aetna website Aetna Student Health. Click on the “Get your ID card” button located toward the right side of the page. Enter your student ID and date of birth and select “Submit”.
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**Please note a student will be able to print their insurance card beginning 8/1/20.**
No, if you have your own health insurance provider, you are welcome to continue doing so. You will just need to waive the health insurance through the steps above.
If you are in need of health insurance coverage and you choose not to participate in the new Plan offered through the University, other options may be available to you. As of the date of this email, the Federal Government still maintains health insurance exchanges that allow families and individuals in need of health insurance coverage to compare coverage and pricing from a variety of different insurance companies offering plans in your area.
The PPACA (PPACA stands for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or Obama Care) also requires employer plans to continue to provide dependent coverage to their employee’s dependents up to age 26. Additionally the PPACA expanded Medicaid eligibility in many States including New Jersey.
To determine your eligibility for the expanded Medicaid coverage, you will also need to apply through your state healthcare exchange. For additional information, including information about the health care law, finding insurance options, and accessing your state’s health insurance exchange, please refer to http://www.healthcare.gov.
Yes, students who are enrolled in a fully online program (not to be confused with those who are taking classes virtually or a class that is online), undergraduates who are taking less than 12 credits and graduate students who are taking less than 9 credits are exempt from the state health insurance requirements. International students who select the international student health insurance plan through NJCU are also exempt.