Important Summer 2024 Student Health Insurance Information for Physics Graduate Students

Dear Physics Grad Students:

I urge all of you to make sure you're covered by health insurance this summer.  Here's how to get summer student health insurance in the four most common situations: 

(1) You have a waiver-generating appointment and you plan to register this summer: If you register for at least 3 credit hours of Phys 597 or Phys 599 (or some other summer course) during the summer. Registration for 3 credit hours or more of classes this summer will automatically trigger health insurance coverage for you. You will get assessed some fees if you register, but the fees are minimal this summer: You will be charged about $131 for health insurance (87% of the total $1008 health insurance fee will be reimbursed by the university as a consequence of the GEO contract: see https://grad.illinois.edu/gradmap/tuition-and-fee-waivers).

(2) You have a waiver-generating appointment and you don't plan to register this summer:  If you don't plan to register this summer for some reason -- and students are not required to register over the summer -- then you need to make sure to purchase an extension of your health insurance coverage for the summer by completing the application you can find here: https://si.illinois.edu/forms/extending-coverage (available May 10, 2024: see Enrollment Period). Again, this supplemental coverage will cost you $131 for the summer, as you'll be reimbursed 87% of the total amount ($1008) by the university. You can read more about this option via this link: https://si.illinois.edu/forms/extending-coverage. You can request an extension of your student health insurance over the summer via the following link: https://si.illinois.edu/forms/extending-coverage(available May 10, 2024: see Enrollment Period).

(3) You won't have a waiver-generating appointment this summer:  Students without summer waiver-generating appointments (e.g., because you are on a summer internship) who held waiver-generating appointments for the previous spring semester are eligible to receive summer automatic tuition waivers if they enroll in the summer semester (see Section b.1 in this link: Part 5, Article 3 » Student Code » Illinois). Note that the summer automatic waiver provides the same tuition waiver (base rate or full) as that granted during the previous spring. However, it does not provide a waiver of the same fees as a waiver-generating appointment. Only the Service Fee, the AFMFA Fee, and the Library/Information Technology Fee are waived.

(4). Graduating students can request a continuation of health insurance for up to 3 months after depositing on the Student Health Insurance website.

You can find more information about Student Health Insurance on the Student Health Insurance website.

You can find information about the Health Service Fee (McKinley Health Center and Counseling Center) on the McKinley Health Center website.

One way or another, please, please make sure you're covered by health insurance this summer!

Stay safe, be well, and have a great summer!

Best, Lance