Student Health Insurance from Pearce & Pearce

PROVIDING A MORE AFFORDABLE OPTION

All graduate students enrolled in nine or more hours, graduate assistants, and international students are required by The University to have health insurance and must either:

  • Purchase the student health insurance plan offered by Pearce & Pearce
    OR
  • Waive out by providing documentation of enrollment in comparable health insurance plan that meets the waive out requirements detailed below.

HOW DO I WAIVE OUT?
To "waive out" or to "complete the waiver process" simply means to turn down the Pearce & Pearce student health insurance plan offered by the University. If you are a graduate or international student and have comparable health insurance coverage and wish to turn down the Pearce & Pearce student health insurance plan, you MUST complete the waiver process online by February 5, 2013 to have the health insurance fee removed from your tuition.

  • You must waive out each semester (excluding Maymester and summer sessions) or you will be automatically enrolled into the student health insurance plan and billed by the Bursar's Office.

REQUIREMENTS TO WAIVE OUT
For your comparable health insurance plan to meet the waiver criteria, your health insurance plan must feature all of the following:

  • Coverage must begin on or before January 6, 2013.
  • Coverage that allows the insured student to receive in South Carolina:
  • Ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services including behavioral health treatment, prescription drugs, rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, laboratory services, preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management, pediatric services including oral and vision care
  • A minimum of US $100,000 per policy year per illness/accident/injury
  • Coverage amount of US $500,000 or greater aggregate per lifetime
  • Coverage dates must include the semester academic dates, including breaks and holidays.
  • The pre-existing condition limitation cannot exceed twelve months.
  • If coverage applies to international students: a combined benefit of US $50,000 for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains.

Please be aware the University-sponsored student health insurance plan meets, and in most cases significantly exceeds, the required coverage minimums.

 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
The Pearce & Pearce student health insurance plan meets all additional insurance requirements for international students and dependents. In addition to the coverage requirements listed for graduate students, international students must have insurance that meets the following additional requirements:

• A combined total of US $50,000 coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains to the insured person's place of residence in his or her home country.

• For J-1 exchange visitors and their J-2 dependents, the U.S. Department of State regulations require that the health insurance plan must also meet one or more of the following criteria:

- Part of a group benefits program offered to enrolled students by a designated sponsor, or

- A health maintenance organization (HMO) that is federally qualified as determined by the Health Care Financing Administration (HFCA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, or

- A Competitive Medical Plan (CMP) as determined by the Health Care Financing Administration (HFCA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, or

- Underwritten by an insurance company having an AM Best rating of "A-" or above, an Insurance Solvency International, LTD. (ISI) rating of "A-" or above, a Standard and Poor's Claims-Paying Ability rating of "A-" or above, or a Weiss research, Inc. rating of "B+" or above.

PROVIDING A MORE AFFORDABLE OPTION
The University of South Carolina participates in a student health insurance consortium with other public universities in the state to provide suitable health coverage at a reasonable price. The Graduate School has announced that graduate assistants will receive a subsidy of $275 during the 2012-13 academic year to help them pay for the Pearce & Pearce student health insurance. As a result of this subsidy, graduate assistants will pay only the reduced portion of the semester premium. 

COST OF PREMIUM
for an individual
WITHOUT
the graduate assistant subsidy
With
graduate assistant subsidy
 Subsidy
Fall 2012 semester
$660.50
$535.50
$125
Spring/Summer 2013 semesters
$963.50
$813.50  
$150
Annual (TOTAL)
$1,624
$1,349
$275

UNINTERRUPTED PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE: To allow uninterrupted prescription coverage during breaks throughout the year (winter break, summer break, etc.), students with the Pearce & Pearce student health insurance plan can click here to renew their coverage. Once in the site, enter your e-mail address and password, then click the "renewal" button for the upcoming semester.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHY HEALTH INSURANCE IS REQUIRED FOR GRADUATE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

THE QUALITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF PEARCE & PEARCE HEALTH INSURANCE

OTHER ENROLLMENT ISSUES

DURATION OF COVERAGE

PRIMARY CARE & REFERRALS

DENTAL COVERAGE

PAYMENT OPTIONS

MORE INFORMATION ON THE WAIVER PROCESS

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

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