Health Insurance

Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)

Azusa Pacific University is excited to announce that the 2023-24 Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) will be provided by Anthem and will be offered to undergraduate students and all international students for an annual estimated rate of $1747 (for a breakdown of charges per semester for undergraduate students, see the Undergraduate Students section below, in particular the subsection titled APU Student Health Insurance Plan Coverage). This policy is rich with benefits and the price is far below that of any other plan in the marketplace that contains a similar benefit package. For more information about SHIP, visit the Gallagher Student Health website.

Some of the benefits of SHIP are:

• PPO policy which is the best type to have
• No deductible for referrals this policy year
• Labs: $25 copay at outside lab (free at SHC)
• Urgent Care: $25 copay
• Emergency Room: $100 copay
• Pharmacy: $10 generic med/$30 copay for brand
• Vision exam, frame and lenses are free for those up to 19 years of age
• Online mental health resources with SilverCloud Health

We strongly encourage you to purchase SHIP if any of the following conditions apply:

1. You do not have health insurance.
2. You have a private health insurance plan with a high deductible.
3. You live outside California and have a Medicaid plan associated with that state, as it is very difficult to obtain benefit coverage in California.
4. You have an HMO with limited benefits.
5. You don’t have online mental health benefits. SHIP provides free access to SilverCloud Health which allows you to access online programs that help you think and feel better.

All HMO, federal, and state-sponsored plans should provide coverage in the Southern California area, close to the Azusa campus while students are enrolled for classes. Those with Kaiser not based in Southern California should contact Kaiser to obtain a Southern California number. The closest Kaiser pharmacy and primary care office is 6 miles away in San Dimas and the closest Kaiser office with specialty care and emergency services is in Baldwin Park, which is 12 miles away.

Waiving SHIP

If you are already covered by a private health insurance policy, you may waive the annual SHIP coverage by following the procedure below under How Do I Request a Waiver? This needs to be done only once, at the beginning of each academic year. In order to waive SHIP coverage, your private health insurance policy must meet the following criteria:

1. Plan must be in compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA Compliant)
2. The Insurance carrier must be owned, headquartered, operated, and the policy must be filed and approved in the United States
3. The claims administrator of the plan is based in the United States, has a U.S. telephone number and address for submission of claims, and the insurance policy has not been issued outside the U.S.
4. The plan provides unlimited emergency and non-emergency routine health care and mental health benefits in the Azusa, CA area (or regional campus area, if enrolled at a regional campus).
5. The plan provides unlimited coverage for prescription medication.
6. The plan must provide comparable coverage to the APU sponsored health plan with full access to care near campus
7. Students must maintain continuous year-round coverage while attending APU

You may request to waive SHIP now. If you have not waived the annual coverage by September 13, 2023, the fee will appear on your student account for the fall and spring semesters.

For those students beginning their studies at APU in spring 2024 (and were not enrolled in fall 2023), the waiver period opens November 21, 2023, and closes January 21, 2024.

We encourage all students to carry a copy of their health insurance information.

How Do I Request a Waiver?

1. Go to https://jcbins.com/. Type “Azusa Pacific University” in the School Search bar. Enter “2023-2024” for the school year and select “Domestic Undergraduate Student” for the plan select. Then click “View my School Portal.”
2. Click the orange “Submit Waiver Here” button
3. Select the Term you are submitting your waiver
4. Create an account using your APU email address
5. Follow the instructions to complete the waiver form
6. Once you have successfully submitted your waiver, you will receive an email confirming your waiver status. If your waiver status is “In-Review” it can take up to 5 days for a final determination.

Undergraduate Students

All undergraduate students enrolled in 3 or more units will be automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan provided by Anthem. If they have comparable coverage and do not want the plan, they must waive the plan as discussed above.

All undergraduate students are able to access the Student Health Center, even if they opted out of the Student Health Insurance Plan. Regardless of your primary insurance, there are no co-pays to see a provider at the Student Health Center, or to access all of our low-cost services.

International Students

All international students on APU I-20s (F-1 status) or DS-2019s (J-1 status) will be automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan provided by Anthem and are not eligible to waive it.

APU Student Health Insurance Plan Coverage

The Student Health Insurance Plan provided by Anthem offers comprehensive benefits that include preventative care services, physician office visits, consultation visits, labs and x-rays, prescription drugs, ambulance, emergency care, inpatient and outpatient mental health services, inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures, and hospital room and board.

Elective or preventative dental services and elective eye care are not covered, but a dental policy is available for purchase through Gallagher Student Health.

For a complete description of the benefits available, limitations, and exclusions of the APU Student Accident and Health Insurance Plan, visit the Gallagher Student Health website or call Gallagher Student Health at (800) 406-4517.

Rates

	Annual	Fall	Spring/Summer
Duration	8/15/23–8/14/24	8/15/23–1/5/24	1/6/24–8/14/24
Cost	Est $1747	Est $687	Est $1,060

Graduate and Professional Students

All graduate and professional students need to make the following two decisions:

• Do you want to purchase the Student Health Insurance Policy (SHIP) through Anthem?
• Do you want to obtain primary care services through the Student Health Center?

Graduate and Professional Student Health Insurance Plan

Health insurance is optional for graduate and professional students. To sign up, visit Graduate and Professional Student Health Insurance for the application. Graduate and professional students with questions about enrolling in student health insurance or about the current health fee should contact the Student Health Center at (626) 815-2100.

Health insurance is mandatory for international students who hold an F-1 or J-1 visa. The health insurance charge is applied automatically at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters for international students.

Students must enroll in health insurance prior to the start of each term in order to receive continuous coverage throughout the year.

Learn more about student health insurance fees. For benefits and plan information, read the Gallagher Benefits and Plan Information.

Rates for Graduate and Professional Students

	Annual	Fall	Spring/Summer	Summer
Duration	8/15/23– 8/14/24	8/15/23– 1/5/24	1/6/24– 8/14/24	5/6/24– 8/14/24
Cost for Domestic Students		$1,703	$2,625	$1,195
Cost for International Students	$1,747	$687	$1060

Obtaining Services from the Student Health Center

Graduate and professional students may access services provided by the SHC by paying a $20 copay per office visit. View a list of services provided at the SHC.

Why would you want to access services through the SHC?

• You are usually able to obtain same-day appointments.
• The wait times are usually minimal and patient satisfaction is high.
• The $150 deductible is waived if you obtain a referral from the SHC.
• You are able to make online appointments via the MyCougar Health portal.
• The SHC has a dispensary of about 50 medications, many of which can be purchased for about $10, saving time and money.
• Benefit from a clean, friendly, Christ-centered atmosphere.

No health insurance required since the SHC does not bill insurance.

For more information on graduate and professional student health insurance, how to sign up, eligibility, coverage period, and coverage benefits, contact the Student Health Center at (626) 815-2100.

Dental Insurance

Any APU student may request supplemental dental coverage. For more information, visit the Gallagher Dental and Vision Insurance site.

Dependents

Any insured student may also insure his/her spouse or dependents. For more information, visit the APU Gallagher Student Health website and click on Dependent Enroll, under Student Access.

Athletes

All students involved in NCAA sports are automatically enrolled in an additional insurance policy for athletes. For more information, contact the Athletics Department at (626) 815-5081.

Getting Reimbursed for Student Health Center Fees if You Have APU Student Health Insurance

If you have SHIP, the SHC will bill Anthem for you for any fees you acquire at the center. However, during the period of August 15-October 1, you may see fees on your student account that pertain to SHC visits. These will eventually get paid by Anthem, once a student has been enrolled in class for at least one month. So, around the first week of October, we will bill the SHIP plan for any charges during the previous 6 weeks, and then we will reimburse student accounts.

Getting Reimbursed for Student Health Center Fees by Insurance Companies Other Than APU Student Health Insurance

• Print your Walkout Statement from the MyCougar Health Portal. The form is located under the SHC Visit Statements tab.
• Print and complete the Insurance Reimbursement Details form.
• Mail both of the forms to your insurance company. Typically, the address on the back of your insurance card is preferred. If you are not sure if this is the appropriate address, call the phone number on your insurance card.

Obtaining a Copy of Your Student Health Insurance (SHIP) Card

• Download the Sydney Health app onto your phone.
• Register as directed using your APU student ID number as your member number (do not include the first two zeros).
• Follow the directions to complete your registration and login.