Student Health Insurance

Arranging for health care and securing health insurance can be confusing when you are also dealing with registering for courses, meeting new faculty, and getting acclimated to a different campus.  The following information details the scope of health care and health insurance possibilities available at Georgia Tech Savannah (GTS).  

Please note that neither the GTREP partner school health center fees nor the GTS health service fee includes health insurance, and therefore does not cover the cost of emergency or specialized care, outpatient diagnostic tests, hospitalization, or surgery.  It is recommended that all students be covered by health insurance.  Outlined below are some of the various health insurance possibilities for your consideration:  

• Being covered under the health insurance policy of your parents or spouse or guardian is often the way students obtain coverage. You should check to see if you are, or can be, covered by such a policy. You can also, of course, purchase an independent policy of your own.

• Students are eligible to purchase the USG insurance voluntarily if they are enrolled in six (6) or more credits per term or are participating in a co-op program. Eligibility to cover dependents (domestic partner, spouse, and children) is also available through this plan for an additional premium.

• Health insurance coverage is mandated for undergraduate students who are international students holding “F” or “J” visas, or students enrolled in specific programs that the Institute has determined require proof of health insurance.  Specific requirements related to the mandatory student insurance plan can also be found at www.studentinsurance.com.  Since participation is mandatory, the premium is billed automatically unless the requirement is waived.

Waiver of mandatory insurance.  An undergraduate international student can waive the mandated insurance based upon proof he or she is covered under a policy held by a parent, spouse, company, or organization on the approved waiver list located under the Georgia Institute of Technology waiver list, which can be found, along with instructions, at www.studentinsurance.com.

Requirements of the USG Plans for Georgia Tech Students

With certain exceptions, all Georgia Tech students enrolled in either the voluntary or mandatory plans are required to obtain routine (non-emergent) medical care – and specialty follow-up care – at the Student Health Services on the GT campus in Atlanta.  For GTS students an important exception to that requirement is when that care is received more than 30 miles from the Atlanta-campus Student Health Services.  Since students at the GT Savannah campus would typically receive care in the Savannah area, Pearce & Pearce has indicated that in those cases the student health insurance would cover such care, as specifically provided for in the plan, although normal deductibles and co-pays would apply.  Another exception to the requirement that care be received at the Atlanta-campus Student Health Services is if the covered person requires maternity care or psychotherapy.  A complete explanation of the exceptions can be viewed on the web site: www.studentinsurance.com.

The USG student insurance is a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan affiliated with First Health PPO Network. There are several enrollment options:

•A full academic year (12-month) plan
•A per-semester payment option based on the student’s enrollment:
◦Fall Semester
◦Spring/Summer Semester
◦Summer Semester
Each option has a 31-day designated enrollment period (Open Enrollment), during which you must purchase the insurance if you decide you wish to do so. Exceptions to Open Enrollment are Qualifying Events with appropriate documentation; a summary of the Qualifying Events and PPO providers can be reviewed at www.studentinsurance.com.

If after reviewing the above information, you would like further clarification about coverage, premiums, or general insurance information related to the USG – student insurance plans, or you would like to enroll in the voluntary insurance program, contact Pearce & Pearce at 1.888.622.6001 or www.studentinsurance.com. 

For general questions related to the student insurance at Georgia Tech Savannah, contact:
Pat Potter, Program Manager
Phone: 912.966.7915
pat.potter@gtsav.gatech.edu.

*This document is for informational purposes only, and its contents are subject to change without notice.  Nothing contained herein is intended or may be construed  to constitute an obligation or contract of any kind; only the issuer of a policy may legally bind coverage or set policy eligibility requirements, limits, exclusions, or premium rates.