Health Insurance

Get clear on all the health plans.

Students at many colleges today must have a health insurance plan that meets their university’s minimum requirement.  Proof of insurance needs to be given to FSU or you may purchase a plan (FSU has partnered with Gallagher Student Health and United Health Care Student Resources plan is through United Healthcare) or your student will not be allowed to register for classes.

Deciding on which health insurance plan your student should be on may require a degree in economics. There are so many variables to consider when choosing. You may want to consider consulting with your financial advisor to compare the benefits and costs. Consider the following:

•  Does your current health insurance plan meet the university’s minimum coverage requirements?
•  Is the monthly premium you pay for your child pre-tax or after-tax?
• Is it marketplace insurance or subsidized and again, does it meet the university’s minimum requirements?
• Does your current insurance cover your student at an out of state college (if your student is coming from another state)?

When purchasing their plan, you are also paying for the university coverage upfront and not monthly as with your own health insurance.  Trust me when I say DO THE MATH! There are many decisions that need to be made in regards to health insurance at Florida State University. Any insurance plan must provide coverage through the end of the year/term.

The 2019-2020  rates for the FSU plan for a single student average are approximately $214.00 per month if you chose the annual plan. The rates for the Spring semester through August 14th averages about $200  per month. If your student is already covered by your own plan, you should consider what your cost is to keep them on your plan.  If you have more than one child on your plan, it may not be cost-efficient to remove just one child. Also, consider if you are using pre-tax dollars (Cafeteria Plan or Flexible Spending Account). In addition, if your student is going to be studying abroad, you may want to consider your options on which plan to go with. Here are the guidelines for the various types of coverage.

Waivers and Enrollment

Below are the waiver and coverage dates required by FSU. These dates are the same every year.

Term	Waiver must cover from	Waiver must cover through	Open Enrollment Starts	Open Enrollment Ends	Plan Coverage Begins	Plan Coverage Ends	Last Day to Change or Cancel Purchase
Annual	August 15	August 14	March 2	September 15	August 15	August 14	September 14
Fall only	August 15	December 31	March 2	September 15	August 15	December 31	September 14
Spring	January 1	August 14	October 2	January 15	January 1	August 14*	January 30
Summer	May 10	August 14	March 2	May 15	May 10**	August 14	June 10

 

*Spring/summer coverage is the only option.  There is no spring only coverage.

**Summer only coverage is for students beginning their FSU journey in the summer session.  The summer premium is not prorated for students attending later summer sessions.

If you choose to purchase FSU’s student insurance, you may want to purchase the yearly plan to be sure your student is covered even when he/she is not taking classes. Then again, this means if you decide to switch your student to the school-administered health insurance on an annual basis, then when you sign up for new health insurance for your own needs in November, your student would already be on the university plan. In this case, it may make sense to sign up by the semester.

For information about FSU’s student Health Insurance options. This will also give you further information about a waiver. An FSUID and password are needed to log in. If you are unsure of which plan makes the most sense for your family and you have a financial planner or a certified public accountant, they can run the numbers for you. Pass on these great tips, tell your friends and like us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Find out more about how to use HaveUHeard as a great resource. Sign up for other great tips at haveuheard.com.