Student Health Insurance Information

All full-time OWU students are required to have health insurance to ensure access to healthcare resources when needed and to protect them from unexpected medical costs that could disrupt their education.

Insurance coverage should be comprehensive, ACA compliant, and include access to healthcare providers in the Central Ohio area.

For students who do not already have comprehensive health insurance, OWU has partnered with Academic HealthPlans (AHP) to provide coverage through Wellfleet Insurance and access to a national network of healthcare providers within the Cigna's PPO Network. Coverage is from August 1 to July 31 of the following year.

To ensure that students have adequate insurance, all full-time students are automatically enrolled in coverage and a health insurance fee is posted onto their student accounts. The Fall 2024 fee is $918, which provides coverage from August 1 to December 31, 2024. The Spring 2025 fee will be $1,280 and will provide coverage from January 1 to July 31, 2025.

Students who have other health insurance coverage and wish to waive this fee will need to verify that they have comparable coverage that provides access to healthcare providers in Central Ohio in order to have the fee removed from their account. This waiver process is facilitated by AHP and details about this process are emailed to students and parents.

Details about the waiver process can also be found at https://owu.myahpcare.com/waiver.

All international students will be enrolled in the University's student health insurance plan. Only ACA plans offered by employers or embassies that include medical evacuation and repatriation coverage will meet the waiver guidelines for international students. The OWU Student Health Insurance includes this coverage.

Students who do not provide proof of enrollment in another comparable medical insurance plan by the deadline indicated will remain on the OWU Student Insurance Plan and will be responsible for the health insurance fee.

Students will need to request a waiver for each academic year. If the health insurance fee is waived for Fall semester and coverage remains active, the waiver will remain valid for the upcoming Spring semester and the fee will not be posted onto the student account. AHP, however, will verify that the student's coverage has remained in place. Please note that if the student's coverage changes at any point during the academic year, AHP will need to be notified so that the fee waiver can continue.

The AHP website includes helpful resources for:

• Benefits and coverage details
• Instructions for downloading insurance cards
• Finding network doctors, hospitals and pharmacies
• Contact information for AHP and Wellfleet

The Wellfeet insurance plan provides medical coverage for OWU students. For students interested in adding dental coverage, please visit AHP's Enhanced Benefits page. 

For students looking for other comparable health insurance coverage, it is important to consider the following:

Access to healthcare providers. It is important to consider which doctors and hospitals are in the area. For OWU students, this includes the campus and Delaware Ohio area, such as Grady Memorial Hospital and other local medical resources. It also includes providers that you may need to visit when you are back home or traveling. "Comparable" insurance plans must include a provider network that includes local healthcare professionals.

Comprehensive coverage. Some insurance plans simply cover emergency medical costs, are short term, or considered to be supplemental or travel plans. These are not considered to be sufficient for OWU students. It's important that our students have access to healthcare services for a broader range of care that they might need and have coverage that complies with the Affordable Care Act.

Costs to the student. The premium is the amount due for certain periods of time (monthly, annually, etc.) It's important to also be aware of the plan's deductible, which is the amount you would pay personally before the insurance company begins paying. Many plans have high deductibles, which can be costly in the unfortunate event of an injury or illness. Coinsurance is the percentage of costs that you would be responsible for after your deductible has been paid. Copayments (copays) are the amount that you may be expected to pay a healthcare provider at the time you receive services. It can all be very confusing, but it is important to be aware of these definitions when selecting a plan that works best for you.

Ohio Wesleyan University is a member of the American College Health Association and adheres to their Standards for Student Health Insurance.

Questions about OWU's student health insurance program can be directed to the Dean of Students Office at deansoffice@owu.edu or by calling 740-368-3135.