Winslow Health Center

Student Health Insurance and Billing

It is very important that every Allegheny student has a current health insurance card or a copy of it in their wallet. They should also have a copy of their prescription plan card if they have a prescription plan. As a reminder, Allegheny requires students to maintain health insurance coverage that meets or exceeds the minimum requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) while they are a student with the College. Students should know if they have to call for referrals and they should be familiar with which drugstores in the Meadville area will accept their plan. Often, students are not aware of whether they need referrals, who their primary care provider (PCP) is, or whether they have prescription coverage. This can significantly delay treatment.

Students that are covered by their home state’s Medicaid will not be covered in Pennsylvania. It is advised that they purchase the Allegheny United Healthcare Plan or find another private insurance that will cover them while at Allegheny. Contact your insurance carrier to verify coverage locations or to answer any specific questions you have on what your plan will or won’t cover.

Health Insurance Options for Allegheny Students

• Students under the age of 26 may be covered on their parent or guardian’s insurance plan.
• Students can purchase coverage on the Market Place.
• Students can purchase United Healthcare Coverage. The United Healthcare plan:
  • Meets the ACA criteria for adequate insurance.
  • Is accepted by most local health facilities.
  • Does not provide 100% coverage. The student will be responsible of some of the costs (co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, etc.).
  • Provides one-year of coverage even during school breaks and student leaves of absences or withdrawals.
  • Read more about the United Healthcare Plan:
    • Certificate of Coverage
    • Benefit and Coverage Summary
    • Informational Flyer

Health Insurance Coverage and Fee

Allegheny College enrolls and pays the premium for students who do not decline coverage of United Healthcare Student Insurance. That premium is added as an insurance fee on each student billing statement. For information on enrolling or declining coverage, please contact the Financial Services Office.

Billing

As of January 2022, students are required to provide a photo ID and their medical insurance card for all appointments at Winslow. For questions and/or concerns regarding billing, please call 814-807-0670 ext. 301.

General Information on the United Healthcare Plan for 2021-2022

We know insurance can be confusing and you are getting a lot of information at once. In order to help students and their families understand things better, below are a few key points regarding the UHC plan along with some links to essential information.

• The United Healthcare plan sponsored by Allegheny has a $250 deductible and then you must pay 20% of your medical expenses up to the out-of-pocket maximum of $6,850 per year. Each physician or specialist visit also has a $25 co-pay, which does not count toward the deductible. Prescription medication costs are on a tier system (Tier 1 – $25, Tier 2 – $45, Tier 3 – $60).
• The entire United Healthcare policy Certificate of Coverage can be found here.
• The best way to estimate total cost of anything to be charged to your insurance is to create or log-in to your account at www.firststudent.com and use the ‘Student Tools’ section on the left hand side to ‘Find a Doctor.’ From there you can search by specialty, name, or medical condition for providers covered by your insurance and the UHC system will show you cost estimates.
• Allegheny College’s United Healthcare Home Page
• Additional Informational Flyer
• Create Your Account — need First Name, Last Name, DOB, Student EM, and Student ID
• How to Get Your ID Card
• Customer Service — for further questions regarding the UHC plan, please contact their Customer Service Department

Health Insurance Facts

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that unless you qualify for a health coverage exemption, all US citizens must carry adequate health insurance or pay an income penalty.
• Allegheny students can seek basic care at the Winslow Health Center. However, students will need adequate health insurance for any possible hospital visits, physical therapy, laboratory work, or other services off campus.
• The ACA mandates that health insurance coverage has a term of one year minimum, unless there is a qualifying event that triggers a special enrollment period.
• Medicaid from outside Pennsylvania is not accepted in Pennsylvania.

More information can be found at: healthcare.gov | irs.gov | supremecourt.gov