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Mandatory Insurance and Waiver

Understanding the Student Health Insurance Requirement

  • The process for submitting your waiver/enrolling in SHIP for Spring 2025 will start on December 2nd.
  • The Spring/Summer insurance premium is $1,449. This will be charged to the student account for registered students who meet the criteria.

Each academic year, the University requires that the following students either waive or enroll SHIP. 

  • Enrolled in 6 or more credits in the Fall.
  • Enrolled in 48 or more units in a semester or 36 units in a 12-week term.
  • This includes F-1 and J-1 visa students.
  • Students enrolled in certificate programs, exclusively online programs, and/or programs at the Shady Grove campus will not be automatically enrolled in SHIP and are eligible to purchase SHIP using the voluntary enrollment process.
Click here for more information

The Spring/summer premium will be charged to the student account for registered students who meet the criteria and non-registered students. Upon registering, if the student does not meet the criteria they will be automatically refunded. 

You must waive if you wish to have the charge removed from your student account. If you wish to keep the SHIP, no further action is required.

Students who have existing insurance and want to be credited for the school health insurance must submit a waiver. Once approved, the insurance charge will be removed from the student account.

 

Insurance Waiver

Students who do not have existing insurance need to enroll in the school health plan. Charges will be assessed on the student account for this insurance. 

 

Enroll/Purchase SHIP

An approved waiver must be completed by February 15th, 2025. Students who have not completed the waiver by the aforementioned date will be enrolled in SHIP and the premium fee will remain on their student bill. 

Please Note: newly admitted students will be able to complete the waiver 2 business days after they have registered for classes.

  1. Go to the website link: https://umd.myahpcare.com/waiver 
  2. Or Go to https://umd.myahpcare.com/ and Click waive/ opt out from the card menu at the bottom of the screen
  3. Routed to the University of Maryland MFA (DUO) site for log-in
  4. Log in to UMD and you will be routed to the waiver system dashboard
  5. Follow the Steps in the waiver system to provide proof of insurance and complete the waiver

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY WAIVER WAS SUBMITTED AND VERIFIED:

When your waiver is approved, you will receive an email confirmation from AHP (please check spam and junk folders) to your University email account. If you cannot find your confirmation email, please call AHP at 855.850.4303 

The University of Maryland SHIP insurance plan is a platinum-level insurance plan. SHIP coverage will be provided by United Healthcare. 

SHIP covers most services at the Health Center. When utilizing the Health Center, SHIP patients do not have deductibles and no fee is required for covered services. 

For information about the SHIP plan (United Healthcare), please call 855.850.4303 or visit https://umd.myahpcare.com/. 

  1. Click on the website link: https://umd.myahpcare.com/enrollment 
  2. Or go to https://umd.myahpcare.com/ and click Begin Enrollment of Enroll/Cost from the card menu at the bottom of the screen
  3. Follow the steps on the website to complete the enrollment process

Waiving Ship Information

ACCEPTED TO WAIVE SHIP WITH:

  • Employer-sponsored group plans
  • Marketplace plans (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans)
  • Medicaid
  • U.S. based, and meet the Affordable Care Act requirements
  • VA Health Plans

NOT ACCEPTED TO WAIVE SHIP WITH:

  • Ministry cost sharing plans are Not Acceptable
  • Liberty HealthShare 
  • Samaritan Ministries
  • Medi-Share
  • Aliera Healthshare
  • Christian Healthcare Ministries
  • Trinity HealthShare
  • Solidarity Healthshare
  • International Plans (including, but not limited to, ISO, Student Medicover, Student Cover)
  • Travel Plans

If you are seeking to waive SHIP by enrolling in a different plan, please ask the company offering the plan if a) the plan is filed and approved in the United States and b) if it is compliant with the Affordable Care Act. If the answer is no to either question, the plan will not qualify for a waiver.

 

May/June Waiver site opens, initial communication goes to students.
Summer UMD Division of Student Affairs sends an email communication to incoming first year undergraduate students to their University email address. A mailing is sent to the Parent/Family of incoming undergraduate students directing them to the University Health Center Parent and Family page which includes information about the waiver process. The Graduate School sends an email communication to graduate students about the insurance requirement.
Summer and Fall UMD sends email reminders to students who do not complete the waiver. Once the waiver is completed, the premium is removed from the student bill.
September 19 Waiver site closes.
October 2/3 Final auto-enrollment in the plan is completed with retroactive coverage to August 1 and a waiver is no longer permitted. After auto-enrollment late insurance waiver requests will be referred to our administrators, Academic Health Plans (AHP) for consideration, you can email them at waivers@ahpcare.com

SPRING

  • Newly admitted Undergraduate Students enrolled in 6 or more credits in the spring. 
  • Returning undergraduates that were not enrolled in the previous fall semester. 
  • Newly admitted Graduate students (Masters or Doctoral) who are enrolled for at least 48 units for the semester or 36 units for a 12-week term.
  • Returning Graduate students (Masters or Doctoral) were not enrolled in the previous fall semester and are enrolled for at least 48 units for the semester or 36 units for a 12-week term.

After the initial Spring semester, the Fall waiver must be completed every academic year. 

Please Note: Newly admitted students will be able to complete the waiver after they have registered for classes. The annual SHIP premium of $1,449 (of the total annual premium $2,494) will be posted to your student account. If you wish to retain SHIP, no further action is required. You may begin using your insurance as early as August 1, 2024.

For new transfer students or returning students that didn’t attend the previous fall semester

December Waiver site opens, initial communication goes to students.
February 15 Waiver site closes.
Early March Final auto-enrollment in the plan is completed with retroactive coverage to January 1 and a waiver is no longer permitted. After auto-enrollment late insurance waiver requests will be referred to our administrators, Academic Health Plans (AHP) for consideration, you can email them at waivers@ahpcare.com

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