Health Insurance Requirement

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences strives to provide the best possible experience for all of our students. We recognize that the promotion of health and wellness is vital to your success. Adequate health coverage can help keep students in class and protect them from the financial hardship that may be caused by incurred medical expenses.

ACPHS requires all full-time students to have health coverage, either through a family health insurance plan, a private insurer, or a quality, low-cost plan offered by the College. The College plan is an Accident and Sickness Limited Benefit plan serviced by Niagara National, Inc. and underwritten by Markel Insurance Company. The plan is a limited benefit accident (injury) and sickness plan which affords coverage 24/7 worldwide. Limited benefit means there are limits to benefits a student may receive for covered services under the plan. These limits may be significantly less than what a student would be used to receiving under other insurance plans, for example HMO/PPOs. The insurance described in the plan brochure does not provide major medical insurance as defined by the New York State Insurance Department.

All students are charged for the College insurance plan. Those who wish to waive the College’s plan must provide insurance information by August 1 in order to have the charge for the school plan removed from their tuition bill. Students must provide the name and address of their health insurance provider, subscriber’s name and their policy number and/or group number in order to waive the College’s plan. Students will not be permitted to waive coverage after August 1 and no credit will be issued.

Registration/Waiver Procedures

Students may access the registration/waiver form at http://forms.acphs.edu. Use your regular ACPHS Username and Password to login. Then click on the Health Insurance Registration/Waiver Form. The deadline for registration/waiver is August 1. It is only necessary to complete this process once each academic year.

ACPHS Plan Highlights

• > “Primary” worldwide coverage
• > $25,000 “per cause” accident and sickness benefits
• > Use of any provider the student chooses (no network requirements)
• > Worldwide travel assistance
• > No pre-certification required for students to access benefits
• > One annual wellness visit (physical) up to $100 maximum with no deductible

Annual Cost and Terms of Coverage

The annual cost of the ACPHS plan is $460 and has been posted to your account and is payable with your tuition bill. Upon completion of the on-line registration/waiver form, the Office of Student Accounts will be notified. If you choose to waive out of the ACPHS plan, the charge will be removed from your student account. The removal of the charge will be reflected in your next student statement. For the 2011-12 academic year, the plan provides coverage from August 23, 2011 through August 23, 2012.

Online Plan Description Access

The full plan brochure for coverage is posted online www.niagaranational.com. You will need to click “Insurance Services” then "Student Insurance". Use the "Click here for a List of Colleges & Universities" link to access the ACPHS brochure, claim form or plan description.

The College Plan provides for the payment of “usual and customary” (U&C) charges incurred by the insured person for loss due to a covered injury or sickness, up to an aggregate maximum benefit of $25,000 per occurrence.

Covered benefits include, but are not limited to, the following:

Please refer to the plan brochure online for a full description of covered services, including state mandates.

Accident Coverage

After a $50 deductible, the plan provides for $1,000 of covered accident benefits, at 100 percent of U&C charges, per occurrence. Supplemental benefits are payable above $1,000 at 80 percent of U&C charges, up to an aggregate maximum of $25,000, per occurrence.

Sickness Coverage

After a $50 deductible, the plan provides for $1,000 of covered sickness benefits, up to specified charges, per occurrence. Supplemental benefits are payable above $1,000 at 80 percent of U&C charges, up to an aggregate maximum of $25,000 per occurrence.

Optional Increased Supplemental Limit (ISL Option)

All students enrolled in the Markel plan have the option to purchase additional supplemental coverage directly through Markel. If the covered medical expenses for an injury or sickness exceed the maximum paid under the student plan, payment will made at 80 percent of U&C charges up to an additional $225,000.

The cost of the ISL coverage is an additional $519 for students ages 25 and under, or an additional $785 for students over 25 years of age. You may purchase coverage by accessing the enrollment form online and mailing your payment directly to Markel.

Dependent and/or Spouse Coverage

Students may purchase the same coverage for their dependent children and/or spouse. This coverage is billed and paid directly through Markel. Dependent and spousal coverage is $675 for each.

Loss of Coverage

Throughout the course of the academic year, students sometimes lose their insurance coverage. Some examples of how this could happen include, but are not limited to, a change in a parent’s employment/coverage, the student “ages off” of a parent policy or the student becomes a part-time student. Should one of these exceptions occur, ACPHS students can purchase the College plan during the course of the year at a pro-rated cost. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the College of any changes in coverage and to maintain health coverage while enrolled at the College.

Refund Provision

In the event an insured person leaves school to enter active military service, coverage will cease and a pro rata refund of the premium will be made upon request. No other refunds will be made, including failure to complete the registration/waiver form by the deadline.

For More Information

For more information about plan coverage, go to www.niagaranational.com. For specific questions regarding insurance claims, you can call (800) 444-5530 or visit their website.