ID Cards | Waiving | Enrolling | Medical Leave of Absence | Loss of Coverage

All full-time students (Graduate Level – 9+ credit hours, Undergraduate Level – 12+ credit hours) are billed the student health insurance fee. They will be automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) after the waiver period. For students starting in the Fall, coverage is retroactive to August 1. For students starting in the spring, coverage is retroactive to February 1. This coverage can be waived if a student provides proof of adequate health insurance by the waiver deadline. 

Any students taking fewer than 9 credit hours for Graduate Programs and 12 credit hours for Undergraduate Programs will not be automatically billed for SHIP, but are eligible to enroll on a voluntary basis, excluding students enrolled in a designated Online Only Program. 

If full-time students are enrolled in online classes that are not part of a designated Online Only Program, they are subject to the health insurance requirement as noted above. Students enrolled in designated Online Only Programs are not eligible for SHIP, unless they are part of the online MSW Program.

UMB professional and graduate students engage in different types of educational work on campus and participate in experiential education in the workplace — pharmacies, schools, hospitals, rehabilitation units, field sites, community service centers, etc. As such, students face workplace risks but do not qualify for workers compensation insurance to cover workplace injuries or accidents on a no-fault basis. To ensure that UMB students have access to medical care and do not present an undue legal or financial risk to the University or its affiliates, students are required to have ACA-compliant health insurance. The UMB Student Health Insurance Plan provides the appropriate coverage under ACA and consumer protections through regulation by the State of Maryland Insurance Administration.

United HealthCare ID cards are typically available 5-7 days after your enrollment is processed.  To obtain your ID card and create an online account with United Healthcare, please follow these instructions:

1. Go to www.uhcsr.com/MyAccount/
2. Click “Create Account”
3. Complete the registration form using your name, date of birth, and student ID number.
4. Once logged in, you will have access to ID cards, claim information, EOB’s and other plan-related information. 

The waiver deadline is September 15th for students admitted in the Fall, and February 15th for students admitted in the Spring. A waiver form only needs to be completed once if admitted in the Fall and is still valid for the Spring semester. A new Enrollment/Waiver Form will need to be completed each new academic year in the Fall semester.  

Criteria for Waiving SHIP Plan

To be eligible to waive the UMB SHIP, you must be currently enrolled in a health insurance plan that meets UMB’s waiver requirements. The following criteria are used by Gallagher Student Health and Special Risk when reviewing and approving waiver requests:

• For approval of a waiver, the level of benefits provided through a health insurance plan must be fully compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Coverage is considered comparable if it provides students with access to local providers and a range of services in the state of Maryland.
• Services include but are not limited to, preventive and non-urgent care, emergency care, surgical care, inpatient and outpatient hospitalization, lab work, diagnostic X-rays, physical therapy and chiropractic care, prescription drugs, and mental health and substance abuse treatment. 

If a plan is an HMO, it is very likely that coverage is limited, or not available, outside of the HMO’s service area. Before deciding whether or not to waive coverage, students should compare their current health insurance plan to the UMB Student Health Insurance Plan for cost-sharing levels (deductibles and coinsurance) and access to in-network providers. 

Plans that are not considered comparable include plans that only provide emergency services in Maryland, plans that are purchased on a short-term basis, international or travel insurance plans, out-of-state HMOs or other restricted managed care plans, and out-of-state Medicaid plans.

How to Waive the SHIP Plan

To waive the student health insurance, select the “Waive” option once logged in to Gallagher and provide proof of adequate health insurance. 

To login to Gallagher: 

1. Login to SURFS
2. Select the Student tab
3. Click on Gallagher Student Health 

For each new policy year, Gallagher’s website will not be available to complete an Enrollment or Waiver Form until the last week of June. Students will receive an email from Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk to your UMB email address providing instructions to complete the forms once the website is available. 

Approval

Once a full-time student receives an approved waiver, the Student Health Insurance Premium will be removed from their tuition and fees bill. Please allow 5 business days from the waiver approval date for the waiver to reflect on your student account. Full-time students who are not approved for a waiver and do not voluntarily enroll in the SHIP will be enrolled by UMB at the end of the waiver period with retroactive coverage back to August 1 for the Fall semester and for students starting in the Spring, retroactive coverage back to February 1. 

If your waiver is denied, you will receive an email notice from Gallagher stating the reason you were denied.  If you feel the denial was in error, you can modify your submitted form or upload supporting documentation for review. For information regarding why your waiver was denied and what steps you can take to address the denial, please visit the Gallagher website. 

Waivers can be viewed at any time; however, waivers can only be edited for resubmission within the designated waiver period.

Waivers are processed using both student and system provided information.  Determination of approval or denial is based on information that is available at the time of processing and is not an indication of future approvals or denials.

Missed the Waiver Deadline

Students subject to the SHIP enrollment/waiver requirement who missed the published UMB waiver deadline for Fall or Spring can appeal for a late waiver by providing justification for why they could not apply for a waiver prior to the deadline. Please contact studentaccounthelp@umaryland.edu for assistance with filing an appeal with Gallagher. 

The appeal timeframe is as follows:

Fall Semester: September 16th through October 1st

Spring Semester: February 16th through March 1st

The enrollment deadline is September 15th for students admitted in the Fall, and February 15th for students admitted in the Spring. An enrollment form only needs to be completed once if admitted in the Fall and is still valid for the Spring semester. A new Enrollment/Waiver Form will need to be completed each new academic year in the Fall semester.  

If you wish to enroll into the UMB Student Health Insurance Plan, once the website has opened for the new policy year, please complete the online Enrollment Form as soon as possible to ensure active coverage and receive your ID card by the coverage start date.  

To enroll into the student health insurance, select the “Enroll” option once logged in to Gallagher and complete the required form.  Your registration at UMB will be verified, and the SHIP enrollment will be processed. 

To login to Gallagher: 

1. Login to SURFS
2. Select the Student tab
3. Click on Gallagher Student Health 

New Students enrolled in Early Start Fall Programs

New UMB students who are enrolled in a program that has a start date in June or July can enroll in supplemental SHIP coverage, since Fall coverage is effective August 1st.

If you would like to add June and/or July coverage, please complete the Supplemental Enrollment Form via DocuSign. Once completed, SFS will submit your enrollment to Gallagher.

The University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) allows eligible students, who so elect, to continue enrollment under UMB’s Student Health Insurance Plan while on an approved medical leave of absence for up to a maximum of two consecutive semesters.

Eligibility requirements:

• Students must be currently enrolled in the UMB Student Health Insurance Plan.
• Students must have been previously insured under the SHIP for at least one year prior to the request for a Medical Leave of Absence.
• Students must provide a copy of the leave of absence verification form signed by a dean or an advisor.
• Students intend to return to the University and remain a degree-seeking candidate.

Email Student Financial Services: studentaccounthelp@umaryland.edu to request an enrollment application. 

Students who involuntarily lose coverage from their previous carrier may petition to add the SHIP at any point during the policy year.  

To complete the Petition to Add (PTA), please follow the steps below: 

1. Login to SURFS
2. Select the Student tab
3. Click on Gallagher Student Health
4. Click on “Enroll – Qualifying Life Event”
5. Complete all the required demographic information on the form.
6. You must attach a copy of your termination of coverage letter that includes confirmation of termination, and indicates the last date of coverage from the current carrier
7. Gallagher will confirm eligibility with UMB, and the enrollment will be processed
8. Upon completion, a UMB Student Financial Services team member will provide a current bill showing the addition of the health insurance charge for the respective semester  

**To ensure there is no lapse in coverage, the Qualifying Life Event request must be submitted within 60 days from the termination date of the current insurance carrier**