The UVM Health Fee covers comprehensive, high-quality physical and mental health care, programming, and services while enrolled at the University of Vermont.

The UVM Health Fee is not a health insurance plan. The health fee does not provide students with any community-based coverage or any coverage outside of the UVM Center for Health and Wellbeing (CHWB).

The UVM Health Fee includes coverage for office visits for illness or injury, counseling and mental health services, and a variety of opportunities for health education and radical self-care at no additional cost to you. 

Full-time students pay the health fee as part of UVM's Comprehensive Fee. If you are a part-time student, your credit load determines whether you are required to pay the health fee or can pay it optionally. Student Financial Services provides this information for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students.

Included in health fee coverage

• Student Health Services: Individual medical care with physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, and behavioral health providers.
• Counseling and Psychiatry Services (CAPS): Short-term counseling, group counseling, and case management.
• Education and Outreach: Living Well at the Davis Center programs, health education and outreach services, alcohol and drug education, recovery supports, sexuality and sexual health programming, and radical self-care programs.
• Athletic Medicine: Preventive education, medical care, treatment and rehabilitation for injuries and illnesses incurred by student athletes.
• Public health promotion, information, and control of communicable disease.

Not included in health fee coverage

• Laboratory work
• Immunizations
• UVM Psychiatry office visits
• UVM Travel Clinic first visit
• Orthopedic supplies (i.e. crutches, braces, etc)
• X-rays, specialist visits, hospitalizations, prescriptions

Note: the UVM health fee does not cover services at the University of Vermont Medical Center. 

The University of Vermont requires that all students have active, comprehensive health insurance coverage while enrolled and attending UVM. UVM requires that students have comprehensive health insurance coverage to meet students’ health care needs and to minimize catastrophic financial risk for students in the event of a health-related issue. 

Annually, all full-time students must complete the insurance decision/waiver to declare whether they are enrolling in the UVM Student Health Insurance Plan or if they will waive it with a comprehensive health insurance plan. To waive UVM SHIP, students must have comparable coverage.

All full-time UVM students must have a comprehensive health insurance plan to help cover additional healthcare costs. This includes:

• Undergraduate/Continuing Education students registered for 9 or more credits
• Graduate students registered for 9 or more credits
• Graduate students enrolled in "Grad 903" credits
• All International Students with F-1 or J-1 visas
• All Medical Students

Students must complete the insurance decision/waiver each year to declare whether they are enrolling in the UVM Student Health Insurance Plan or if they will waive it for an equivalent insurance plan.

The deadlines for completing the insurance Decision/Waiver Form are as follows:

• New students starting school in the Fall: July 1.
• New students starting school in the Spring: December 1.
• Returning students: annually by July 1.

Students who fail to complete the insurance decision/waiver form on time will be charged for the UVM Student Health Insurance Plan and will have a hold placed on their UVM student account.

You can choose to use other comparable insurance plans instead of UVM SHIP. Comparable coverage is a medical plan from a United States based health insurance company without lifetime maximums and without limitations on pre-existing conditions. Comparable coverage complies with the Affordable Care act and provides equivalent or increased benefits than those provided under UVM SHIP.

You and your insurance plan are financially responsible for any services provided beyond that basic level of care covered by the UVM Health Fee.

It is your responsibility to:

• Determine your level of coverage if you have insurance other than UVM SHIP. Some insurance plans are restrictive and may leave students either under-insured or essentially uninsured while away at school. This could result in you and/or your family incurring substantial out-of-pocket costs for medical care.
• Contact your insurance company to see if your policy covers specific services while attending UVM. Comparable coverage must include coverage for: 
  • Lab tests and x-rays
  • Prescription medications
  • Hospitalization (including room and board, physicians’ fees and surgical expenses)
  • Outpatient hospital services
  • Mental health care
  • Emergency room care
  • Intercollegiate sports injuries
• See if your insurance requires preauthorization before any specialty visit. The Center for Health and Wellbeing is not responsible for unauthorized or non-covered charges. 
• Submit a claim to your insurance company following a visit. The Center for Health and Wellbeing, including Student Health Services and Counseling and Psychiatry Services, is not a participating provider for any outside insurance plan and does not bill insurance companies directly. CHWB can provide a receipt or walkout statement that describes the charges. 

The following are all examples of plans that are not considered comprehensive coverage:

• out of state Medicaid plans;
• regional HMO plans;
• travel insurance plans;
• health plans that only cover specific occurrences, such as accidents or certain illnesses;
• health plans that only provide emergency services;
• international plans (includes travel coverage from your home country);
• health care sharing plans;
• plans from insurance companies not located within the United States; and
• prescription discount plans (this is not insurance).

The Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) is underwritten by Wellfleet Insurance Company. 

Students who enroll in the UVM Student Health Insurance Plan are required to obtain all primary/preventative/routine care at the Center for Health & Wellbeing (CHWB). UVM SHIP covers preventative/routine care for student members ONLY when obtained at the on-campus Student Health Services clinics.  Students are required to obtain Primary Care at the UVM Student Health Services.

• Coverage period: August 1 - July 31
• Routine and preventive healthcare: covered ONLY within CHWB. Preventive services available within CHWB are not covered at other locations. Students should get referrals from CHWB before obtaining care elsewhere. There is a $300 deductible for services obtained outside of CHWB without a referral.
• Prescription Drug Coverage (in network): $20 copay for Tier 1 (Generic Brand) / 90% co insurance for Tier 2 (Preferred Brand) / 90% co insurance for Tier 3 (Non-Preferred Brand) / 90% co insurance for Tier 4 (Specialty Brand).
• Psychiatric Services at CHWB: students with UVM SHIP are covered at 100% of the initial visit and 80% of each follow up visit.
• Students who have purchased UVM SHIP and later withdraw or fall below 6 credits (undergraduates) or 5 credits (graduate students) after the first 31 days of the semester will remain covered by the insurance policy for the remainder of the semester, but they are not eligible for CHWB services even if they have also paid the health fee. If a student purchases UVM SHIP and withdraws before the end of the 30-day window, coverage is not guaranteed. That decision would ultimately be made by the insurance company.

* Fall-only coverage is available ONLY to students graduating in December/not registered for the Spring semester.

** Spring/Summer-only coverage is available ONLY to students who were not eligible for UVM SHIP coverage in the Fall (for example, because they did not take enough credits).

Contact studentInsurance@uvm.edu  directly for more information.

For more comprehensive benefit information visit SHIP.