Frequently Asked Questions

Opt-Out/Waiver

**ALL APPROVED WAIVERS WILL BE RE-VERIFIED IN JANUARY FOR THE SPRING TERM.**

DMU's Student Health Insurance Plan is for annual coverage.  Students are allowed to submit a waiver during the assigned waiver dates stated below.  There is not a waiver period in the spring.

The Fall 24-25 waiver deadline for First Year PA Students ended 05/17/2024. The online waiver system can no longer accept new waiver requests.

Continuing Students - 04/17/2024 - 06/17/2024

Incoming New Students - 06/05/2024 - 07/19/2024

Des Moines University

  1. Health Care Coverage for students must be provided through a Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act (PPACA), compliant individual or employer health plan that meets the minimum federal requirements for coverage.
    • Such a plan must provide coverage that, at a minimum:
      • Provides the Essential Minimum Benefits required by the PPACA with no annual limits;
      • Contains no exclusions for pre-existing conditions;
      • Covers 100% of Preventive Care as defined by the PPACA;
      • Imposes a deductible that does not exceed $1500 per accident or illness;
      • Has an Out-of-Pocket Max of $8,700 or less for an individual or $17,400 or less for a family plan.
    • Plans that do not meet the Health Care Coverage requirements of this policy include:
      • Short Term Limited Duration Plan
      • Health Savings Account (HSA) plans
  2. Individual plans provided through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace (or “Exchange”) or a state Health Insurance Marketplace (or “Exchange”) provide coverage that meets the Health Care Coverage requirements of this policy.

Please note: Students on clinical rotation will not be allowed to waive out of the student health insurance plan (SHIP) with Medicaid.

Definitions

Essential Minimum Benefits: A comprehensive package of benefits and services that must be included in a PPACA compliant health care, including:

  • Ambulatory patient services
  • Emergency services
  • Hospitalization (such as surgery)
  • Pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care (care for a mother and baby before and after the baby is born)
  • Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment, counseling and psychotherapy
  • Prescription drugs
  • Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
  • Laboratory services

Short Term Limited Duration Plans Health insurance coverage provided pursuant to a contract with an issuer that has an expiration date specified in the contract (taking into account any extensions that may be elected by the policyholder without the issuer’s consent) that is less than 12 months after the original effective date of the contract. Such plans include policies for foreign students studying for only one or two semesters in the U.S.

Click Here to Enroll or Waive the Student Health Insurance Plan