Enrollment and Waiver Criteria
Wake Forest requires health insurance for all full-time enrolled students. Students must elect to either enroll in the insurance program or request to waive enrollment if they carry comparable personal health insurance meeting the criteria set by WFU (detailed below).
The enrollment or waiver election period starts July 1- September 15, 2024. This is a yearly process for all students.
To Enroll for Coverage
- On or after July 1, visit University Health Plans and select Enrollment Form from the menu on the left.
- Follow the prompts on the form.
- For enrollment, the health insurance premium charge on your account will remain and insurance cards will be mailed out starting mid-July for the August 1st plan year start. The enrollment will remain in effect for the entire policy year.
A portion of the cost of the Student Insurance Program is retained by Wake Forest University to pay for student health services supplied by WFU and administrative costs. The State of North Carolina no longer allows “age-banding” of premiums within individual products (i.e., Student Blue, BCBSNC plan). Therefore, there is one charge to all subscribers. All charges for the Student Insurance Program, including reserve funds, are retained by Wake Forest University solely for the purposes of funding plan expenses and/or for the equitable and non-discriminatory benefit of plan participants.
REFUND POLICY: There are no premium refunds except for students entering full-time active duty in any Armed Forces.
To Waive Coverage
- On or after July 1, visit University Health Plans and select Waiver Form from the menu on the left.
- Follow the prompts on the menu.
- Once complete and submitted, a credit for the health insurance premium on your account will be issued within (3-5) business days to the student’s account. The waiver will remain in effect for the entire policy year.
- For waivers, be sure to have your personal insurance information available, including a copy of your insurance card, front and back. You cannot complete the process without this information.
- Have a lifetime maximum benefit of at least $1,000,000. Plans with per incident, per illness or maximums that are less than the lifetime maximum are not acceptable
- Provide access to health care providers in the Winston-Salem, NC area (Reynolda campus students) or Charlotte, NC area (Charlotte campus students) for emergency and non-emergency conditions, including mental health care. If you have an HMO and Winston-Salem, NC (Reynolda campus students) or Charlotte, NC (Charlotte campus students) is out-of-network, your coverage doesn’t meet our criteria. If your HMO offers guest privileges, you must contact your insurer to receive guest privileges and do so prior to waiving coverage
- Provide prescription drug benefits
- Remain in effect while enrolled at WFU
Wake Forest University requires all students to be enrolled in a health plan that is filed and approved in the U.S. and compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Plans marketed solely to international students are often not filed and approved in the U.S. or compliant with the ACA and do not meet the Wake Forest University insurance requirements. GBG Insurance, HDL Global Specialty, ISO, PGH (United), PSI, Student Medicover, and Tata AIG are examples of companies that do not meet the waiver requirements. Travel and Sickness Plans will not be accepted. Plans that meet the requirements are generally plans offered through US employment or purchased through the local state marketplace.
International students with F or J visas will not have the option to waive from the Student Blue plan online and are eligible for a waiver only if they are covered by a plan reviewed and approved by the University based on the criteria above. International students will need to email their insurance policy to sip@wfu.edu to have it reviewed, and the Student Insurance office will advise if the plan is acceptable for a waiver or if enrollment into Student Blue is required.