Greetings Students,
The warmer weather has finally arrived and change is blooming around the city. With that in mind we wanted to take a moment to share three positive changes and address one change-related concern regarding the Columbia University Student Health Insurance Plan.
Positive Changes
New, Dedicated E-mail Address. Please write to us at studentinsurance@columbia.edu. Please also update any publications or webpage to reflect this new address.
The August Extension. For graduating students we are offering a one-time-only extension of the plan so that it affords a full 52 weeks of coverage. The shift in plan dates led to some concerns and we are happy to make this available. The extension is available upon request and enrollment must be complete no later than August 14, 2015. Details are on our website at health.columbia.edu/insurance
Early Arrival Coverage For All. As you may remember, a major driving force for changing the plan start dates was the number of students on campus before September 1st. Now that the Student Health Insurance Plan begins on August 15 we have eliminated the Early Arrival Plan. One notable benefit of this change is that it provides coverage to many new students during orientation without the need to sign up for a supplemental plan.
Change-Related Concern
Related to changes two & three above, we want to reiterate that there will be no gap in coverage for continuing students. The current plan year runs September 1, 2014 to August 14, 2015 and the new plan year will begin on August 15, 2015. While we have been sharing this with students, your help is assuaging concerns is most appreciated.
Thanks so much for your continuing collaboration and do reach out with any questions. As always, please let us know how we may continue to be your partner in supporting students in the achievement in their personal and academic goals.
In health,
Catherine, Janelle, Michael, Stephanie, & Steve
