Johns Hopkins University

Health Insurance Requirements

All full-time, degree-seeking students enrolled in at least one in-person course are required to maintain adequate health insurance to protect against unexpected accidents and illnesses. Most of these students are automatically enrolled in the university-sponsored student health insurance plan, and the premium is charged to their student account—unless they provide proof of comparable coverage and are approved for a waiver.

Students eligible to waive the university plan must do so each academic year.

International students with an active F-1 or J-1 visa are not eligible to waive and are required to enroll in the university plan.

In some cases, a student's department may cover the cost of health benefits. When this applies, students will see a credit on their SIS bill for medical, dental, and/or vision coverage.

Health Benefit Enrollment & Waiver Dates

If you have private insurance coverage comparable to the university plan, then you may be eligible to submit a waiver request form via the Student Information System (SIS) during the open-enrollment period.

• House Staff and Postdocs will be able to login to the AHP site between June 2, 2025 - July 15, 2025. Elections made during this enrollment period will begin on July 1, 2025.
• All students will be able to login to the AHP site between July 1, 2025 - September 15, 2025. Elections made during this enrollment period begin on August 15, 2025, unless stated otherwise.

Please note: A waiver request form must be submitted every academic year, even if your insurance information has not changed. Waivers will not be accepted after the open enrollment deadlines: July 15 for learners and September 15 for students.

Academic Student Waiver Periods

For all schools except Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH):

Students who start in the summer may have their coverage begin on May 15, June 1, or July 1. You will be notified by email ([email protected]) about your coverage start date.

For Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH):

Students who start in the summer may have their coverage begin on May 15, June 1, or July 1. You will be notified by email ([email protected]) about your coverage start date.

Student Health Benefit Waiver Criteria

Comparable coverage to the university plan must meet all of the waiver criteria requirements below.

1. My plan is Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliant.
   My plan covers the following essential health benefits:

• • Emergency Services: care received for conditions that could lead to serious disability or death if not immediately treated, not penalized for going out-of-network or not having prior authorization.
  • Hospitalization: treatment in a hospital for inpatient care including laboratory services and medication during the hospital stay.
  • Laboratory services: testing provided to help a doctor diagnose an injury, illness or condition, or to monitor the effectiveness of a particular treatment.
  • Maternity, newborn care and breastfeeding coverage: Care that women receive during pregnancy, through delivery, post-delivery and care for newborns.
  • Mental health services and addiction treatment: inpatient and outpatient care provided to evaluate, diagnose and treat a mental health condition or substance abuse disorder. Limits must comply with state or federal parity laws.
  • Outpatient Care: care received without being admitted to a hospital such as a doctor’s office or clinic.
  • Pediatric services: well-child visits, vaccines, immunizations, dental and vision care
  • Prescription drugs, including birth control coverage: medications that are prescribed by a doctor to treat an illness or condition, some prescription drugs can be excluded.
  • Preventive services, wellness services and chronic disease management: including physicals, immunizations and screenings designed to prevent or detect certain medical conditions.
  • Rehabilitative services and devices: Services to help recover or develop skills and device to help gain or recover mental and physical skills due to injury, disability or chronic condition.

2. I understand I am responsible for paying my deductible and any out-of-pocket costs for medical services that I receive.
3. My plan covers me while in the state I will be residing in for the upcoming semester. [Note: if your current health insurance plan is a Medicaid plan, it must provide coverage for you in the state you will be residing in for the upcoming semester.]
4. I will remain enrolled in health care coverage for the duration of the academic year.
5. I understand am responsible for paying my deductible and any out-of-pocket costs for medical services that I receive.

Note: A deductible is the amount you pay for covered health care services before the insurance plan starts to pay (e.g. with a $2,000 deductible you pay the first $2,000 of covered services for yourself, after you pay your deductible, you usually pay only a copayment or coinsurance for covered services). An out-of-pocket maximum is the total amount you pay each plan year for healthcare including co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance. Once you have reached your out-of-pocket maximum, your plan will pay for 100% of the allowed amount for covered services.

For comparison purposes, the school-sponsored health insurance plan has a $150 individual deductible and a $3,000 out-of-pocket-maximum.