Johns Hopkins University

Health Insurance Requirements

It is the policy of Johns Hopkins University that all full-time students maintain adequate health insurance coverage to provide protection against unexpected accidents and illnesses. Most full-time students are automatically enrolled in the university student-sponsored health benefits plan, and the plan premium will be charged to your university student account, unless proof of comparable health insurance is provided for students eligible to waive.

Those who are eligible to waive the insurance must do so annually. All International students with an active F1 or J1 Visa status, are ineligible to waive and are required to purchase the university plan.

There are some instances where a student’s department covers the cost of health benefits. In these situations, 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.

There will be two enrollment/waiver periods for Fall 2023 – Spring/Summer 2024:

• House Staff, Postdocs, and all returning East Baltimore students will be able to login to the AHP site between June 1, 2023 – September 15, 2023. Elections made during this enrollment period will begin on July 1, 2023.
• New East Baltimore students and all students at Krieger, Whiting, SAIS, Peabody, Carey, and School of Education will be able to login to the AHP site between July 5, 2023 – September 15, 2023. Elections made during this enrollment period begin on August 15, 2023.

Please be aware that a waiver request form must be submitted each academic year regardless if your insurance information has changed or not. Waivers not submitted by September 15^th will not be accepted.

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. My current health insurance plan is NOT limited to emergency-only care and allows me to visit U.S. doctors, hospitals, laboratories and other health care providers in the local area where I will be residing and studying for the academic year.
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 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 deductible and a $3,000 out-of-pocket-maximum.