GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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Certificate of Coverage

  • When you enroll in a health insurance plan, you are given a certificate of coverage. It may also be called a contract, evidence of coverage, or summary plan description (SPD). Among other things, this is the document that specifically names the recipients of coverage under a given plan. You can call your insurance customer service department at any point during your coverage and ask for a written copy of your certificate of coverage. This should be provided free of charge. A copy of the certificate of coverage from your insurance provider, specifically naming the covered student, may be requested when opting out of the student insurance.  

Claim

  • A request for payment that you or your healthcare provider submits to your health insurer when you get items or services you think are covered.  

Coinsurance

  • Your share of the costs of a covered health care service, calculated as a percent (for example, 20%) of the allowed amount for the service. You pay coinsurance plus any deductibles you owe. For example, if the health insurance or plan’s allowed amount for an office visit is $100 and you’ve met your deductible, your coinsurance payment of 20% would be $20. The health insurance or plan pays the rest of the allowed amount. 

Copayment

  • A fixed amount (for example, $15) you pay for a covered health care service, usually when you get the service. The amount can vary by the type of covered health care service. On the UIUC Student Insurance plan, copayments are applied to ER visits, as well as most prescription drugs.

Deductible

  • This is the amount you must pay each year before the insurance benefits will be applied. For example, if you have a bill for $600, and a deductible of $250, you will have to pay the first $250 of the bill, leaving $350. The regular insurance benefit will then be applied to that remaining $350. 
  • Deductibles for the 2017-2018 academic year are as follows: Graduate Students: $150 Undergraduate Students: $250. 

Excluded Services

  • Health care services that your health insurance or plan doesn’t pay for or cover. The excluded services on the UIUC Student Plan may be found on the brochure linked on this website. 

Inpatient Care

  • Health care that you get when you’re admitted as an inpatient to a health care facility, like a hospital or skilled nursing facility. 

McKinley Health Center

  • McKinley Health Center is UIUC's on-campus health center, available to all students.  McKinley is separate and distinct from UIUC Student Health Insurance.        

Out-of-pocket Costs

  • Your expenses for medical care that aren’t reimbursed by insurance. Out-of-pocket costs include deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for covered services plus all costs for services that aren’t covered. 

Out-of-pocket Maximum

  • The maximum amount for which a student may be liable for covered services during the academic year. For graduate students the out-of-pocket maximum per insured person is $1800. For undergraduates it is $6850.

Outpatient Care

  • Outpatient care describes medical care or treatment that does not require an overnight stay in a hospital or medical facility. Outpatient care may be administered in a medical office or a hospital, but most commonly, it is provided in a medical office or outpatient surgery center. 

Premium

  • The amount that must be paid in order to obtain the student health insurance plan. This premium is assessed along with your other tuition and fees each semester. Current premiums may be found in the FAQ, under ‘Basics’.

Reinstatement

  • A reinstatement is performed when a student has opted out of the UIUC student insurance in a past semester and wishes to add themselves back onto the plan. Reinstatements may only be processed for those students who would otherwise be eligible for the UIUC student insurance, but have not been assessed the fee. This mainly occurs when S student who has opted out during the Fall of a given year will not be assessed the UIUC student insurance fee during the subsequent Spring and Summer. The student may reinstate the UIUC student insurance coverage for either of those semesters in which they register for a non-zero amount of on campus credits. Likewise if a student opts out in the Spring, they may be eligible to reinstate during the subsequent Summer given the above conditions. Regardless of when the student opted out, they will be assessed all fees per usual in accordance with their registration status during the subsequent Fall.