Health Insurance

Health insurance helps to reduce medical costs.

For example, if you break your leg and need to go to the hospital, the total cost could be $10,000. With health insurance, you may only pay $1,000 instead of the full $10,000.

As a result, it is super important to have health insurance.

Health insurance is a type of coverage that helps pay for medical expenses. Health insurance policies are bought through health insurance agencies/companies. All US citizens are required to have health insurance as well.

Yes! The A&M System requires all international students to have health insurance coverage.

All international students at WT are automatically enrolled in the A&M System insurance policy. Please see below for information on insurance waivers.

Fall 2023 Costs: $1,010

Spring 2024 Costs: $2,013

Why does Spring cost twice as much as Fall? Because the Fall covers 4 months, while Spring covers 8 months. See What Dates is My Insurance Valid for more information on this.

Note for New Students Whose First Semester is the Fall: There is an additional one-time insurance charge of $250 that will be added to your bill. This is to cover the insurance costs for the month of August.

Always. Always carry your insurance information with you at all times. If you use the BCBS TX app, you will always have your insurance information with you!

In order for insurance to be effective, you must have your insurance information with you any time you:

• Go to the doctor
• Go to the hospital, emergency room, or urgent care
• Go to Student Medical Services (the doctor)
• Go to Counseling Services or to see a mental health counselor/psychiatrist
• Athletes: any time you have a physical

When you arrive on-campus for the first time, you will be given a paper with your insurance information on it. It is in the folder that we give you when you check-in with us.

BCBS TX App on Your Phone: When you get your insurance paper from us, please be sure to get the BCBS TX (Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas) app on your phone.

To set up the BCBS app with your insurance information, you will need your name and your Student ID. The Student ID is the number on the insurance paper that we give you, NOT your Buff ID Number.

You can use your WT insurance card at

• Student Medical Services
• Any doctor's office in the United States
• The Emergency Room, Urgent Care, or any hospital
• Outside of the US - the A&M System insurance is valid worldwide

Fall Coverage Dates: September 1st - December 31st

Spring Coverage Dates: January 1st - August 31st

Students studying all-online from their home country will automatically be waived from the insurance charge and requirement.

The charge will be waived around the 12th class day each semester. If you need to pay your bill before the charge is removed, please pay minus the insurance charge. Do NOT pay the insurance charge.

If you are not on an F1 visa, the insurance charge and requirement will automatically be waived for you.

The charge will be waived around the 12th class day each semester. If you need to pay your bill before the charge is removed, please pay minus the insurance charge. Do NOT pay the insurance charge.

Not all graduate students who have a job are considered Graduate Assistants. For insurance purposes, a Graduate Assistant (GA) is a student who is taking graduate courses and working at least half-time (50% - 20 or more hours per week) in an insurance-eligible position.

If you aren't sure if your position qualifies for insurance benefits, please speak to Human Resources (HR).

1. Before we can request removal of the insurance charge for GAs, we must see your name on a list that the insurance company provides us.
2. The insurance company generally provides this list to us around the first week of classes each semester.
3. Once we receive the list from the insurance company, we then request removal of the insurance charge from your account.
4. Please feel free to let us know that you are a GA, so that we can keep an eye out for your name on the insurance list.

There is a 60-day waiting period for all new GA hires before the GA insurance goes into effect. As a result, if your GA position starts at the beginning or middle of a semester, you will still pay the entire insurance charge for the semester.

Once your GA insurance goes into effect, the insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)) will initiate a refund of the student insurance charge.

Please note that this refund is not issued by WT- it goes through the insurance company directly.

Please also note that this refund generally takes 6-9 months to be issued by BCBS.

Fall 2023 Waiver Request Deadline: September 7, 2024

Spring 2024 Waiver Request Deadline: February 1, 2024

1. To request an insurance waiver, you must already have a different insurance policy purchased.
   
   1. Please note: you cannot request an insurance waiver using the WT insurance plan
2. Go to the insurance waiver website and read through the process
   1. Create a new account if this is your first time requesting a waiver
   2. Sign In if you have requested a waiver before
3. Follow the instructions to submit a waiver request and upload the required documentation

Please note: WT is not able to make insurance waiver decisions or overturn a waiver request denial.

Yes. You will pay for the entire Spring/Summer insurance, even if you will graduate in the summer.

If you will graduate in the Spring (in May) and do not wish to have summer insurance coverage, please email us at internationaladmissions@wtamu.edu to request more information.

This is the amount that you pay before the insurance company begins to pay. This amount accrues over time (e.g. it is not per visit). It is valid for the duration of your insurance (usually 1 semester or 1 year)

Example: Your deductible is $500 for hospital visits. This means that you must pay $500 from your own money before the insurance company will help you or pay for anything. If you go to the hospital, and your total bill is $1,500, you are responsible for $500. The insurance company will usually pay a percentage of the rest of the bill, and you are responsible for the remaining bill.

Most insurance companies have contracts with medical facilities and/or specific doctors. These facilities and doctors are considered "in-network." Costs to go to an in-network provider are usually cheaper.

Out-of-Network are facilities and doctors that do not have a contract with the insurance company. Costs and deductibles are usually more expensive, and some insurance companies will not cover certain or any costs for use of out-of-network providers

Out of Pocket Maximum is the maximum amount of money that you may pay from your own pocket. Once you reach this maximum, the insurance company would then pay any remaining costs.

Please note that there may be a maximum amount that the insurance company will pay.