Health Insurance FAQs
Health insurance coverage is mandatory for all international students on F and J visas enrolled at Kansas State University, regardless of their course load.
You can use the coverage any time during those periods. However a medical provider will require proof of insurance. You will need to print your insurance ID card and take it to any medical appointments.
You will need to make sure that the alternative plan fulfills ALL minimum requirements set by the Kansas Board of Regents. After confirming adequate coverage you will need to complete and submit the waiver form sent to you by ECI Services. This must be done BEFORE the deadline for each semester. More information on the health insurance waiver requirements can be found here.
The waiver deadline for Fall semester is August 31; for Spring semester it is January 31; and for the Summer semester it is June 15 (this may vary by a day or two).
Once an international student enrolls for classes, he or she is automatically charged a health insurance fee on his or her KSIS account. The health insurance waiver form is used by students who do not wish to purchase the K-State endorsed health insurance plan. The waiver form is verification that you have purchased alternative, qualifying health insurance coverage. The waiver form must be submitted before the waiver deadline each semester. If the waiver is approved, the insurance charge will be removed from your account. More information on the waiver process can be found here.
The waiver is administered by the company ECI Services. All students, once enrolled for a given semester, will receive an email to their K-State email address from ECI. Students must follow the instructions in the email to complete the waiver. The email from ECI will look like the below image. 
The fee will be removed after the waiver deadline.
If your waiver is approved, you will receive an email notification from ECI Services. The insurance charge will be removed from your account after the waiver deadline.
If your waiver is denied, you will receive notification of the denial from ECI Services and the charge will remain on your account.
Fall Semester - August 31
Spring Semester - January 31
Summer Semester - June 15 (this may vary by 1 or 2 days)
To have your alternate insurance considered and have the insurance fee removed from your KSIS account, you must submit the waiver before the deadline.
Graduate students who enroll and submit payment for the GTA/GRA/GA health insurance plan DO NOT have to submit the waiver form and will have the insurance fee removed from their tuition account. The fee removal can take time, if the fee is still not removed from your KSIS account within 30 days from the first day of classes, contact isss@ksu.edu.
Graduate students who have a .5 GTA/GRA/GA (or any combination of the three to equal .5) appointment and wish to purchase the UHCSR Graduate Student coverage must enroll online. It is your responsibility to enroll in the health insurance. For information on accessing the online enrollment for the GTA/GRA/GA health insurance, please visit the K-State HR website.
Graduate students who have a .5 GTA/GRA/GA (or any combination of the three to equal .5) appointment and wish to purchase the United Healthcare Graduate Student coverage must enroll online. It is your responsibility to enroll in the health insurance. This enrollment must be done each semester, as soon as you know you will have an appointment.
For information on accessing the online enrollment for the GTA/GRA/GA health insurance, please visit the K-State HR website.
Graduate students who enroll and submit payment for the GTA/GRA/GA health insurance plan DO NOT have to submit the waiver form and will have the insurance fee removed from their tuition account. The fee removal can take time, if the fee is not removed from your KSIS account within 30 days from the first day of classes, contact isss@ksu.edu.
GTA/GRA/GA health insurance enrollment is a three step process. First the online enrollment referenced in the above question, must be completed each semester. The second step is to ensure that all hiring paperwork has been completed and submitted by your hiring department to Human Resources (HR). Please check with your hiring department before contacting ISSS or HR. If both step one and step two have been completed, your application must be approved by HR. This is the final step. Only after your application is approved will you get the payment link. Please contact HR at benefits.ksu.edu.
All sponsored students are REQUIRED to contact the Sponsored Student Program Coordinator about their insurance needs. The Sponsored Student Program Coordinator will work directly with ISSS to get your fee removed.
It is very important that you contact ISSS if you enroll after these dates for the particular semester.
You will be charged for the health insurance but your information will not be sent to United Healthcare Student Resources. The list of students is sent to United when the waiver closes. If you enroll after that date, you will not be on the list. It is important that you contact ISSS so that we can send your information to United Healthcare.
You should also be aware that by enrolling after the waiver deadline, you will not be eligible to complete the waiver form.
Yes. ISSS will have to request the coverage for the summer semester. Once requested, United Healthcare will send you a link so that you can pay them directly. Be aware that the payment link is only active for 5 days.
To request the insurance send an email message to isss@ksu.edu indicating you would like the insurance for the summer (June 1 to July 31) and include the following information.
First Name:
Last Name:
WID:
Email:
If you will not be present in the U.S. between June 1 and July 31 and you are enrolled in only distance classes
AND you are not present in the U.S., you do not need to pay for the health insurance.
In order to have the insurance charge removed from your account, you must email isss@ksu.edu with the following information:
Name:
WID:
Date of departure from the U.S. and expected return date:
If you withdraw from all your classes, you should send an email to isss@ksu.edu notifying us that you have withdrawn from all classes and requesting that the insurance charge be removed. This can only occur if you have not filed an insurance claim during that semester.
Once ISSS receives the request, we will evaluate if we are able to remove the charge.
If you are a GTA/GRA/GA, you will receive an email from United Healthcare after you pay your portion of the insurance. The email will provide you with information on how to access your United Healthcare account where you can print your ID card.
If you are not a GTA/GRA/GA, you will receive an email from United Healthcare about 2 weeks after the waiver closes. The email will provide you with information on how to access your United Healthcare account where you can print your ID Card.
If you choose "Enroll Now" as the option in the waiver email from ECI Services, your information will be sent to United Healthcare within 3 days and you will be able to access your account and print your ID card sooner.
Yes, you can continue to enroll in the United Healthcare Insurance. While you are on OPT or Academic Training, you will enroll through and pay United Healthcare directly. To do this, send an email requesting insurance to ISSS. We will send you an enrollment link and instructions on how to enroll.