Optional dental insurance

Student Health Benefits offers an optional dental insurance plan to supplement students' health insurance coverage.

All students are eligible to enroll in the Dental Plan, whether you are covered by Cornell's Student Health Plan (SHP) or a private health insurance plan. Plan enrollees may also choose to enroll dependents (spouses, domestic partners, and children).

NOTE: Student Health Plan Plus (SHP+) members have dental and vision coverage included as a benefit of their plan.

Plan highlights

Cornell's student Dental Plan is offered through Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York. The plan ...

• is tailored to fit the needs of Cornell students (and their dependents) studying in Ithaca, New York City, or anywhere in the United States or abroad
• provides preventive and basic coverage at a reasonable price anywhere in the United States
• includes access to a nationwide Participating Provider Organization (PPO) of approximately 7,000 New York dental provider access points, with more than 80,000 access points nationwide
• provides support finding dental care when traveling outside the United States
• offers prescription discounts 

2019-2020 Plan Information

Visit the Ameritas website for complete details about your plan and how to use its benefits:

 >> Ameritas Dental Plan website

Coverage dates

• Annual: August 1, 2019 – July 31, 2020
• Spring semester only: January 1, 2020 – July 31, 2020 (available only to new spring admits)

Rates

• 2019-2020 Plan Term (August 1, 2019  – July 31, 2020):
  Student: $278
  Spouse / domestic partner: $294
  One or more children: $447
   
• Spring 2020 Plan Term (January 1, 2020 – July 31, 2020):
  Available only to new spring admits
  Student: $185
  Spouse / domestic partner: $196
  One or more children: $299

NOTE: Premiums are paid directly to Ameritas, and are no longer Bursar-billable.

Enrollment

Eligibility

• Annual plan term:
  • Registered Cornell students
  • Dependents (spouse, domestic partner, children) of students enrolled in the Dental Plan
• Spring semester only:
  • Students entering Cornell for the first time in the spring (and their dependents)
  • Enrolled students (and their dependents) returning to Cornell in the spring after a fall semester off campus (restrictions apply for students who were eligible to enroll in the fall, but chose not to)

How to enroll

The deadline for spring 2020 students to enroll was January 31. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Finding participating providers 

You will get the most out of your plan by using an Ameritas participating (or "in network") provider. Refer to page 2 of your Dental Plan brochure for coverage details. 

> Find a participating provider 

Enter the zip code where you want to receive care, and select the "Class (PPO)" network. Visit Ameritas's Find a Provider page for more information and resources.