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Student Health Insurance Criteria

Cornell University requires that all students* have health insurance coverage so that access to healthcare is not a barrier to the success of any student. Having quality health insurance aids in protecting the investment students and their families/supporters are making in pursuing an advanced degree.

To meet the student health insurance requirement, all students* must either enroll in SHP or, if eligible, opt out of SHP coverage with an eligible health insurance coverage that meets student health insurance criteria. 

All waivers are subject to review and may be denied or revoked if coverage is determined to be inadequate.

Student Health Insurance Criteria

To opt out of SHP, all of the following criteria must be met:

  1. Are you are eligible to opt out of SHP?
  2. Is provided by a U.S. employer, government agency, or U.S. health exchange, is underwritten in the U.S., and has a U.S. claims payment office and phone number.
  3. Will be active for the entire academic year, or until the end of your program.
  4. Does not have member coinsurance levels higher than 40% in the zip code where the student is attending school.
    • The zip code for the Ithaca campus is 14850
    • The zip code for the Cornell Tech campus is 10044
    • The zip code for the Weill Cornell Medicine campus is 10065
  5. Has unlimited annual and lifetime benefits for the 10 essential health benefits (as defined by the ACA).
  6. Includes coverage for:
    • Inpatient (overnight hospital) care,
    • Emergency and urgent care,
    • Specialist and outpatient care,
    • Diagnostic imaging and testing,
    • Mental health and substance abuse care.

Are there insurance plans that do not meet these criteria?

Yes. The following are examples of plans that do not meet Cornell’s criteria and will not receive an approved waiver.

  • Medicaid plans that do not provide comprehensive coverage at your campus location. Please go to waiving with Medicaid to learn about which Medicaid Managed Care Networks are available at your campus location.
  • Regionally limited EPO and HMO plans that do not provide access to comprehensive care where you are attending school.
  • New York State Essential Plans 3 or 4.
  • International travel plans.

Special Considerations For:

Ithaca Campus Students

While Ithaca is a "gorges" area, we are also in a centrally-isolated and rural region of upstate New York.

If you plan to opt-out/waive SHP coverage, please check with your current health insurance provider to learn about coverage levels and providers in the Ithaca area (zip code 14850). You may need to use out-of-network benefits in Ithaca if your insurance plan does not have Cayuga Health as a participating or in-network provider. 

  • Cayuga Medical Center, operated by Cayuga Health/Centralus Health, is the only hospital in Ithaca and is the parent organization for many primary and specialty medical providers in the Ithaca area.
  • The Cayuga Health System does not accept some common health insurance networks, including United Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente. This is a list of participating insurances at Cayuga Health. 

If necessary, students sometimes need to find private transportation to other regional centers near Ithaca for medical care, the closest of which are about an hour's drive from Ithaca. There are no regularly scheduled public transportation options to more metropolitan areas such as Binghamton, NY and Syracuse, NY. Local bus services provided by TCAT operate about every 30-60 minutes to local medical offices and facilities.

Some insurance plans do not meet the requirements listed at the top of this page, within a reasonable distance of Cornell's Ithaca campus and will not be approved for a waiver.

Cornell Tech Students

Students at Cornell Tech must meet the same 5 insurance requirements either by enrolling in SHP or, if eligible, opt-out/waive SHP coverage. Due to the school's metropolitan location, there are more U.S. employer-sponsored insurance plans that offer in-network comprehensive coverage in NYC.

Please search for participating providers in the NYC Metropolitan area, in zip code 10044, or in New York County. You may need to use out-of-network benefits in NYC if your insurance plan does not have participating providers in this location.

Weill Cornell Medicine Students

*Depending on the type of enrollment, limited exceptions apply.