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Waiver Resources

Health insurance terminology can be confusing and difficult to understand.  

How to Avoid Common Waiver Errors

Cornell University requires students to submit a waiver or confirm enrollment each academic year.  Below are some common issues with waivers that may require you to upload a letter from your insurance company to prove your coverage is active and meets Cornell's requirements.  Errors in your waiver will delay the processing of your waiver and will result in your enrollment in the Student Health Plan if the errors are not resolved within 30 days of your waiver submission.

  • Be proactive.  Submit your waiver early so that you can submit any requested documentation before the deadline.
  • Log in to your Gallagher account to check your waiver status.  All Gallagher communications can be accessed in the "My Messages" section once you are logged in.
  • Double-check your information.  Data entry errors are common for these fields:
    • Insurance ID- enter only the member ID
    • Type of Plan- enter the correct plan type (HMO, PPO, POS, etc.)
    • Subscriber Name- check the spelling
    • Subscriber ID - enter only the member ID
    • Subscriber Date of Birth- check the date of birth is correct
  • If your insurance changed from your last waiver submission, do not start with the information from the previously submitted waiver.
  • If your health insurance is through a carrier that does not participate with Gallagher's EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) system, you will need to upload a verification of coverage letter from your insurance company and a summary of covered benefits to your waiver. 
    • Log in to your insurance company's website to see if this is available online.   If it is not available online, you will have to call the number on the back of your insurance card.  The letter must be dated within 60 days of your waiver submission.
  • Upload images of the front and back of your insurance card when you submit your waiver.

This table, Wavier Field Definitions, provides definitions for each of the fields on the waiver form to help you accurately complete your waiver. 

 Waiver Field Definitions

Name of person completing the waiver application The  name of individual completing the waiver form.
Alternate email address An email address other than your Cornell netID email address.  Communications regarding your waiver status will be sent to this address in addition to your Cornell netID email address when this is filled in.
Insurance company The name of your insurance company.  Examples:  Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, United Healthcare.
U.S. Based Insurance Company A U.S. based insurance company is a company licensed to to business in the United States.  Policy's purchased through a broker in a country other than the United States are not considered U.S. based insurance companies.
Country A country other than the United States where the insurance was purchased.
Insurance ID ID number on located on the front of the insurance card.  This may also be called ID or Member ID.
Type of Plan The type of insurance network associated with your policy.  Examples:  HMO, PPO, EPO.  This website has some helpful definitions for these abbreviations.  HMO, PPO, POS, EPO, & HDHP: What's the Difference - Aetna | Types of Health Insurance Plans
Insurance Company Address The claims address for your insurance company.  This is located on the back of your insurance card.
Insurance Company Phone Number The phone number for your insurance company.  This is located on the back of your insurance card.
Are you the Subscriber? The subscriber is the person that is the primary policy holder.  If your health insurance is through a parent or a spouse, the parent or spouse would be the subscriber (primary policy holder).
Subscriber First Name First name of the primary policy holder.
Subscriber Last Name Last name of the primary policy holder.
Subscriber ID ID number on located on the front of the insurance card.  This may also be called ID or Member ID.
Subscriber Date of Birth Date of birth of the primary policy holder.

Subscriber Gender

Gender of the primary policy holder.
Relationship to Student Indicates the relationship between the subscriber (primary policy holder) and the student.  Examples:  parent, spouse
Amount Deductible The deductible is the amount you total amount you will pay before your insurance company will pay for claims.
Group ID #  Group ID # is the number that identifies who provides the insurance.  It is a number associated with the company (employer) that provides the insurance.

This table, Sample Insurance Card information, has links to sample insurance cards for some insurance companies to help you understand where the required information for a waiver is located on the insurance card. The list is in descending order based on the number of submitted waivers for each of these companies. This is not an exhaustive list.

 Sample Insurance Card Information

Blue Cross and Blue Shield https://www.bcbs.com/articles/five-things-look-your-bcbs-id-card
United Healthcare https://www.uhc.com/member-resources/your-member-id-card
Cigna https://www.cigna.com/assets/docs/health-care-professionals/id-card-brochure.pdf
Fidelis Care https://www.fideliscare.org/Portals/0/Providers/ProviderManuals/Appendices/FidelisCare-ProviderManual-Appendix9and13-SampleMemberIDCards.pdf
The Empire Plan NYSHIP https://www.uhcprovider.com/en/admin-guides/administrative-guides-manuals-2022/empire-supp-2022/id-cards-empire-plan-supp.html
Emblem Health https://www.emblemhealth.com/providers/resources/provider-articles/New-ID-Numbers-and-Cards-for-GHI-PPO-City-of-NY-Members-Coming-in-July
Tri Care https://www.tricare.mil/Plans/Eligibility/IDCards/ShowingYourID
UMR https://www.uhcprovider.com/en/admin-guides/administrative-guides-manuals-2022/umr-supp-2022/id-cards-guide-supp.html
MVP https://www.mvphealthcare.com/members/manage-your-account/frequently-asked-questions/#what-do-i-need-to-know-about-my-mvp-member-id-card

Capital District Physician's Health Plan

https://blog.cdphp.com/how-to/understanding-health-insurance-id-card/
Meritain Health https://casebenefits.com/images/Member%20Flyer_ID%20Card.pdf
Health First https://assets.healthfirst.org/api/pdf?id=pdf_53d9233134&key=84ec0cf65d81a1b6af3bb56e0d7b95f037966e53&v=0605204457
Tufts https://tuftshealthplan.com/documents/providers/guides/product-overview-id-card-guide
UPMC https://www.upmchealthplan.com/docs/providers/2021_ProviderManual_I2.pdf
Humana https://slservices.humana.com/Registration/popup_template.htm
Medica https://www.medicamember.com/-/media/documents/group/member-tips-fliers/id-card-tip-sheet-com14827.pdf?la=en&hash=327E268D19201AA9E63742B8621271E9

GEHA (Government Employees Health Association)

https://www.geha.com/enroll/sample-id-card
ALLways Health Partners https://www.allwayshealthpartners.org/providers/claims-information

Horizon NJ

https://www.horizonblue.com/members/education-center/your-guide-getting-care/my-member-id-card
Connecticare https://www.connecticare.com/providers/resources/news/reminder-check-your-patient-member-id-card