STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE

For information related to COVID-19 testing, treatment, and the vaccine please reach out to Aetna Student Health at 877-626-2314 or visit Aetna's COVID-19 webpage.

If you hold comparable health insurance coverage, please log into CAESAR to submit your waiver application. To determine if your alternate health insurance meets Northwestern University’s comparable coverage requirements, please review the comparable coverage checklist (pdf). Please review our screenshot guide for assistance on how to submit your waiver application. Once you have successfully submitted your waiver the default charge will reverse within 1-2 business days.

If you intend on utilizing the NU-SHIP coverage please login to CAESAR to confirm your NU-SHIP enrollment. Please review our screenshot guide for assistance on how to confirm your enrollment.

The NU-SHIP premium will be billed to your student account following your tuition posting.

The NU-SHIP premium will be billed directly to your student account. We recommend reviewing the payment methods posted on the Student Finance website.

The NU-SHIP is annual plan. Therefore, we are unable to enroll students on a quarterly basis.

The NU-SHIP is an annual plan. Therefore, we are unable to bill you on a quarterly basis. We encourage you to reach out to the Office of Student Finance to find out if you are eligible to enroll in a payment plan.

The default charge will reverse within 1-2 business days of you successfully submitting your waiver. When reviewing your student account in CAESAR we recommend reviewing the real time activity versus the monthly snapshot.

We recommend downloading the comparable coverage checklist to determine if your insurance plan benefits meet Northwestern University’s comparable coverage requirements.

We recommend reviewing the alternative insurance coverage options we have posted on our website.

• If you intend to use the NU-SHIP for your insurance coverage this year, please confirm your enrollment to ensure you do not experience any eligibility or service issues.
• If you will use alternate insurance coverage – which must meet all of Northwestern’s comparable coverage requirements – then please waive your NU-SHIP enrollment so you are not billed for coverage you do not need.

Northwestern has contracted with Delta Dental of Illinois to offer Northwestern students the ability to enroll in one of two dental insurance plans (a DHMO and a PPO), as well as a vision plan; enrollment for these plans is being managed by Benefit Partners. The bi-annual open enrollment periods for the academic year are:

• Fall: August 1st - October 1st (plan effective September 1st)
• Spring: February 1st - March 31st (plan effective March 1st) 

For additional information about plan benefits, premiums, and provider access, or to enroll in one or more plans, please visit Benefit Partners’ dental-vision enrollment site.

Note:  Students enrolled in the NU-SHIP may access discounted vision services with EyeMed providers; they also may purchase Aetna’s “Vital Savings for Dental” option, at an annual cost, which provides discounted dental services. For more information, click on the “Enroll” link on Aetna’s site for Northwestern students.

For questions related to dental or vision plan enrollment, plan benefits, or locating network providers, please contact Benefit Partners at 877.247.8817.

You can locate an in-network provider by utilizing the Delta Dental provider search engine.

You can locate an in-network provider by utilizing the EyeMed Vision Care directory.

A Dental PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plan offers a network feature. PPO dentists participate in the network thereby agreeing to accept contracted fees as payment in full rather than their usual fee for patients. When you visit a PPO dentist, you typically pay a certain percentage of the reduced rate (co-insurance) and the plan pays the rest. Preventive and diagnostic services are covered at 100%.

A Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO) plan requires you to choose one dentist or dental facility to coordinate all of your oral health needs. If you need to see a specialist, your primary care dentist will refer you. A DHMO plan does not have any deductibles or maximums. Instead, when you receive a dental service, you pay a fixed dollar amount for the treatment (co-payment). Often, preventive and diagnostic services have no copayment, so you pay nothing for these services. However, if you visit a dentist outside of the network, you will be responsible for the entire bill.

You will not receive a vision care ID card. Your vision care provider just needs your name and date of birth to confirm benefits and verify coverage at the time of service. You can print and cut out this DeltaVision Card to be sure you have your plan information handy whenever you visit your vision care provider.

Students who will graduate at the end of Fall or Winter quarter may request to cancel their enrollment in the Northwestern Student Health Insurance Plan (NU-SHIP).

It typically takes five business days from when you confirm online in CAESAR or submit a manual enrollment form to the Student Insurance Office, for Aetna to generate your ID card. Please visit www.aetnastudenthealth.com/northwestern, and click on the “Get Your ID Card” to download a copy of your ID card.

You may request a certificate of credible coverage by logging into your Aetna Member Website. Please review this guide for the steps you will need to follow. You may also request the letter by contacting Aetna Student Health directly at 877-626-2314.

Students may request to add NU-SHIP coverage in the middle of a plan year as a result of a qualifying life event, i.e., aging off your parents’ coverage, or losing coverage through a loss of employment. Please visit the link for further instructions.

Students may request to terminate their coverage mid-plan year as a result of a qualifying life event, i.e., beginning a new job with insurance benefits (or receiving new dependent coverage through a spouse’s/partner’s new employment and insurance access). Please visit the link for further instructions.

Aetna Student Health has an online tool to assist you in locating in-network providers or identifying the network status of a provider you are seeing. Please visit Aetna’s Doc Find search engine, and enter either the name of your identified provider, or the medical specialty you are searching for.

We also encourage students to establish an Aetna Member Website, which will enable you to access the Doc Find search engine seamlessly, in addition to reviewing claims status and out-of-pocket expenses.

Please follow up with us if you have additional questions.

Students may enroll dependents into NU-SHIP coverage during the student’s annual open enrollment period, or within 31 days of a qualifying life event leading to a loss of coverage.

During open enrollment, please confirm your own NU-SHIP enrollment in CAESAR, and then visit Aetna’s dependent enrollment page and follow the prompts to complete your application.

If you need to add coverage for a dependent due to a qualifying life event, contact Aetna Student Health directly at 877.626.2314. Please note that you must enroll your dependent(s) within 31 days of a qualifying life event.

Please follow up with us if you have questions or require additional assistance.

We encourage all students enrolled in NU-SHIP coverage to establish an Aetna Member Website. Your members-only account provides access to a comprehensive and individual portal which allows you to view claims information and review your annual out-of-pocket expenses to date, access the Doc Find search engine to identify in-network providers (and save you money!), and print your insurance ID card.

The NU-SHIP covers all CDC recommended travel immunizations at 100%. Additionally, the NU-SHIP covers the consultation and immunization administration at zero cost to students. We have worked with Aetna to make this extremely clear to providers by adding information to your insurance ID card.

We recommend printing or downloading your ID card if you have not done so already. To ensure students receive this benefit they must use an in-network provider. For students on either the Chicago or the Evanston campus we recommend the following clinics:

• Northwestern Medicine Travel Medicine and Corporate Health Streeterville – 676 N. Saint Clair Street Suite 900, Chicago IL – 312-926-3155
• CVS Minute Clinics – Locations vary 1-866-389-ASAP (2727)
• NorthShore University Health Systems - Travel Center – 2150 Pfingsten Road, Glenview IL – 847-657-5670

If you need to seek medical care while you are abroad simply locate your nearest medical provider. There is no “network” outside of the United States. You will need to pay for services up front and then file for reimbursement with Aetna. When Aetna processes the claim, it will reimburse at the in-network rate of 80% after the $300 deductible.

Additionally, as a NU-SHIP enrollee you have access to On Call International. Please review the summary and ID card you should take with you while you are abroad. Please follow-up with us should you have any additional questions.

To initiate reimbursement process please complete the Medical Benefits Request or the Prescription Drug Claim form.

You may access your 1095 tax form by logging into your Aetna Member Website. Please review the step-by-step guide on how to obtain the form. If you are unable to obtain the form via your Aetna Member Website account, you may contact Aetna at 855-531-6837 for assistance.

Unfortunately, most out of state HMO/Medicaid plans do not meet Northwestern’s comparable coverage requirements. This is because these plans provide no non-emergency coverage in the Chicago and Evanston area, meaning that the student and the University assume the liability and financial burden of uncovered care should the student have non-emergency medical needs while on campus.

If you are enrolled in an out of state HMO plan we encourage you to reach out to your insurance carrier to see if a rider is available which provides a guest network for the Chicago/Evanston area. If this is not offered by your insurance carrier then you will need to either enroll in the NU-SHIP or seek alternative comparable coverage.

The mandatory NU-SHIP enrollment requirement applies to all international students. Northwestern University requires all degree-seeking international students – students holding a J-1 or F-1 U.S. visa – to confirm their annual Northwestern University Student Health Insurance Plan (NU-SHIP) enrollment, and maintain coverage in the NU-SHIP, for the entire time they are studying at Northwestern.

The requirement stems from J-1 and F-1 students having visa requirements involving insurance coverage. Additionally, the cultural difference between our healthcare system and many others in the world caused problems where international students either did not maintain enrollment for the full year or did not have adequate coverage.

The result was financial burden that resulted in a disruption to studies, as well as increased liability on the university’s side. A cross-campus policy committee deemed it necessary to ensure international students maintain sufficient coverage by requiring participation.

To schedule an appointment with a specialist or diagnostic center, you may use your MyChart app to do so.  If you need assistance with booking an appointment, you may call the NM appointment desk at 844 344 6663.  Alternatively, you may find a doctor and book appointments online through the NM Find A Doctor webpage.

Alternatively, you can find an in-network specialist or diagnostic center using Aetna's se

Dependents are not eligible to utilize Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service (NMSHS). Please visit Aetna’s Doc Find search engine, and enter either the name of your identified provider, or the medical specialty you are searching for.

The Office of Financial Aid office provides aid to students who need to purchase the university plan and who have significant financial need. Please visit the following link to complete the Health Insurance Aid Request form. Please note this form is processed by the Office of Financial Aid and you would follow-up with them on the status of the application.

The Northwestern Medicine healthcare system is committed to meeting the healthcare needs of our patients.  This includes providing medically necessary care under our Financial Assistance program. If NM SHS practitioners referred you to specialist care and you cannot afford the out-of-pocket cost, NM Financial Counseling may be able to assist you. NM Financial Counseling cannot assist with services considered not medically necessary as determined by NM, including, but not limited to, cosmetic surgery, certain medical supplies, and services provided outside of a Northwestern Medicine facility. 

We do not manage health insurance subsidies here in the Student Insurance Office. Your program of study manages the health insurance subsidy. Please reach out to your program for confirmation of the health insurance subsidy amount and when it will be applied to your student account.

Please visit Northwestern Medicine's webpage for a list of accepted insurances. For specific questions about your coverage, please contact your insurance company directly.

Students who withdraw from their degree program at Northwestern University may request to terminate coverage at the end of the quarter in which their withdrawal is processed. Please complete and submit the NU-SHIP Cancellation Form prior to your withdrawal being processed by the University.

Medical services obtained outside of Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service (NMSHS) are subject to the $250 annual deductible. Once that amount has been met Aetna will pay 80% of in-network medical services and you are responsible for the remaining 20% co-insurance amount. We encourage you to download the explanation of benefits from your Aetna Member Website.

The NU-SHIP covers medically necessary in-network expenses at 80% after the $250 annual deductible. You are responsible for the remaining 20% co-insurance amount. Preventative services are covered at 100% with an in-network provider and are not subject to the deductible. We recommend reviewing the Aetna Student Health Plan Design & Benefits Summary for more detail on what is covered by the NU-SHIP.

Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service (NMSHS) is unable to accommodate physicals during the academic year. They can schedule them only on breaks (Summer, Spring, & Winter). Therefore, you can schedule a physical outside of NMSHS with any in-network Aetna provider. Physicals are covered at 100% if your visit is with an in-network provider. You can locate an in-network provider by visiting Aetna’s DocFind search engine if you have not done so already. Once you have located an in-network you would simply call the providers office to schedule an appointment.

Maximum patient responsibility of $20 per visit. No policy year deductible applies.

$20 copayment then the plan pays 80% of the balance of the recognized charge per visit thereafter. No policy year deductible applies. This means that for a visit where the provider charges $165, your responsibility will be $33. However, reimbursement for out-of-network providers is based on the RECOGNIZED cost. If the recognized charge is $165, but your provider bills $185, then your patient responsibility would be $33 plus the additional $20 over the recognized cost. This would bring your cost to $53. It is important to use in-network providers wherever possible in order to reduce your financial burden.

There is no charge for a student to see a CAPS provider.