Student Health Insurance

All full-time and residential students are required to have health insurance, and to provide proof of that coverage to the JTS Office of Human Resources. For the purposes of student health insurance, full-time is defined as 9 credits or more—irrespective of school.

All residential students (living in Mathilde Schechter Residence Hall, Brush Residence Hall, and Goldsmith Residence Hall), regardless of registration status, are required to have health insurance and to provide proof of that coverage to the Office of Human Resources.

In partnership with Columbia University, we offer Columbia's Student Medical Insurance Plan (Columbia Plan). The Columbia Plan comprises two levels of health insurance coverage through Aetna Student Health: Basic and Comprehensive. Students who wish to enroll in either the Basic or Comprehensive level must complete the Student Health Insurance Enrollment Form on page 6 of the Student Health Insurance Information and Enrollment/Waiver Form.

Students who wish to waive out of the Basic or Comprehensive level as a result of comparable health insurance must complete the Student Health Insurance Waiver Form on pages 7–8 of the Student Health Insurance Information and Enrollment/Waiver Form.

There are two parts to the Columbia Plan:

0. Columbia Health Program Fee (Columbia Health): Allows access to the primary care (in addition to other) services provided by Columbia Health, located in John Jay Hall on Columbia's campus.
0. Basic/Comprehensive levels of the Columbia Plan: This plan is administered by Aetna Student Health, and is generally (but not always) used for specialist services.

All full-time and residential students are automatically enrolled and charged for Columbia Health irrespective of whether or not the student waives out of the Basic or Comprehensive level of the Columbia plan. We, therefore, encourage you to utilize Columbia Health, which provides urgent, routine, and follow-up medical care. More information about Columbia Health can be found on their website.

The schedule of premiums, as well as additional information, is included on pages 1–5 of the Student Health Insurance Information and Enrollment/Waiver Form.

We encourage you to complete the 2011–2012 Student Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Form by June 30, 2011. However, the very last day to submit your form is September 30, 2011.

Enrollment/Waiver Forms must be returned to the JTS Office of Human Resources either:

0. In Person: Office of Human Resources, Unterberg 108 (Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.)
0. Email: hrdept@jtsa.edu
0. Fax: (212) 678-8833
0. Mail: The Jewish Theological Seminary, Office of Human Resources, 3080 Broadway, New York, NY 10027

A new form must be completed each year.

Please read the resources posted below very carefully. The above is a synopsis of Student Health Insurance and is NOT intended to be comprehensive.

For any additional questions you may have, please contact the JTS Office of Human Resources at (212) 678-8014 or at hrdept@jtsa.edu.

Information and Enrollment/Waiver Form

2011–2012 Student Health Insurance Information and Enrollment/Waiver Form

2011–2012 Student Health Insurance Summary Brochure

2011–2012 Student Health Insurance Long Brochure

Additional Information

Student Health Insurance FAQ

Student Health Insurance Study Abroad Information and FAQ

Student Health Insurance Flowchart

Student Health Insurance Summary of Rules

Useful Links

Health Services at Columbia

Aetna Student Health Website

Contact Information

JTS Office of Human Resources:
(212) 678-8014 or hrdept@jtsa.edu

Health Services at Columbia:
(212) 854-2284 (General Information)
(212) 854-7426 (Medical Services)
(212) 854-2878 (Counseling and Psychological Services)

Aetna Student Health:
(800) 859-8471 (Customer Service)
(800) 238-6279 (Aetna Pharmacy Management)