PacificSource Insurance benefits include a comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plan. A complete PDF file of benefits is available for viewing by clicking on the "Summary of Coverage" link above.
Yes, all students who have graduate assistantships of an FTE of .2 or above are required to enroll in PacificSource insurance or file a waiver form with the student insurance office. Waiver details are listed under the link "Graduate Plan Waiver Requirements" above.
Yes, costs are listed below under "What does it cost?". In order to enroll family members, the student will need to make enough in his/her monthly pay to authorize deduction to cover the cost of the premium.
Your Insurance coverage is on a month-to-month basis. The contract year runs from October 1 to September 30 unless your assistantship ends. Your insurance will become effective on the 1st of a month and end on the last day of a month. If your assistantship began before the 15th of the month, then your insurance effective date will be the first of that month. If your assistantship began the 16th or after, then your insurance effective date will be the 1st of the following month. It is important to make sure that all departmental paperwork is completed and received by HR and payroll for processing. If processing is delayed and your information is not entered into the system before the 16th, you will see a double deduction on your paycheck the following month.
OSU will pay 85% of the yearly premium cost for Employee-only coverage. Dependents can be added for an additional cost. Premiums for 2009-10 (per-month, pre-tax payroll deduction) are listed below:
Student only coverage - $38.32If you wish to enroll family members in this plan, make sure your paycheck will be large enough to accomodate the deduction.
The University will contribute 85 percent of the insurance premium and students will be responsible for 15 percent. Additional coverage for dependents will be paid by the student during the period you have your assistantship. Paychecks must be large enough to accommodate the elected plan deduction. The monthly amount will be deducted from your paycheck.
You need to complete an enrollment form as soon as possible after signing your letter of offer. Some departments may include an enrollment form in their hiring packet. Enrollment forms are available for download at the top of this page, or from the Student Health Insurance Office. Please turn your form in to the Student Health Insurance office rather than the PacificSource web site.
Note: All GRAs/GTAs, including those with continuous jobs year to year, must fill out either an enrollment form or waiver form every Fall as this is the beginning of the year for insurance. During Fall term, all forms are due by September 30. All late forms must be received in the Insurance office by the 10th of the starting month for payroll purposes as explained above.
Students who have other insurance may qualify to waive out of enrollment in PacificSource. However, graduate assistants who waive out of the university plan will not be eligible for the university’s contribution toward premiums. In order to qualify for a waiver, your insurance plan must be similar in coverage to PacificSource. A summary of coverage as well as a copy of both sides of the insurance card must accompany the completed waiver.
The Domestic Student Insurance plan does not qualify as a comparable plan thus can not be used to waive out of the Graduate Assistant Health Insurance plan. However, the International Student Insurance plan is an eligible plan for international students to use if they choose to waive out of the Graduate Assistant plan. International students should carefully compare the coverage and cost of each plan. If a student chooses to purchase the international plan instead of the mandatory graduate insurance, they will need to submit a waiver in the same manner as described in the paragraph above. OSU will not pay for any portion of the cost of the alternate plan. The International plan through OSU has an open enrollment period so it would be important to make a decision within the dates of open enrollment. Dates of open enrollment are in the International Plan brochure available in the insurance office or online at http://studenthealth.oregonstate.edu/insurance/international.
Note: The International student with an assistantship may choose either PacificSource or the OSU International insurance plan during Fall term and is required to remain on the same plan for the duration of that academic year. The GRA/GTA may change plans only if there is a break in their assistantship.
If your assistantship is ending for the summer only and will continue in the coming fall, the university and PacificSource offer the ability to keep your same coverage with the university paying 50 percent of the monthly premium and the student paying the other 50 percent. Again, the premium contribution is only on the student, not on dependants. If you are leaving the University, you have the option of taking COBRA. COBRA coverage is a continuation of the same PacificSource coverage you had as a GTA or GRA, but the university would no longer be paying 85 percent of the premium. Additional information about COBRA coverage can be obtained by calling Manley Services at (541) 485-7488. Forms for COBRA coverage are available in the student insurance office and must be filed with Manley Services within 30 days of termination of your assistantship. PacificSource will also send information to you regarding Portability Insurance. This is insurance from PacificSource, but the coverage is not the same as the coverage within the grad student program. The Customer Service phone number for PacificSource is 1-888-977-9299.
Graduate students whose appointments convert from an assistantship to a fellowship from one term to the next (that is, the appointments are sequential with no lapse between appointment periods), will not be required to submit a new health insurance enrollment or waiver form. However, if there is any lapse in time between appointments, a new health insurance enrollment or waiver form will be required.
The Billing office at SHS will submit your bills as a courtesy for your visits with SHS providers to PacificSource. The Billing office sends out bills once a month to PacificSource for processing. After PacificSource receives and processes your billing, they will send you an EOB (or Explanation of Benefits) which will explain whether your charges were posted to your deductible ($200 must be met before any payments made), were uncovered, or are being paid and at what percentage. If you have met your deductible and your charges were covered services (see the Graduate Insurance website for links to quick summary or full pdf of covered services), you will also receive a check along with your EOB. All charges from Student Health will be charged onto your student account and are your responsibility to pay in a timely manner so as not to incur interest from the University. For any further questions on this process, you may contact the Billing office at (541) 737-8370.
Outside of Student Health you will want to go to what is called a Preferred Provider, a list of those can be found online at www.PacificSource.com. When you go to that provider for an appointment, you will need to present your insurance card so that the office can bill PacificSource for your visit. Some offices will ask you to pay your percentage up front, or may bill you after they have received an Explanation of Benefits from PacificSource. If you receive a billing from an outside provider that you do not understand, or does not look as if it has been charged to PacificSource, you should call the billing office for that doctor for clarification. You can also call PacificSource Customer Service to ask if they have received any billings for that date of service. PacificSource Customer Service can be reached at (888) 977-9299 or (541) 684-5582.
