Health and Insurance

Health Insurance
In March 2013, Congress passed the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148), which expanded private and public health insurance to all U.S. citizens. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires most people to have health insurance, and the UW School of Medicine strongly encourages students to have health insurance. In addition to requiring that individuals have insurance, the ACA created state-based insurance exchanges. Medicaid eligibility criteria has been expanded in Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, but to date Wyoming has not expanded Medicaid eligibility. Under the ACA, students under 26 years old are allowed to stay on a parent’s health insurance plan, if applicable. Students who are on their spouse or partner’s employer’s insurance plan can remain on that plan. If students lose their health insurance coverage (e.g. through an employer) when they start school, they may qualify to enroll during the special enrollment period.

To learn more about your health care options during medical school, visit the Student Affairs, Health Insurance page.

Health Fee
Upon entrance into a participating health science school/program, medical students are required to pay an annual health fee to cover the costs of administering the Health Sciences Immunization Program. This fee is subject to annual changes and is automatically included in the student’s tuition.

Disability Insurance
Disability insurance is available for all medical students but is not required. In light of the cost of education and the risks associated with practicing medicine, students are strongly encouraged to consider enrolling in a disability insurance plan. The American Medical Association supports two disability insurance plans designed to meet the unique needs of heath care professionals:

• MedPlus Advantage plan
• AMA Student Disability Income Insurance

Visit the Disability Insurance web page for more information.