SLU Student Health Insurance

Saint Louis University requires full-time, on-campus students to maintain health insurance during the academic year. Health insurance promotes student well-being, provides protection against unexpected medical care costs and ensures the health of individual students and the campus community.

SLU offers a fully-insured student health insurance plan – the University Health Plan (UHP) – that is administered by Aetna Student Health.  

The University assesses a default fee for University Health Plan coverage to all full-time, on-campus students. Students must either enroll or waive the University Health Plan coverage, and its related charges, by submitting a waiver request with proof of other coverage that meets SLU criteria. 

Enrollment and waiver requests must be submitted through www.aetnastudenthealth.com/slu and will not be accepted after the last day of a semester’s open enrollment period. Throughout open enrollment periods, reminders regarding the need to enroll or waive will be sent to students’ SLU email addresses. 

This guide (PDF) provides instructions for submitting your summer 2023 enrollment. Instructions for fall enrollment and waiver submission will be available mid-June 2023.

Waive or Enroll Through Aetna Online 

Open Enrollment Periods

• Fall: July 1 through Sept. 30
• Spring: Dec. 1 through Feb. 14
• Summer: May 1 through June 30

Dates are subject to change.

Enrolling in SLU's University Health Plan (UHP)

Find more detailed information about the University Health Plan, policy information, medical and prescription drug benefit summaries, provider directories, and policies at www.aetnastudenthealth.com/slu. You can also call Aetna Customer Service at 1-877-381-3544 with specific questions.

Students may remain on the plan through the summer if they are full-time in the spring and will be again in the fall, although summer coverage is generally not required. The University Health Plan is designed to offer continuous coverage with no breaks, with the flexibility of enrolling by semester for those that need it.

International students should contact their program to confirm whether summer coverage is required. NCAA athletes should consult with the Department of Athletics regarding summer coverage requirements. 
 
Off-campus students and part-time students are strongly encouraged to have health insurance coverage, but it is not required. Call the UHP Office at 314-977-5666 or uhp@health.slu.edu to find out if you are eligible to voluntarily enroll in the University Health Plan.

Students who have been awarded graduate assistantships that include support for University Health Plan coverage will also enroll online through Aetna Student Health. See frequently asked questions relating to the enrollment or waiver process for graduate assistants.

If you need additional coverage after graduation, call the UHP Office at 314-977-5666 or uhp@health.slu.edu to receive information about optional three-month Student Continuation Coverage.

You must be registered in classes as a full-time student in order for Aetna's website to recognize you. Once registered, allow three business days for student data to be loaded into the Aetna Student Health webpage.

Qualifying Life Events

No enrollment changes can be made outside of the open enrollment period and waiver requests will not be accepted after the respective open enrollment period deadline. Students are allowed special enrollment periods when qualifying life events such as marriage, birth or adoption occur.  

Call the UHP Office at 314-977-5666 or uhp@health.slu.edu for qualifying life events enrollment support.

Students must formally request enrollment changes within 31 days of the qualifying life event date.

Waiving SLU's University Health Plan (UHP)

The University Health Plan by Aetna is designed to meet the needs of our students while they are on campus or at home. If a student waives the coverage, they must confirm their plan provides coverage in St. Louis.

The SLU Student Health Center collaborates with SSM SLUCare physicians, a local network of physicians affiliated with Saint Louis University. Confirm whether your plan is contracted with the SSM SLUCare Physician Group (Tax ID# 88-0988603) to ensure access to Student Health Center services.

You must have your insurance information available when you submit waiver requests, as you will be asked detailed information about your existing coverage. You’ll also have the option to upload a picture of your insurance card.

Use your full nine-digit Banner ID (including zeros) when using the Aetna site.

You only need to waive once per academic year, therefore if you waive in the fall term, you will not need to waive again for the spring. However, you do have to waive every academic year.  

The deadline to waive (or enroll) in the UHP is Sept. 30 for the fall term and Feb. 14 for the spring term. Full-time students who have not waived by these deadlines will be automatically enrolled in the UHP and responsible for related charges. 

Waiver Criteria

Waiver requests must meet the following criteria depending on their status as domestic or international students.