SLU Student Health Insurance
Saint Louis University requires full-time students with on-campus classes 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) — in collaboration with Aetna Student Health.
The University assesses a default fee for SLU Student Health Insurance (UHP) coverage to all full-time, on-campus students. Students must either enroll or waive the SLU Student Health Insurance (UHP) coverage and its related charges by submitting a waiver request with proof of other coverage that meets SLU waiver criteria.
Enrollment and waiver requests must be submitted through 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.
The Aetna website is open for the Spring 2025 Open Enrollment Period. The website will accept Spring 2025 waiver requests and enrollment submissions.
Guide to Requesting Waivers or Enrollment for Spring 2025 (PDF)
If you need assistance, please call the SLU Student Health Insurance (UHP) office at 314-977-5666 or email uhp@health.slu.edu.
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.
Waiving SLU Student Health Insurance (UHP)
The SLU Student Health Insurance (UHP) is designed to meet the needs of our students while on campus or at home. If a student waives the coverage, they must confirm their plan meets specific criteria.
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 questions about your existing coverage. You’ll also be able to upload a picture of your insurance card.
Use your full nine-digit Banner ID (including zeros) when using the Aetna site.
Students must submit a waiver at least once each academic year. If you waive in the fall term, you will not need to waive again in the spring. International students may be required to either waive or enroll during summer semesters dependent on class registration.
The deadline to waive (or enroll) in the UHP is Sept. 30 for the fall term, Feb. 14 for the spring term and June 30 for the summer term. Students required to carry coverage who have not waived by these deadlines will be automatically enrolled in the UHP and responsible for related charges.
Waiver Criteria
Due to their limited coverage offerings, international travel plans or plans that only offer catastrophic/emergency coverage will not meet the SLU waiver criteria.
Due to geographic coverage restrictions and limitations, out-of-state Medicaid plans will not meet the SLU waiver criteria (exceptions: Illinois Molina, Meridian and Blue Cross Community Health Plans).
Important Policy Change
Beginning with spring 2025 open enrollment period, coverage under health insurance plans without a U.S. medical claim address and U.S. operational phone will not be accepted for waivers.
The vast majority of U.S. health care providers do not recognize/accept these plans. If care is needed, students with these plans will be required to pay U.S. providers directly ("out-of-pocket") at the time of service. This could result in significant expense for students, especially if the care provided is related to an accident, trauma or emergency.
Waivers approved in the fall 2024 term will be honored in the spring 2025 semester. This policy change will impact students that have to submit waivers in spring 2025, namely new SLU students that matriculate to SLU within the spring 2025 semester.
Waiver requests must meet the following criteria depending on the status as domestic or international students.
- Plan must be active and maintained for the student’s academic year.
- Plan must provide benefits with no policy maximums (i.e. no caps/limits on the dollar amount the plan will pay within a policy year/period).
- Plan must cover inpatient and outpatient medical care within the St. Louis area.
- Plan must cover inpatient and outpatient mental health and drug and alcohol abuse care within the St. Louis area.
- Plan must provide coverage for prescription drugs within the St. Louis area.
- Plan must be active and maintained for the student’s academic year.
- Plan must have an individual deductible that is $500 or less per policy year.
- Plan must have at least $25,000 coverage for repatriation, which provides transportation to the student's home country in the event of death.
- Plan must have at least $50,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage, which covers emergency transportation to the nearest, most qualified treatment facility.
- Plan must include inpatient and outpatient medical care within the St. Louis area.
- Plan must include inpatient and outpatient mental health, drug and alcohol abuse care within the St. Louis area.
- Plan must include coverage for prescription drugs within the St. Louis area.
- Plan must provide a U.S. address for provider medical claim submission and a U.S. phone number for member/customer service.
Enrolling in SLU Student Health Insurance (UHP)
Find more detailed information about the University Health Plan, policy information, medical and prescription drug benefit summaries, provider directories, and policies at 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 have active SLU enrollment status in the spring and will again in the fall. Summer coverage is generally not required for domestic students.
All international students, scholars and their dependents must have adequate health insurance for the duration of their stay in the United States.
NCAA athletes should consult with the Department of Athletics regarding summer coverage requirements.
Students with active SLU enrollment status are eligible to enroll in the plan. Off-campus students and part-time students are 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 enroll voluntarily.
Students accepting health insurance support awarded with a graduate assistantship must enroll in coverage through the Aetna website (not Workday).
Review frequently asked questions on 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 with active SLU enrollment status are allowed special enrollment periods when qualifying life events such as marriage, birth, adoption or loss of other coverage 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.