Other Options for Health Insurance and Minimum Health Insurance Coverage Requirements
Stanford recognizes that students may already have health insurance that works well for them. Plans can take many forms, with wide breadths of coverage. Our goal is for all students to have coverage through which they can get their care needs met, both expected and unexpected, whether in the Stanford vicinity or wherever they may happen to be studying or traveling.
Other Options for Health Insurance
Cardinal Care has broad coverage that has worked well for Stanford students in many diverse scenarios over time. Other ways in which the requirement for adequate health insurance can be met are:
- Sponsored plan (U.S. government, foreign government, or embassy)
- U.S. employer provided group health plan
- Private/Individual plan purchased through Healthcare.gov
- Military/Tricare plan
- Medicare plan
- Medi-Cal plan (coverage in San Mateo or Santa Clara counties is strongly encouraged and may be required)
Minimum Health Insurance Coverage Requirements
The table below will assist you in comparing your current health insurance policy, or any other plan you may be considering as an alternative to Cardinal Care, against the minimum health insurance coverage requirements set by the university and against what Cardinal Care offers. While your plan does not need to meet all of the Cardinal Care points of comparison in the table (because Cardinal Care is a very comprehensive plan), it will need to meet all of the university’s minimum requirements in order to successfully waive enrollment in Cardinal Care.
Requirements
Stanford University establishes Minimum Health Insurance Coverage Requirements as a means to ensure students can get the care they may need while enrolled at Stanford. Plans that fail to meet these minimum requirements, such as some HMOs and other limited-network plans, may not serve students well while at Stanford. If you have any questions about an alternative plan you may be considering, we strongly encourage you to contact Vaden Health Center’s Insurance Office prior to making a decision to request a waiver from Cardinal Care coverage.
| Minimum Health Insurance Coverage Requirements (Cardinal Care Waiver Criteria) | Alternative Plan Being Considered | Cardinal Care |
|---|---|---|
| Covers the entire academic year (September 1 through August 31). Gaps in coverage are not allowed. | ? | YES |
| Covers inpatient and outpatient medical care in the San Francisco Bay Area (with strong preference for access to Stanford University Medical Center and/or Sutter Health providers) | ? | YES |
| Covers inpatient and outpatient mental health care in the San Francisco Bay Area (with strong preference for access to Stanford University Medical Center and/or Sutter Health providers) | ? | YES |
| For individual plans, has an annual deductible of $1,000 USD or less (some employer plans may be exempted from this requirement) | ? | YES |
| Has an annual out of pocket maximum of $9,100 USD or less (some employer plans may be exempted from this requirement) | ? | YES |
| Provides the Essential Minimum Benefits required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) with no annual or lifetime maximums | ? | YES |
| Has a lifetime aggregate maximum benefit of at least $2,000,000 USD, OR a maximum per condition/per lifetime benefit of $500,000 USD | ? | YES |
Other Points of Comparison | ||
| Annual premium | $7,620 | |
| Annual out of pocket maximum of $2,000 or less | YES | |
| Includes dental coverage | YES | |
| Provides worldwide coverage and international assistance locating qualified medical care | YES | |
| Provides international assistance for emergency medical evacuation | YES | |
| Has a local office that provides customer assistance specifically for Stanford students (Vaden Health Center’s Insurance and Referral Office staff are knowledgeable about Cardinal Care and are available to help!) | YES | |
