Insurance Requirement for F-1 Status Students
City College of San Francisco international students are required to maintain minimum essential health insurance coverage. The college has mandated that F-1 visa students must fulfill these requirements by enrolling in the coverage chosen by the college for our international students. All City College of San Francisco international students who are here on an F-1 visa are therefore required to purchase health insurance through Relation Insurance with Aetna. This policy provides excellent medical coverage at a competitive price. Once you have enrolled in your health insurance for the term, you will be able to choose your doctor(s) from a large number of health care providers in the San Francisco and Bay Area communities who are part of the Aetna network. The student plan is called "Passport to Healthcare Primary PPO". This insurance is mandatory for all F-1 international students. The deadline to purchase this insurance is the last day to add classes for the Fall and Spring terms.
How to Enroll
International Students in the Academic Program, Conditional Admission Program, and Intensive English Program may enroll in insurance in one of the following ways:
After you have enrolled, please allow a minimum of 1-2 business days for your payment to be processed, and for your hold on myRAM Portal to be removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
The policy provides excellent benefits, including a generous maximum benefit per Injury or Sickness of $250,000 per year and 80% coverage for most physician and clinic/hospital services within network, minus a co-pay, if applicable. A $20 co-payment is required to see a doctor. A $20 co-payment is always required to go to Urgent Care. A $50 co-payment is required for a visit to a hospital Hospital. Room and board includes a $100 copayment per visit. The outpatient hospital visit pays at 80% in-network (no copayment). There is a $250 co-payment if you go to an emergency room. This amount is waived should the student be admitted to the hospital.
Specific information on the Relation Insurance policy that has been chosen for CCSF F-1 visa students is available online at www.4studenthealth.com/ccsf for students in the Academic Credit Program, and www.4studenthealth.com/ccsf.ccsfiep for students in the Intensive English Program (IEP). Please read the brochure carefully in order to understand which illnesses and injuries are covered and which are not; those not covered are called "exclusions". There are many terms, such as "exclusions" that are used when discussing insurance.
Once you have purchased your health insurance through Ascension Benefits and Insurance Solutions, a roster of enrolled students will be updated and sent directly to the Office of International Programs, the following business day. You will not need to provide proof of insurance enrollment yourself unless requested by a CCSF OIP staff member if you are in the academic credit program. Intensive English Program students will need to provide proof of health insurance enrollment to the IEP coordinator when requested.
Generally speaking, no other insurance policies will be accepted as a substitute for the one that CCSF requires. Insurance coverage must be purchased and renewed each semester as directed by the Office of International Programs. International students attending CCSF are required to purchase the medical insurance policy authorized by CCSF, unless the student has health insurance through their spouse, domestic partner, or parent's employer here in the US or through a governmental scholarship. In both cases, the insurance company must be in full compliance with applicable US federal laws and the Claims Administration must be based in the USA. The policy must also meet the college's requirements. If you feel that you qualify for a waiver, please come to the Office of International Programs (Cloud Hall 212) to ask for a "Request for Waiver for Health Insurance" or email international@ccsf.edu. Proof of benefits/coverage is required and each waiver must be evaluated and approved on its own merits. Granting of a waiver will only be given if the paperwork is complete and the substitute health insurance policy meets all requirements.
