Health insurance requirement for first-year students
Beginning with applicants enrolling for summer 2008, all new first-year students enrolled with 5 or more semester hours will be required to have health insurance coverage for the entire time they are students at Iowa.

Reporting your status on ISIS
New first-year students will be asked to report their insurance status through their Admissions Profile on ISIS, the University's online service center for students. Students without coverage automatically will be enrolled in the University's Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Details about the SHIP plan are lower on this page.

Minimum coverage requirements
The University’s minimum coverage requirements for students who have coverage from an external provider, such as under an employer’s group health insurance plan or under an individual plan, are as follows:

Providers: Coverage must allow services provided by hospitals and physicians in the state of Iowa.

Policy Limits: The health plan/policy must provide coverage for hospitalization including coverage for room and board, physician visits and surgeon services, x-ray and lab, and miscellaneous services.

Inpatient Deductible: The inpatient deductible under an individual policy shall not exceed $500 per admission and a 20 percent co-payment/co-insurance requirement.  A higher deductible is acceptable if coverage is under a group plan.

Outpatient Coverage: The health plan/policy shall provide coverage for medically necessary care including both physician services for treatment of emergencies, illness, accident or injury, and x-ray and lab services.

Proof of coverage
Students may be required to provide verification of insurance coverage.

Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)
Students who do not have health coverage that meets University requirements will be automatically enrolled in the University of Iowa’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). SHIP coverage begins the first day of the month in which the student is registered and classes begin.