In order to waive out of purchasing a health insurance plan under the umbrella of the UC Santa Barbara Visiting Scholar Benefit Plan, you must provide proof of insurance coverage that meets the the Department of State’s requirements.

Please note: U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents are not subject to to the Department of State’s health insurance requirements listed below and do not need to provide Gallagher Benefit Services (GPA) proof of health insurance coverage.

The Department of State’s requirements for minimum levels of health insurance coverage are:

• $100,000 USD per accident & illness in medical coverage
• Deductible cannot exceed $500 per accident or illness
• Coinsurance cannot exceed 25%
• Medical evacuation coverage must be at least $50,000 USD
• Repatriation must be at least $25,000 USD
• Pre-existing conditions must be a covered benefit. The waiting period for benefit coverage cannot exceed 12 months. Please note: Policy’s with coverage for only "Acute onset of pre-existing conditions" do not meet this requirement.
• Carrier must be at least A- rated or backed by the full faith and credit of the Exchange Visitor's government

U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents: Maybe subject to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

If you have purchased insurance from a U.S. healthcare insurance carrier, you may submit a waiver request to opt out of the UCSB Visiting Scholar Benefit Plan. 

If you have dependents accompanying you to the U.S. (i.e. spouse, domestic partner, child(ren)). You must purchase insurance that meets the U.S. State Department requirements for your dependents.

To proceed with submitting a Waiver, please review your insurance policy or schedule of benefits to determine if your policy meets your university’s health insurance requirements listed below.

Instructions: Select whether or not you have dependents, then click Yes or No to each requirement, and then click Check My Waiver Eligibility. You will see a message at the bottom of the screen stating whether your policy does or does not meet the requirements. Then follow the prompts to continue to the Waiver Login page. Note: Gallagher will review your documents thoroughly and determine if your insurance actually meets the requirement or if additional information or coverage is required.

Evacuation and Repatriation Coverage Only

Does your current health insurance cover everything except Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains? Betins offers this stand-alone coverage at an affordable price to top-up your current coverage. Choose either the BETA Scholastic or BETA Public option; both meet the requirements of the Department of State.

Sign up with Betins here

See the video below for step-by-step instructions on how to complete a Waiver

Waiver Request Checklist

Please review your insurance policy or schedule of benefits to determine if your insurance policy meets UCSB’s Health Insurance Requirements listed below.

For U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents: Please answer "Yes" to all the requirements below in order to continue with the waiver submission process.

Do you have any dependents?

Yes

No

University’s Health Insurance Requirements		Why is this Required?	My Policy Covers this Requirement		My Dependent’s Policy Covers this Requirement
1	$100,000 USD per accident & illness in medical coverage	U.S. Department of State requires that all J-1 Visa holders have at minimum $100,000 USD medical coverage in case of an accident or illness	Yes No		Yes No
2	Deductible cannot exceed $500 USD per accident or illness	A deductible is a specified amount of money that you must pay before an insurance company will pay a medical claim. U.S. Department of State requires that deductibles be less than $500 USD	Yes No		Yes No
3	Coinsurance cannot exceed 25%	Coinsurance is a type of insurance in which the insured pays a share of the payment made against a medical claim. If you go to the hospital and receive a bill for $100 USD and the coinsurance is 25%, you are responsible to pay $25 USD of the hospital bill. U.S State Department requires that coinsurance cannot exceed 25%	Yes No		Yes No
4	Medical evacuation coverage must be at least $50,000 USD	In the event of a medical emergency in which you need to return back to your home country, the U.S. Department of State requires that your insurance policy has coverage for the minimum amount of $50,000 USD	Yes No		Yes No
5	Repatriation coverage must be at least $25,000 USD	In the event of death, the U.S. Department of State requires that your insurance policy has minimum coverage of $25,000 USD to return your remains back to your home country.	Yes No		Yes No
6	Carrier must be at least A- rated or backed by the full faith and credit of the Exchange Visitor’s government	U.S Department of State wants to ensure that all insurance policies are legitimate and from a reputable company.	Yes No		Yes No

Check my waiver eligibility