FAQs

ID cards are usually available 5-7 business days after you receive your enrollment confirmation email from HSAC.

• Go to Get your ID card | Aetna Student Health
• Enter "Pacific Northwest University - Health Sciences" in the "Find your school" field.
• On the next page, enter the requested information and Aetna will email you a digital copy of the ID card to your requested email address. Please note that you will enter your university email address to access the ID card, but you can still email the digital copy to a different email address, if needed. Your PNWU student ID should begin with "P0000".

To set up your account:

• Go to www.aetnastudenthealth.com
• On the top right of the website, click on the link for "Member Log-In."
• Click on the "Create an Account" button at the top of the page and enter the requested information on the next page to complete your registration. You will be redirected to your member website.

To find a preferred provider:

• Go to Provider Search - Home | Aetna
• Enter your zip code in the location field to search as a guest, or log in to search as a member (Click on "Login to Secure Site" if you have already set up your account or select "Register Now" to create your account)
• Select "Open Choice PPO" under Student Medical Plans
• You will then be able to search for Providers by name, facility, specialty, procedure, etc.

To find a participating pharmacy:

• Go to Find a pharmacy | Aetna Student Health and select the "Find a Pharmacy" option from this page
• For the most accurate results, you may log in to search for pharmacies. You may still search as a guest for a Pharmacy by type (specialty, mail order, etc), name, and location.
• For a retail pharmacy: please select "Aetna National Pharmacy Network"
• For a specialty pharmacy: please select "Aetna Specialty Pharmacy Network"
• For mail orders: you will be redirected to log in to your Aetna account for ordering prescriptions

Follow these steps:

• Go to www.aetnastudenthealth.com
• You may view additional plan information by accessing the "Member Resources" tab in the top ribbon. Resources include additional policy documentation, health services information, helpful videos explaining insurance basics, and much more
• When searching through Plan Documentation, please select your university and the correct policy year

No, the plan does not include dental or vision coverage. Aetna Student Health offers individual coverage for dental and vision. Please see the link under Resources & Links. Enrollment is voluntary and the premium is self-pay.

Yes! The student insurance plan covers you when you are off-campus, traveling, on rotations, and studying abroad. Most importantly, always carry your ID card with you. Before traveling, if you have any questions, please contact HSAC at 888-978-8355 for further assistance.

Your coverage will terminate at the end of the policy term, which is June 30th, following your graduation. To request a Certificate of Coverage, please go to www.aetnastudenthealth.com. You will need to log in to your account to access your certificate.

No, the PNWU student plan does not offer dependent coverage.

Yes. The PNWU student insurance plan offers a mid-year open enrollment and waiver period from December 15 - January 15. If you are enrolled in your own insurance policy that meets all requirements for waiving, you may submit a waiver request to opt-out of the PNWU policy at that time.

All waiver requests must be submitted during the appropriate open enrollment/waiver period, and late submissions will not be accepted.

Except in the case of medical withdrawal due to Sickness or Injury, any student withdrawing from school during the first 31 days of the period for which coverage is purchased will not be covered under the student health insurance policy. A full refund of Premium will be made, minus the cost of any claim paid by Aetna Student Health. Students withdrawing after such 31 days will remain covered under the PNWU student health insurance policy for the duration of the term purchased, and no refund will be allowed.

Students who are currently covered under the health plan of a parent but who will age out of their coverage after the waiver deadline period may use their current coverage to waive out of the student health insurance plan. Approximately 30-45 days before the student's 26th birthday, our insurance verifier, HSAC, will reach out to students in this situation to determine if they wish to enroll in the student health insurance plan (at a prorated rate) or submit proof of coverage from another health insurance provider.

If a student wishes to waive with coverage from another carrier, the coverage must meet all requirements set forth by PNWU and must be submitted to HSAC for verification within 30 days of termination of existing coverage. New coverage must be effective within 24 hours of your previous health insurance coverage.

If you waived out of the student health insurance plan but lost your health insurance coverage due to an involuntary loss of coverage (i.e., aging out of your parent's plan, loss of employment, divorce, etc.), you may enroll in the PNWU student health insurance plan. Effective enrollment in the PNWU plan will be based on the date of loss of your prior coverage.

If you would like to enroll, please contact Health Sciences Assurance Consulting, Inc (HSAC) directly at pnwu@hsac.com. In your e-mail, include your student ID number, the reason for loss of coverage, and the date your coverage is expected to start on the PMWU plan. HSAC can offer a pro-rate estimate if requested.

If your program is DO or DMD, then NO.

Due to the possibility of changes to assignment locations and the higher risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens for clinical DO and DMD students, students in either of these cohorts may not waive with any HMO or Medicaid policies during their clinical education year(s). The coverage area offered by these types of policies is limited and will not suffice for a waiver approval.

Clinical DPT and MSOT students can waive with a WA HMO or WA Medicaid if their clinical site assignment(s) will be within Washington state.

Once assigned, placement sites for DPT and MSOT student do not change during the school year. Students in these programs will not experience the same exposure risks as the clinical COM or DMD students.

Neither PNWU nor HSAC can determine whether a student is eligible for Medicaid enrollment; only the Medicaid office can determine this information and only after a completed application is received from the student

**SOME IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS:

1)     Maintaining multiple state Medicaid policies concurrently is considered Medicaid fraud and can prevent you from obtaining your medical license

2)      Per the state of Washington: only students who expect to remain within the state of WA after they complete their education are eligible for WA Medicaid enrollment

Please keep in mind that applying for WA Medicaid when 1) you are not expected to remain in WA after your education or 2) when you are expecting to accept a residency/work position outside of WA after graduation is considered Medicaid fraud and can prevent you from obtaining your medical license

3)     Applying for a Medicaid policy for a state in which you are not a current resident is considered Medicaid fraud and can prevent you from obtaining your medical license

Coordinating a student health plan for their students allows PNWU and Aetna to ensure that all students have equitable access to a reasonably priced, comprehensive policy while attending PNWU. This allows both the students and PNWU to maintain the COCA accreditation requirements required of their university and its attendees.

The student health plan offers student access to a more reliable network of providers than WA Medicaid

a. Aetna’s PPO network offers access to over a million in-network providers throughout the country, not just within Washington

b. The wait time of admittance for a PCP or specialty provider is usually significantly less than what is seen for Medicaid recipients. Some WA Medicaid providers even limit the number of Medicaid recipients it will accept as established patients

c. Effectuations from the recent passing of the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) may result in the shutdown of many local facilities that accept WA Medicaid as a form of insurance

d. Not all students attend clinical/research locations that accept WA Medicaid as a form of insurance. Access to the PNWU plan ensures all clinical students are able to meet their clinical site(s)' requirements for insurance coverage