Health Insurance & Medical Records

International students who register for classes are automatically enrolled in the UWM international student health insurance policy (which is approved by the University of Wisconsin System). Health insurance is mandatory, and students may not substitute another insurance policy for the UWM-approved insurance policy.

• UWM will enroll you in the Wellfleet Student Health Insurance Plan (W-SHIP)
• You will have a charge on your university PAWS account each semester for health insurance

Charges for health insurance are by semester:

Fall 2024 (Coverage dates are August 5, 2024 – January 14, 2025)

• Fall 2024 coverage will be charged to your Fall 2024 tuition bill.
• The Fall 2023 coverage charge is $875.

Spring/Summer 2025 (Coverage dates are January 15, 2025 – August 4, 2025) 

• Spring/Summer 2025 coverage will be charged to your Spring 2025 tuition bill.
• The Spring/Summer 2025 coverage charge is $1,083.

If you have any questions, please email ISSS’s Insurance Coordinator, Che Huewitt.

Health Insurance Plan Brochure – Providing coverage information for the University of Wisconsin System international student health insurance plan.

Obtain your health care information all in one place online.

For Telehealth Services you should call 1-888-857-5462 or view the CareConnect PDF for more information.

Additional documents:

• Benefit & Plan Info Flyer 
• Mobile App Flyer
• Travel Assistance Flyer

If you have an assistantship/fellowship or award which provides UWM employee health insurance, you are eligible for the waiver of the health insurance charges that is calculated to your PAWS account upon your enrollment in class(es). Action is required on your part because if you do nothing, the charge will remain on your account and you will be enrolled in the general UWM international student health insurance policy.

You need to take the following steps:

• If this is a NEW Graduate appointment you must be sure to enroll in the health insurance plan offered by your assistantship per your contract within 30 days of your contract start date. Email confirmation from Benefits Staff member that indicates a health insurance enrollment application was received and processed (ONLY NEW appointments WITHOUT a social security number can obtain an email confirmation) or a Benefits Confirmation statement generated by HRS if you do your enrollment via ebenefits self-service at http://my.uwm.edu. A confirmation statement will only be available if you’ve provided a social security number on your benefits application.
• All students with a Graduate appointment (assistantship/fellowship/award) must have a current term’s contract for submission.
• Those students with a continuing Graduate appointment must have a current contract on file with ISSS and an insurance card issued within the last 4 months for submission.
• Login to your ISSS Connect portal and complete the Assistantship Insurance Information Form by uploading and submitting the appropriate documents as specified above.

After you complete those steps, the terms’ full health insurance charges will be removed from your PAWS account.

Please do note that with the submission of the web form, the appropriate health insurance documentation as specified above and having a current Graduate appointment contract on file you are certifying that you have health insurance coverage and ISSS has no further information on your health insurance coverage or plan and you should reach out to the Benefits office or your health insurance carrier for further information.

If your home government or another agency is sponsoring your education and also providing you with health insurance benefits for the duration of your study, please submit the documentation of your sponsorship and health insurance to Che Huewitt. Action is required on your part because if you do nothing, you will be enrolled in the general UWM international student health insurance policy.

A waiver for your required participation in the UWM international student health insurance policy is not automatically granted. Your documentation will be reviewed, and if your health insurance meets the UW System requirements for international student health care coverage, we will waive the requirement of your enrollment in the UWM international student health insurance policy.

• If you are on an F-1 or J-1 visa and you have health insurance from your U.S. employment (CPT/OPT/Academic Training) for this term, you will need appropriate work authorization for the term, which will be verified. Without the appropriate work authorization, you will be enrolled in the general UWM international student health insurance policy.
• If you have health insurance from any U.S. employment (yours, your spouse or parent’s) you should have an insurance card issued in the last twelve months and/or any documentation pertaining to your plan’s effective and termination dates or policy terms, which could include a recent benefits application or confirmation of enrollment.
• Log in to your ISSS Connect portal and complete the Assistantship Insurance Information Form by uploading and submitting the appropriate documents as specified above.

A waiver for your required participation in the UWM international student health insurance policy is not automatically granted. Your documentation will be reviewed, and if your health insurance meets the UW System requirements for international student health care coverage the terms’ full health insurance charges will be waived.

Students on an F-1 or J-1 visa that have graduated from UWM and applied to USCIS for OPT authorization or have been approved for Academic Training authorization may be eligible to self-enroll for health insurance coverage through their OPT/AT authorization start date or OPT/AT health insurance effective date. Gallagher/Wellfleet and CISI offer self-enrollment plans; see the enrollment information below.

NOTE: Students who enroll in coursework at UWM after self-enrolling in one of the plans below will be enrolled in the Wellfleet Student Health Insurance Plan (WSHIP). You will have to work with Gallagher/Wellfleet or CISI directly to request a refund of the monies you paid during your self-enrollment, if possible. ISSS will not process a refund once you have been enrolled in WSHIP, which is based on your course enrollment.

Gallagher/Wellfleet plan: There are two options on how to enroll in the Gallagher/Wellfleet plan:

• IMPORTANT TO NOTE BEFORE ENROLLING:
  • Following the Fall term you will only be able to request health insurance coverage until January 14th and following the Spring term you can only request coverage until August 4th.
  • You will be charged a $15 processing fee for online credit card payments & a $5 processing fee for e-check payments, both of which are NON-REFUNDABLE.
  • Call 1-877-300-3548 with any questions or concerns regarding this Gallagher health insurance coverage, underwritten by Wellfleet.
• Option 1: Online Enrollment:
  • Open Gallagher Student Health and Special Risk. Provide the requested information and choose “Enrollment & Eligibility” from the drop down box as the help topic. In the comments section, be sure to specify the dates of coverage that you require (beginning & end date), check that you are not a robot, and click submit.
  • Once the COMPLETE information is received & reviewed by Gallagher/ Wellfleet, a premium amount will be determined and you will receive an email instructing you to go online & enroll in the plan.
  • The email that you receive will only be available for 48 hours. If more time is needed you can reply to the email requesting more time, but it is best that your enrollment is submitted within 48 hours to ensure that you have coverage for the dates that you specify.
• Option 2: Enrollment Request through Email:
  • Email global@gallagherstudent.com and provide the following REQUIRED information:
    • First name
    • Last name
    • Student ID number
    • Date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy)
    • Enrollment period requested (beginning & end date)

CISI plan:

• Read this CISI Form for additional information on the plan and instructions on self-enrollment.
• Self-enrollment must be completed through an online form (link in the above document attachment).
• A valid credit card is required for enrollment.
• Call CISI at 203-399-5509 or email CISI at enrollments@mycisi.com with any questions or concerns regarding this plan.