Frequently Asked Questions

The college has seen an increase in students not having adequate coverage and incurring significant medical bills that jeopardize the student’s ability to continue their education. The college decided to verify insurance coverage to ensure that all students who opt-out of the college's coverage have comparable health insurance in place.

If you believe your coverage is comparable, please reach out to PacificSource at 855-274-9814 or studentwaiver@pacificsource.com to see if you can send documentation that proves your insurance is comparable or request an appeal.

Note: If the only coverage provided to your child while they are out-of-state is emergency or catastrophic care, this will not be considered comparable and you will need to explore other options.

See “My Health Insurance Waiver Was Denied - Now What?” created by the Reed Health and Counseling Center (HCC).

You will be enrolled in the college's health plan for the semester. You may submit a waiver for the upcoming semester once the waiver portal opens.

The college does not receive any money from the student health insurance. Our role is to collect the premium and then pass it through directly to the insurance provider. This process is commonly referred to as a pass-through charge.

The college’s HCC has defined the criteria for what meets comparable coverage. PacificSource is responsible for reviewing the details of your insurance plan to ensure it meets the college's criteria for comparable coverage. You may need to provide documentation to PacificSource in order for them to verify you have comparable coverage.

Students that are abroad who are enrolled in the college’s student health insurance plan are automatically covered on an international basis; any service covered locally is also covered internationally. This coverage is not limited to urgent or emergency care, however, medical tourism would still be excluded. If students need to access healthcare while abroad, they should collect as much documentation as they can from the health care provider. The next steps are to complete a claim form, include the aforementioned documentation, and send it to PacificSource for processing. Once processed, the claims are then reimbursed according to the student's in-network benefit. Additionally, students should reference the scholastic emergency services member guide. It includes the unique reference ID for PacificSource, as well as info on their mobile app which the college encourages students to download prior to leaving the U.S.

Students are able to cancel the waiver before the first day of classes. To cancel a waiver, students need to contact student accounts (business-office@reed.edu) in the business office to rescind the waiver and enroll in the college’s student health insurance plan.

If the college’s coverage is waived, and subsequently the student's insurance coverage is lost, students are required to enroll in comparable health insurance immediately and provide the new insurance information to the business office. Students may instead choose to enroll in the college’s student health insurance plan as this qualifies as a life qualifying event. In order for students to enroll in the college's student health insurance plan, contact student accounts (business-office@reed.edu) in the business office.

Enrollment in the student health insurance plan is voluntary for MALS students. Enrollment must be completed online with PacificSource each semester by the first day of classes.

Students do not need to enroll in the Reed-sponsored student health insurance plan to access services at the college’s Health & Counseling Center (HCC). Many services at the HCC are provided at no charge to students. 

Students may submit an insurance claim to PacificSource by uploading the claim through their InTouch account. Students can see the status of their claim in the system and see when a check has been mailed. Claims are usually paid in less than 30 days if submitted through InTouch.

There is no difference in benefits. Non-U.S. citizens are covered by the international student insurance plan. All other students are covered by the domestic student insurance plan. You will automatically be charged for the appropriate student health plan.