Welcome to your Health Insurance Homepage
Click on your home campus below to find important information about your International Student Insurance Plan
All international students in F-1 status are automatically enrolled in Peralta’s International Student Health Insurance plan. Risk-Strategies (formerly Relation, linked above) is the insurance provider and AETNA is the health insurance network.
Download the PCCD Insurance Health Services (PDF) to view contact information for in-network healthcare providers in the Bay Area.
Participating F-1 status students will be charged an “International Student Health Insurance Fee”. The below prices reflect for 2023:
- $195 per month
- $975 for the fall semester
- $1,365 for the spring/summer session
- $390 for the summer session (new students only)
Per the Peralta and Relation health insurance policy, only F-1 status students and their dependents are eligible to receive health insurance coverage. Students who lose their status through changes in the non-immigrant category or violation of status will be removed from coverage and forfeit their fees upon notice.
Health Service Programs
Accident Illness Only
Please note that your AETNA plan is an “Accident/Illness” plan only. Meaning, you will only receive coverage if you are actually injured or ill. The plan does not include dental or vision coverage, but you can add this as supplementary coverage. You would have to go to https://4studenthealth.relationinsurance.com/supplemental-plans/ to enroll and pay for that directly with a credit card. OIE cannot help you add dental or vision coverage on your behalf.
Relation Insurance Customer Service
Phone: 1-800-537-1777; Hours: M-F 8 am-5 pm Pacific Time
Email: clientservices@relationinsurance.com
Health Insurance Workshop (2/6/23)
Health Insurance Topics
Your Health Insurance Member ID will be sent via email from Relation to your Peralta email address.
To Download your Health Insurance Card click here and then follow the steps in this PDF.
***If you have not received an email with your Member ID number and Health Insurance card, please contact Relation Insurance at (800) 537-1777***
There are a limited number of reasons international students may waive the mandatory health insurance fee:
- Students who receive health insurance from a parent/spouse who is a US resident
- Students who receive health insurance from their place of employment in the US
- Students with a government letter stating that health insurance has been issued directly from the government in their home country.
Note: F-1 students are PROHIBITED from using United States government-issued insurance such as Covered California, MEDICAL, MEDICARE, or Affordable Care Act.
All waiver requests will be carefully reviewed, however, submitting a request for a waiver does not guarantee that your waiver will be approved.
Each semester, the Health Insurance Waiver must be completed by the Monday before the semester begins (see Academic Calendar). Petitions submitted after the deadline will be automatically denied. Refunds will only be provided to students with approved Health Insurance Fee Waivers. No refunds will be issued after the refund deadline. Also, all F-1 status students must apply for the health insurance fee waiver every semester even if approved in prior semesters.
To apply for the Health Insurance Waiver Form, you will need to access your ISP account.
After completing the waiver request, a Program Manager or ISSS will send you an email providing an acceptance letter, denial notice, or request for additional evidence.
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Each college has its own Health Insurance Overview Documents. Please review this to learn more about your health insurance coverage. Coverage between colleges is the same:
Students may search for Behavioral Health professionals through the Aetna Passport site by following these instructions:
- Visit Passport to Healthcare® https://www.aetna.com/dsepublic/#/contentPage?page=providerSearchLanding&site_id=passport&language=en.
- Enter your location and range, then click “Search.”
- Select the Passport to Healthcare® Primary PPO, then click “Continue.”
- Type the name, specialty, or type of provider you’re looking for into the search bar, or click the corresponding category.
- Select a provider from the list, and call to make an appointment.
- Always verify the provider is part of the Aetna Passport to Healthcare® Primary PPO Network before you receive treatment.
Academic Live Care – Telehealth
The future of medicine is here. Connect with a licensed health care provider, 24 hours a day from anywhere covered at 100%. You can see board-certified physical and behavioral health professionals from the comfort of your own home. Safe and secure, it’s the on-demand quality care you need, when you need it.
Post-Completion OPT:
While on Post-Completion OPT you will not be automatically enrolled in the Peralta Health Insurance Plan. You may choose to enroll and pay for the plan separately by visiting your home campus link below and selecting OPT Enrollment.
Berkeley City College | College of Alameda | Laney College | Merritt College
You must do this within 30 days of the end of my coverage date or you will be ineligible. You also will be responsible for any gaps in coverage.
Pre-Completion OPT:
While on Pre-Completion OPT, you WILL be automatically enrolled into the Peralta Health Insurance plan. You may apply for a Health Insurance Waiver if you believe you meet the conditions for a Health Insurance Waiver.
Students have the option to enroll their dependents in the Relation AETNA plan.
To enroll your dependents, visit https://4studenthealth.com, select your campus and plan, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Plan Materials” once inside your Relation Insurance Student Portal.
Once your dependent enrollment form is completed, please return this form with payment to:
Relation Insurance Services, P.O. Box 240042, Los Angeles, CA 90024
or by email (csseligibilityteam@relationinsurance.com)
Please note that dependents must be enrolled before the first day of instruction for normal session classes (see academic calendar).
Enrollment Tip
If you need to enroll in classes and you’re waiting for the health insurance fee waiver to be reviewed, please pay the fee first, so you can enroll. Then, if approved for the fee waiver, your health insurance fee will be refunded.
Additional Information
For more information about your health insurance plan, please visit your Health Insurance Portal through Relation Insurance. This site will answer all of your health insurance-related questions. If, after reading through these online materials and you still have questions please email International Services Manager Drew Gephart at (dgephart@peralta.edu).
