Case Management

All RIT students are expected to have health insurance that provides coverage in our community. Students should verify their insurance coverage prior to arriving on campus. Not all insurance plans offer coverage outside your home area. While most plans cover out-of-network emergency department visits, they may not provide coverage for follow-up visits, urgent care visits, physical therapy, specialist appointments, or services outside our scope of on-campus Health and Counseling Services. For further information: Student Health Center, Counseling and Psychological Services

To verify your insurance plan is active and offers coverage in the Rochester area, call the Customer Service phone number listed on the back of your insurance card. Be sure to ask the representative what types of providers you have access to in Rochester, NY (i.e. Primary Care, Specialists, Mental Health Therapists, physical therapy, etc). Ask what your co-pays responsibility might be. All insurance plans vary. You may learn you can access providers in Rochester, but your insurance plan has a high deductible. This could leave you with large out-of-pocket costs. Additionally, many insurance companies offer “Find a Doctor” tools on their websites. You can input your specific insurance plan information (often located on the front of your insurance card), type of doctor you are seeking, and the area zip code (RIT’s zip code is 14623) to confirm your plan covers the providers you need to access. Please know, many Medicaid-based insurance plans do not offer coverage outside of your local area. 

No one plans illness or injury. We want to be certain you have access to excellent care in our community. If you have any questions or concerns regarding insurance coverage, please contact Case Management at casemanagement@rit.edu. 

Health Insurance Terms

If your insurance does not provide adequate coverage in Rochester, health insurance may be purchased through the university sponsored plan. This insurance plan is designed specifically for our students to ensure they have coverage while in Rochester, as well as throughout the United States should they pursue an out-of-area co-op. Generally, enrollment begins in August and ends in September.

Learn more about the RIT Student Health Insurance Plan, enrollment options, and instructions on how to print your RIT Student Health Insurance card

Case Management can help you by generating a list of providers that accept your health insurance and meet any criteria that you have specified as being important aspects of your care. You will then be given the option to call and schedule your first off-campus appointment on your own or to call during a Case Management session so one of our team members can support you in answering questions.

The Case Management team will need a copy of the front and back of your current health insurance card (this can be uploaded into your wellness portal account at wellnessportal.rit.edu). We will also need to know what preferences you have regarding the new provider (i.e. gender/ethnic identity, language used during session, etc.), if there is a certain type of treatment you are interested in pursuing (i.e. CBT, DBT, etc.), or if there is a specialty you would like the provider to have.

It will be important for you to have your schedule/availability easily accessible. You should also have your health insurance information ready. Some mental health providers would like you to share a brief summary of the type of treatment you are interested in or the symptoms you are wanting to work on.

Please note that many private practices do not have answering services or staff that answer the main appointment line, so you may be asked to leave your information and wait for a callback. (i.e. “hi, my name is RITchie the tiger and I am calling to schedule a new patient appointment. I am 19 years old and looking for weekly therapy to address my anxiety. I understand you accept my health insurance, Excellus BCBS. I can be reached at 585-475-5000”).

You can leave your information with several providers or even schedule initial appointments with a few providers. Be sure to ask about their cancellation policies and adhere to those to avoid being charged any late cancellation fees.

If you have Medicaid or Medicare-based insurance, you will need to verify coverage in Rochester, NY. Most Medicaid-based insurance plans only provide coverage for emergency department visits outside of the state and sometimes the county in which they are issued. Medicare provides national coverage, however, if your Medicare plan is supplemented by Medicaid, there may be a gap in your coverage.

There are a number of ways you can check your coverage in Rochester, NY. You can: 

• Contact the customer service hotline (contact numbers/websites are typically on the back of your insurance card) and explain that you will be living in Rochester, NY for school. Ask what types of coverage you will have in that area (zip code of campus is 14623). We also suggest you ask whether or not there are providers in the area that accept your specific plan.
• Log on to your insurance website (many sites allow you to create an account that provides information to your specific plan), input your specific plan information, locate the provider directory and browse providers in the 14623 zip code. If no providers (or a minimal amount) are generated you may not have full coverage here.

You should know the level of coverage you will have in Rochester (i.e. full coverage? emergency coverage only?). If you do have coverage in the Rochester area, it may also be important to know general costs associated with appointments on your insurance plan, such as if you have a copay plan or a high deductible plan, and how much your copay is.

YES! While no one plans to experience an emergency, they often happen. “Emergency” medical insurance coverage often includes treatment for unexpected illness or injury but not the ancillary treatment. For example, if you broke your leg, your emergency department visit would likely be covered, but you may not have insurance coverage for the orthopedic appointment to get a splint/cast, nor for the physical therapy consultations/appointments while your injury heals.

You should consider the following when preparing for the cost of medical treatment: 

• Prescriptions copayments (regular and temporary)
• Copayments/Coinsurance for appointments
• Cost of deductible
• Difference between in and out of network provider copayment/coinsurance