Approved Academic Travel Rider for Students

If you qualify*, enroll in the Approved Academic Travel Rider.

*Eligibility for the Approved Academic Travel Rider is determined by your Dean’s office.

The Approved Academic Travel Rider helps meet the medical needs of qualified students who travel within the United States but outside of the Yale Health service area.

It is offered as a supplement to Yale Health Hospitalization & Specialty Care and provides coverage for non-emergent illness and chronic care only.
The Approved Academic Travel Rider provides coverage for the duration of your approved travel, but it has a different plan structure and benefits than the Yale Health Hospitalization & Specialty Care plan when you are on campus.
Review your Yale Health Student Guide and Schedule of Benefits to understand the coverage for any services you are currently undergoing. Please contact Aetna at 866-253-8886 to confirm that services for any care you are currently undergoing, or may undergo, are covered by the Approved Academic Travel Rider.
After reviewing your Yale Health coverage, compare the cost for services with the Approved Academic Travel Rider by reviewing the Aetna Coverage Booklet and Schedule of Benefits.
Care for students enrolled in the Approved Academic Travel Rider will be administered by Aetna Healthcare.
Please visit Aetna’s self-service member portal to access Aetna’s comprehensive online resources, including plan documents, ID Cards, claim forms and claims status, clinician search, and their free mobile app.

*Note: Services for care may not be covered or may not be covered at the same cost, and you may have a cost-share payment responsibility.

In order to qualify for the Approved Academic Travel Rider, the student must have Yale Health Hospitalization & Specialty Care coverage, enroll between June 1 and June 30 for fall term coverage and between November 1 and January 15 for spring term coverage, and the travel must be:

within the United States (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and all international locations);
to a location outside of the Yale Health service area which is defined as Connecticut.
to meet a degree requirement as stated in the relevant graduate or professional school’s bulletin/student guide or in Yale College’s Programs of Study;
approved by the school and recorded in Banner; and
students in GSAS who have been approved for registration in absentia are approved for the travel rider.

*Note: Coverage will be for each student’s specified period of travel within the fall or spring academic term. If your approved academic travel spans more than one semester, you will be required to re-enroll in the Approved Academic Travel Rider for each semester.

Before you begin the enrollment process, be sure that you:

Have all the information necessary to complete the enrollment, including the names and dates of birth of all dependents that are to be enrolled.
Understand the per semester premium due for the level of coverage (individual, two-person, family) you select will be billed to your Student Financial & Administrative Services (SFAS) account.
Are aware of all applicable copays, deductibles, coinsurance, fees, and bills resulting from non-covered or partially covered services will be collected directly from you by the provider of service either at the time of service or afterwards.

After you submit your enrollment information, the process will be complete and you will be enrolled in the Approved Academic Travel Rider with coverage effective for the period of time in which you will be away from the Yale Health service area for approved academic travel within the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). If, for any reason, you do not complete the enrollment process, you can re-enter the enrollment web site to complete your enrollment. Once you have submitted your enrollment, you will not be able to cancel your enrollment in the coverage. In other words, if you completed your enrollment in the Approved Academic Travel Rider, you will not have another opportunity to change or cancel your coverage.