Athletes
Intercollegiate Athletic Injury Insurance
Cornell University Intercollegiate Athletic Injury Insurance is provided at no extra cost for student athletes to supplement the SHIP or your private health insurance policy. It is designed to cover most athletic injury costs beyond those covered by your insurance policy.
Cornell's Policy on Health Insurance
It is Cornell University policy that each year you will be enrolled automatically
in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), unless you can demonstrate that you
have insurance that meets Cornell’s requirements. If your private health insurance does not provide coverage for medically necessary
care at Gannett and in the Ithaca area, you must purchase the SHIP. Most HMOs
require you to get pre-certification for treatment; many will cover only initial
treatment for emergencies outside the plan’s area. Emergency only coverage does
not meet university requirements. Please carefully review any plan you might consider
to make sure it will provide the coverage you will need as a Cornell student athlete.
Athletic Injury Insurance does not cover:
- illnesses
- injuries in intramural or club sports
- injuries outside official practices, formal workouts, or scheduled games
- off-season injuries, unless they result from activities supervised by a Cornell Athletic Department coach.
Athletic Injury Insurance applies only when:
- injuries are a direct result of participation in intercollegiate sports at Cornell; and
- your initial care and any referral to another facility or specialist are provided by a Gannett health care provider, except in emergencies occurring at away contests (self-referrals to health care providers outside Gannett are not covered); and
- you first submit medical bills to your health insurance company. Athletic Injury Insurance coverage is secondary to your private health insurance. If you have SHIP, you should send your bills to the Athletic Insurance Coordinator, Charlene Haskell, in Schoellkopf Hall. If you have your own private insurance, carefully follow your plan guidelines for coverage: failure to do so may result in claims not being paid by Athletic Injury Insurance.
If you have private health insurance coverage:
- Review the details of your plan to make sure it provides adequate coverage for injuries and illnesses at Cornell or on the road and meets Cornell's requirements. If it doesn't, enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) during the enrollment period at the beginning of each academic year.
- Make sure you understand your insurance company’s claim filing procedures and what you must do if you have injuries or illnesses while away from home.
- Keep copies of your insurance company’s claim forms, policy numbers, plan information, and telephone numbers on hand.
- Carry your insurance ID card (and prescription card, if you have one) in your wallet with your driver’s license, Cornell ID card, etc.
- Ask your parent(s)/guardian(s) to read this information so they will fully understand our policies and procedures.
In the event of an injury:
- Work closely with the staff of Cornell Sports Medicine to plan your treatment and rehab. (Call Gannett at 255-5155 to learn more.)
- Make sure you know just what you need to do to handle your bills to maximize your coverage.