Graduate Employee Health Insurance
This page is last updated on Sept 9, 2025

Healthcare was one of the first, and prominent demands that unionizing graduate workers at UB pushed for--and eventually won in their first contract in 1993. We know that healthcare, even under the best of circumstances, can be frustrating, obtuse, and all around a pain to navigate: so we're hoping to make that a little easier!

UB Student Health Insurance Requirement
UB requires all full-time students to enroll in the UB student health insurance plan unless you have comparable coverage. International students need to waive their UB health insurance and sign up for comparable coverage BUT domestic students do not need to waive the UB plan. We recommend NYSHIP below. 

NYSHIP – Student Employee Health Plan (SEHP)
As a TA or GA, you are eligible for the NYSHIP - Student Employee Health Plan (SEHP), which GSEU secured in our collective contract. The SEHP individual plan usually costs $33.59 per your biweekly TA/GA paycheck (about $432~$538 yearly total per year). This is much cheaper than UB student health insurance. (UB international student insurance: Fall 2025: $906.45; Spring 2026: $1,257.92)

⚠️ Enrollment in SEHP is NOT automatic. Plan to enroll in SEHP during the open enrollment period: The 2025 Open Enrollment Period for the SEHP will run through close of business Monday, October 20, 2025. If you enroll after this period, your coverage will not begin until 30 days after your enrollment form is received.

• How to Enroll SEHP:

        Fill out Form PS-404G and submit it to UB HR. Additional documentation is required to enroll dependents.
        UB HR Benefits – State Benefit Services
        Phone: 716-645-7777
        Email: [email protected]

• Useful links for SEHP info:
  • GSEU Benefits on UB HR's site: Highly recommend you take a read!
  • SEHP At A Glance
  • SEHP Summary of Benefits and Coverage
  • NYSHIP-SEHP General Information Book (2024)
  • NYSHIP-SEHP on NYS Gov Site

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UB Health Insurance Waiver: Deadline September 26, 2025
If you are enrolled in SEHP (or another comparable plan), you must submit a waiver before September 26, 2025 to avoid paying for UB student health insurance.

• While you do not have to re-enroll in SEHP each year, you do need to re-submit a waiver.
• It generally takes up to 5-7 business days to approve the waiver, and another 1–14 days for the UB student health insurance fee to be lifted from your account.
• Waiver instructions: GA/TA Health Insurance Waiver

⚠️ Note for new graduate workers: you need a Social Security Number (SSN) to complete the waiver process.
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We only have access to SEHP, an affordable comprehensive plan, because we have a union that negotiates a state contract. Without GSEU, we would all have to enroll in UB's expensive student health insurance plan. Sign up to become a GSEU member and ensure we can continue to bargain for quality health insurance!

FAQ

I'm so confused! Who can I contact?
You can begin by looking over the GSEU Benefits page on UB's website. If you can't find your answer there, feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any questions or concerns. You can also directly email UB HR, however they may be delayed in responding given the sheer volume of state employees they work with.

Can I just sign up for health insurance without dental or vision? Or just sign up for dental without health or vision?
Unfortunately not at this time. The health benefits that our contract awards us are as affordable as they are because they're bundled together, and therefore can't be separated. 

So just to clarify, I will have my health insurance over the summer?
Most likely, yes! If you are on a 12-month TA or GA line, your health insurance costs will simply continue to be deducted out of each subsequent paycheck for the calendar year. If you are a 10-month TA or GA, you will have the opportunity to pre-pay your insurance costs in your final paycheck (typically the first or second week in June), and will therefore have health insurance for the summer. 

COBRA
COBRA-coverage is the extension of your current healthcare benefits to you, at a marginally higher price per month. You are eligible to apply for COBRA when your term of employment at UB has ended, typically after you've completed all of your guaranteed years of funding. COBRA is not for summer un-employment--DO NOT SIGN UP FOR COBRA OVER THE SUMMER IF YOU HAVE A TA OR GA LINE IN THE FALL! It will be an additional, unnecessary financial burden, so check with GSEU first, to see if we can assist you in remaining on worker insurance, before signing up. For further information on COBRA, check out the U. S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration's FAQ,

I have questions about specific procedures that are covered.
You can create an online account with NYSHIP, where some of your procedure-specific questions may be answered. If not, call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card, or check the health insurance booklet that was sent to your home address a few weeks after you initially enrolled.