GatorGradCare

GatorGradCare health insurance is available exclusively to Graduate Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Research Assistants on appointment (.25 FTE or greater) at the University of Florida.

General Information

Plan information can be found on GatorCare’s GatorGradCare page.

Medical Benefits Administration – Florida Blue
Pharmacy Benefits – Magellan Pharmacy Solutions
Plan Name: – GatorGradCare
Group Number – 78358
Dental Benefits – PDF
Behavioral Health Resources – PDF

Participant Eligibility Requirements

University of Florida graduate assistants, teaching assistants, and research assistants appointed .25 FTE or greater may participate in the GatorGradCare health insurance plan.

Hiring departments must ensure the following:

• The GA, TA, or RA appointment must occur via the Letter of Appointment (LOA) process in PeopleSoft, and all Letter of Appointment criteria met.
• Active GA, TA or RA job with .25 or greater FTE entered in PeopleSoft.
• The GA receives a stipend as a bi-weekly paycheck from the appropriate UF account.
• The work county location must be correct and current in PeopleSoft job data. For GAs working remotely or at a remote work location, a Remote Work Location Agreement (RWLA) must be completed per the UF Remote Workplace Location policy.

Enrollment

Enrollment is not automatic; newly hired graduate assistants have 60 days from their date of hire to enroll in GatorGradCare if they want to participate.

The enrollment portal in myUFL opens for newly hired GAs after the GA job appointment is entered and active in the UF PeopleSoft/payroll system.

View instructions for submitting the GatorGradCare enrollment through myUFL.

GAs who do not enroll within 60 days of their hire date may only enroll during the next Open Enrollment period or if they experience an appropriate Qualifying Status Change (QSC) event. Elections are final and can only be changed during the next Open Enrollment or if the GA experiences an appropriate QSC event.

If there is a delay in GA job entry and the process will be completed in PeopleSoft after the 60 day new hire enrollment period has ended, the GA should contact the GA Benefits Office prior to the end of the 60 day period and immediately after the job is entered in PeopleSoft.

Effective and Termination Dates

GatorGradCare coverage for newly hired GAs is retroactive to the date of hire. Enrollment must be completed within 60 days of hire.

GatorGradCare coverage terminates at the end of the month in which the GA job terminates. Coverage termination dates may be adjusted in the following cases:

• Participant gains coverage through another UF-sponsored health insurance plan–GatorGradCare coverage may be terminated by UF to coordinate with the effective date of the new or reactivated UF-sponsored plan, if the new or reactivated plan results in duplicate coverage.
• Participant gains group health insurance under an employer or government subsidized health plan–GatorGradCare may be terminated at the end of the month following qualifying event date. Required documentation and paperwork must be submitted within 60 days of the event.

ID Cards

ID cards are mailed to your local home mailing address and arrive about 2 weeks after coverage is loaded with Florida Blue. Please note the following:

• Florida Blue does not issue separate ID cards for dependents covered under your insurance plan. You will receive two ID cards in your name and dependents will use your insurance card information. Medical providers and pharmacies are able to confirm the dependent coverage using the ID card.
• You may order additional cards or print a temporary ID card after you create an online account at www.floridablue.com. Information regarding creating your online account is found below.

Creating Your Online Account with Florida Blue

Plan participants may view claims details, order additional ID cards, and print a temporary ID card online at www.floridablue.com by logging in to MyBlueService after creating an online account.

Participants must have their member ID number to create the Florida Blue online account. The member ID will be available through Florida Blue Customer Service once the coverage is processed. Florida Blue Customer Service can be reached by calling (800) 664-5295.

Costs

Employees enrolled in GatorGradCare are responsible for a portion of the premium (cost of insurance.) The premium is collected through bi-weekly payroll deductions.

Plan participants are responsible for their share of the premium beginning on the effective date of coverage. UF collects any missed premium deductions on future paychecks. Double deductions are taken in spring for active 9-month GAs to pay for coverage while on short work break in summer.

The employee and employer share of the cost is per the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the University of Florida and the Graduate Assistants United (GAU). For reference, in 2021, UF pays approximately 95% of the employee-only GatorGradCare premium. The amounts shown in the table below represent the employee’s share of the cost only.

Departments should use the appropriate Fringe Benefit Pool Rate to budget for GA benefits costs.

2023 GatorGradCare Premiums (effective 1/1/23 to 12/31/2023)

Dependent Coverage

Eligible dependents include the graduate assistant’s spouse or domestic partner and dependent child(ren) up to 26 years of age. Dependent documentation (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc.) may be requested by the GA Benefits Office. Failure to submit requested documentation may result in termination of dependent coverage.

Enrollees may elect dependent coverage at the time of enrollment. Once the enrollment is submitted, changes to dependent coverage level can be made only within 60 days of a qualifying event or during the annual open enrollment period. Please see the information in the sections below for additional information.

Qualifying Status Changes

Qualifying Status Change (QSC) events include changes in family or employment status. Examples of qualifying events include birth, adoption, and legal guardianship; marriage and divorce; and gain or loss of eligibility for other group health insurance coverage. Supporting documentation for the event is required.

You may make a change to your benefits elections within 60 days of the QSC event date. If the change is not completed within 60 days of the event, you may make a change to your elections during the next annual open enrollment period.

If adding dependent coverage or enrolling in plan coverage based on a QSC event, the coverage is effective on the event date. Termination of plan coverage is effective on the first of the month following the event date.

Qualifying status change events should be reported to the GA Benefits Office by emailing gabenefits@hr.ufl.edu.

Open Enrollment

Held in the fall, open enrollment (OE) is an annual opportunity to add, change, or remove enrollment elections for the next year. Elections made during OE are effective on January 1st of the following year. Outside the annual OE period, graduate assistants may only make changes to their GatorGradCare plan coverage within 60 days of a qualifying status change event, as noted in the section above.

Current participants do NOT need to re-enroll in GatorGradCare during OE.  Your current coverage continues automatically for the next plan year if you still meet the GatorGradCare plan eligibility requirements. You only need to take action during open enrollment if you want to make a change to plan coverage to add/remove dependents, or cancel plan coverage.

Plan Network Providers

GatorGradCare participants in the Gainesville area may contact the Student Health Care Center for routine, non-emergency medical and pharmacy services.  Each UF student is assigned a health team that provides care. To find your team or make an appointment, visit the SHCC website at shcc.ufl.edu or call (352) 392-1161.

To locate other GatorCare plan network providers, visit http://gatorcare.org/network or call Florida Blue Customer Service at (800) 664-5295.

Member Discount Program

Blue365 offers exclusive member discounts on health and wellness for GatorGradCare participants. Discounts for a vision exam and vision materials are available through EyeMed on the Blue365 website.

Mandatory Health Insurance (MHI) Information

The University of Florida has a mandatory health insurance requirement managed by the UF Health Compliance Office. Students are required to show proof of adequate health insurance. If no proof of insurance is submitted, students are enrolled in the student health insurance plan through United Healthcare and charged on their bursar account. It is important that you check ONE.UF to review the mandatory health insurance requirement hold on your academic record and read and agree to the policy.

If you enroll in GatorGradCare, this coverage meets the mandatory health insurance requirement. Students who have health insurance, including GatorGradCare, must complete an insurance waiver once a year to opt out of the United Healthcare policy. The waiver must be completed online by Fee Payment Deadline. First-time GatorGradCare enrollees and returning GatorGradCare participants will need to complete the insurance waiver process before the applicable deadline. Completion of the insurance waiver does not enroll you in GatorGradCare.

Because of timing, a charge for the United Healthcare student health insurance plan may be posted on your bursar account until your GatorGradCare insurance coverage is verified and the waiver finalized. The charge will be reversed once your insurance waiver is finalized if the United Healthcare plan has not been used. However, if you use the United Healthcare school-sponsored insurance plan, the coverage cannot be terminated or the cost refunded even if your GatorGradCare enrollment is processed at a later time.

Address Changes

A current local home mailing address is required. Review your address or make changes using these instructions.

Please note that it may take up to 2 weeks for an updated address to be reflected in Florida Blue’s system.

COBRA—Continuation of Coverage After Termination

GatorGradCare terminates at the end of the month in which the GA job terminates. COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) is a federally mandated program that allows continuation of the medical benefit, at your expense, based on specific events such as termination of employment. COBRA enrollment is not automatic and enrollment must be completed by the COBRA election deadline.

Florida Blue will send a COBRA enrollment offer packet by postal mail to the address on file after the GGC termination is processed. The Florida Blue GatorGradCare COBRA administration team can be reached by emailing ContinuationOfCoverage@bcbsfl.com or by calling 855-509-1678.

Pre-doc Fellows

To participate in active GatorGradCare coverage, pre-doc fellows must be appointed as a GA/TA/RA with an FTE of .25 or greater.  Students appointed exclusively as pre-doc fellows (no GA/TA/RA or GA/TA/RA with FTE less than .25) may participate in the United HealthCare student health insurance plan.

Active GatorGradCare participants who terminate their GA/TA/RA appointment due to a transfer to a new pre-doc fellowship appointment may elect GatorGradCare COBRA coverage based on the termination of their GA appointment. COBRA enrollment is not automatic and enrollment must be completed by the COBRA election deadline.

Contact Information

Plan coverage or claims

Enrollment, eligibility, and qualifying status changes