Health Care and Health Insurance

Your PCC International Student Health Insurance (ISHIP) is overseen by Academic HealthPlans, and it is composed of 3 separate insurances that are covered by 3 different companies, or network providers. 

To use your insurance, please have your insurance card or numbers ready. To access your insurance card or numbers, read "How do I find my insurance cards?". After you have your insurance numbers, visit the corresponding website for the care that you need and find a doctor or health professional “in the network”:  

For Medical and Mental Health Care: United HealthCare
Visit the Medical and Mental Health Care Step-by-Step Guide for additional help

For Dental Care: Anthem Dental
Visit the Dental Care Step-by-Step Guide for additional help

For Vision Care: Academic VisionCare+ or VSP
Visit the Vision Care Step-by-Step Guide for additional help

After you have located your preferred doctor in the corresponding network, call their office number to make an appointment. You will be asked to provide your name, date of birth, and a copy of your health insurance card. To access your health insurance card, go to “How do I find my health insurance cards?”.  

Your PCC International Student Health Insurance (ISHIP) is overseen by Academic HealthPlans, and it is composed of 3 separate insurances that are covered by 3 different companies, or network providers. 

The PCC ISHIP covers all your visits on-campus to the PCC Student Health Services and Personal Counseling.

The PCC ISHIP also has low co-pays and low costs for visits off-campus visits for:

• Medical and mental health care: This is an accident and sickness plan which also includes low co-pays for any doctor prescribed medications, annual women’s wellness checks, and low-cost immunization vaccines that are needed if you plan to transfer to a 4-year university. To view the details of your coverage, visit the Medical and Mental Health Care Plan Snapshot. 
• Dental care: This insurance covers routine diagnostic and preventive dental services with $0 copay when using Blue Cross contracted dentists.  There is an annual $50 deductible which is waived for Diagnostic and Preventive services.  Basic and Major restorative care and Nonsurgical periodontics is covered at varying levels of coinsurance.  The plan covers up to $1,500 per plan year. To view the details of your coverage, visit the Dental Care Plan Snapshot. 
•  Vision care: This insurance has low co-pays for vision exams, frames, lenses or lens enhancements. There are also extra savings for other vision-related services. To view the details of your coverage, visit the Vision Care Plan Snapshot. 

The PCC International Health Insurance Plan (ISHIP) provides coverage for medical care received outside of California. For details about the benefits, visit the Academic HealthPlans page for more information. 

The PCC ISHIP is composed of 3 types of insurance: Medical, Dental and Vision. These are separate coverages and are administered by separate insurance companies. For each coverage, you will have a separate ID number and ID card.

Your insurance cards and coverage information are automatically activated and emailed to your PCC email address within approximately 5-10 business days (exclude Saturdays and Sundays) after you have paid your tuition and fees for the semester. 

To find your Medical insurance card, you should have received an email to your PCC email address from enrollment@visit-aci.com.  This card is used for medical and mental health services.  You will want to use only United HealthCare contracted doctors, urgent care centers and hospitals as this will save you money! You can also access their Step-by-Step Guide for additional help. 

To find your Dental care insurance card, you should have received a welcome email from Anthem Blue Cross. You can also download the Sydney Mobile app or visit Anthem Blue Cross to create an account and download your Dental ID card.

To find your Vision care insurance card, please provide the doctor’s office your name, date of birth, and the following number: 00 + your 8-digit PCC Student ID number (a total of 10 digits). You can also access their Step-by-Step Guide for additional help.

Your insurance cards and coverage information are automatically emailed to you within 5-10 business days after you have paid your PCC tuition and fees for the semester. 

If you are not sure if you have paid your fees for the semester, please contact PCC Student Business Services.

If you have paid your fees for the semester and it has been more than 5-10 business days (exclude Saturdays and Sundays), please contact the International Student Center for additional assistance. 

No other insurance policies will be accepted as a substitute for the PCC International Student Health Insurance (ISHIP). International students attending PCC are required to purchase the medical insurance policy provided by PCC. Any additional insurances outside of the PCC ISHIP will act as a supplement. 

If you are on the PCC campus during business hours (Monday to Friday between 8AM to 5PM) and you need medical care immediately, visit the Student Health Services in D-105. If your medical situation is severe, the Student Health Services staff will assist you with additional instructions for outside care. 

If you are off campus and you need to see a health care provider immediately for a not life-threatening situation, visit a United HealthCare contracted urgent care clinic. Urgent care clinics offer routine medical care for treatments that are not life-threatening. 

If you are off campus and you need to see a health care provider immediately for a life-threatening situation, visit the nearest hospital emergency room.

If you are off campus and you need to schedule a doctor’s visit, such as a routine exam or receive a medical evaluation that is not urgent, find an in-network medical or mental health care provider and call their office number to schedule an appointment. 

For Medical and Mental Health Care: United HealthCare
Visit the Medical and Mental Health Care Step-by-Step Guide for additional help

For Dental Care: Anthem Blue Cross (Dental)
Visit the Dental Care Step-by-Step Guide for additional help

For Vision Care: Academic VisionCare+ or VSP
Visit the Vision Care Step-by-Step Guide for additional help

If you are an enrolled PCC student and you are using health care on campus such as PCC Student Health Services in D-105 or Personal Counseling in D-203, there are no costs. If vaccines are required, there may be additional costs at a low price. 

If you are visiting a doctor, urgent care, or hospital outside of PCC, students will pay a small fee, also known as a co-pay or co-payment. For more complicated, specialized procedures, or additional referrals by an off-campus doctor, students will be responsible for additional costs. View the cost breakdown of each insurance policy under the “Benefits” section. 

• Your medical or dental insurance card. For vision care, simply provide your insurance number, which is 00 + your 8-digit PCC Student ID number (total of 10-digits) 
• Photo identification such as passport, PCC Student ID or driver’s license 

All 3 insurances (medical, vision and dental) are covered by 3 different companies, or network providers. Doctors and health practitioners have established special rates with these companies to be in their “network” to keep your health care costs low. 

If you see a doctor outside of the companies’ network, your health care costs will be much higher. You always want to try to locate a doctor that is in your network. 

If you use a doctor, urgent care, or hospital that is not a member of the corresponding network, you will be responsible for a higher percentage of the medical expenses. View each insurance’s policy, or snapshot, on using an out-of-network provider to see the detailed costs. 

Telehealth is virtual health care that can be administered via phone or through a virtual platform. Students under the PCC ISHIP have access to telehealth services for medical and mental health care, as well as dental care. 

To access free telehealth services for medical and mental health care, use AcademicLiveCare. View the AcademicLiveCare Step-by-Step Guide for additional help.  

To access telehealth services for dental care, use Anthem Dental’s Mobile App, Sydney Health, and search for TeleDentists. View the Dental Care Snapshot for additional help.

A copay is a small amount that you pay each time you visit the provider.  Your medical or mental care office visit copay is $25.

A deductible is the amount that is due one time per plan year before the insurance begins to pay. Your medical plan has a $0 annual deductible. Your dental plan has a $50 annual deductible which is waived for diagnostic and preventive services.

Once the provider submits the claim to the insurance company, you will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from the insurance. On the top, it will say Explanation of Benefits or EOP. This is not a bill. The EOB is notification to you about how much the provider billed, how much the insurance paid, any amount the provider must write off, and any amount you owe. The provider will bill you for the amount you owe. If your doctor or health provider bills you for any additional amounts you owe, it will say Bill on the top of the document. 

The provider’s bill and the amount the EOB says you owe, should always match. If they do not, please call the member services phone number on your insurance ID card for investigation. Please DO NOT ignore any bills.

If you are still not sure if the document you received is an EOB or a Bill, or you have questions on why you need to pay additional, please contact the International Student Center for additional support.  

A claim form is a form you can fill out if you would like to be reimbursed for any costs you paid when you received medical service without providing your insurance card. Claims cannot be submitted for co-pays or deductibles.

ACI, a division of Pan American Life Insurance, is our claims administrator. To submit a claim, complete the claim form and mail it and all supporting receipts to ACI at P.O. Box 4000, Collegeville, PA 19426 for review. If your claim is approved, you will receive a check reimbursement for any extra money you paid after your co-pay. Remember to keep any receipts for any out-of-pocket costs. Submit your claim form within 90 days of your treatment. Forms are available here. 

Complete your claim form and mail it, along with supporting receipts, to:

ACI
P.O. Box 4000
Collegeville, PA 19426

You can contact our claims provider, ACI, at (610) 293-9229. 

Every patient is protected by U.S. law under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The law protects sensitive patient health information from being shared without the patient’s consent or knowledge. 

Your medical case, whether it is treated on campus by PCC Student Health Center or Personal Counseling, or off campus by a health care provider, is confidential and will not be shared with anyone (not your parents, guardians, or PCC staff) unless you provide signed permission.