Gannett staff will work with you to make paying for your health care as convenient, clear, and confidential as possible.  

This page covers: 

• Gannett Health Services charges
• Cornell-sponsored health insurance plans
• Other health insurance plans
• Prescription insurance plans
• Insurance coverage for lab tests
  
• Access Gannett Bills online at myGannett
  
• Privacy
• Confidentiality at Gannett
  
• Financial hardship 
• Contact us
  

Please review Frequently Asked Questions about bills.

Gannett Health Services is the primary care provider for all students when they are in the Ithaca area, whether they have Cornell’s SHIP or any other health insurance plan.
Student visits to Gannett are subsidized by Cornell, so the Gannett student visit charge for most appointments is only $10. (This charge is not covered by insurance).

Gannett charges can be paid with cash, check, credit card, or bursar bill.

Automatic bursar billing (for students only) 

The student visit charge and other Gannett fees (for lab tests, x-rays, special procedures, prescriptions, etc.) will be posted to your bursar bill, unless you instruct us differently.
  
For your convenience, you may leave Gannett without stopping to see a cashier. Charges will appear on your bursar bill with a generic description (such as “Gannett student visit charge” or “Rx”) that will not reveal any confidential health information.

Checkout with the cashier

All non-student patients and students who prefer that charges not be applied to their bursar bill should checkout with a cashier to:

• Pay with cash, personal check, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover).
• When the cashier is not available (e.g., Saturdays) you will be given a phone number to call to arrange credit card billing. 
  

Gannett will submit your claims directly if you are insured by:

• Cornell’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), provided by Aetna Student Health
• HealthNow
• Aetna Life Insurance Company
• Empire Plan (NYSHIP)
  

Please be prepared to provide your current health insurance card to the Gannett receptionist at check-in so we can keep it on file.

NOTE: You are responsible for any fees not covered by your plan. These may include deductibles, visit charges, co-pays, and fees for missed (or cancelled) appointments. 

Other health insurance plans (non-Cornell plans, such as an individual or parent’s health insurance plan) often create challenges for students who need medical and mental health care in Ithaca. For example, many plans may not cover x-rays, lab work, or other procedures performed at Gannett or anywhere considered “out of area.”

Cornellians have a wide range of health insurance plans from every state in the country, so we are unable to submit claims directly for those with private insurance.

If you have non-Cornell health insurance, you will need to:

• Pay your Gannett bill (bursar your charges, or pay with a credit card, cash, or check).
• Send detailed receipts, complete with specific diagnostic information, to your insurance company for reimbursement.
  

NOTE: Some plans use restrictive “provider networks” or have complex payment rules, so some (or all) charges related to your care may not be reimbursed. Find out now what your plan covers, and where; when pre-authorization is required for services or procedures you might seek at Gannett, in Ithaca, or wherever you might need them; and how claim forms will be handled.

The Gannett Pharmacy can bill directly to the following plans, which account for about 85% of the Cornell community’s plans:

• Aetna Life Insurance   
  
• Advance Rx 
• Advance PCS
• Caremark
• Cornell SHIP (Aetna Student Health)
• Express scripts
• FlRx   
• Medco
  

The name of the company on your prescription card card may not be the company processing the claim. If you are unclear whether your plan is accepted (or to expedite the use of our pharmacy services), show your pharmacy card to the staff in the Gannett Pharmacy. If you prefer, you may fax a copy of both sides of your pharmacy insurance card to us at 607 254-5042. Include your Cornell ID number and phone number so we may contact you.

If your pharmacy insurance is not one we can bill directly, you must pay in full for pharmacy items and submit receipts to your plan for reimbursement. Students may bursar charges at the time of service, or pay with Visa, MasterCard, check, or cash.

Insurance coverage for lab testing can be particularly confusing. Being informed is the best way to make the most of your coverage.

Gannett’s Ley Laboratory is licensed by the NY State Department of Health and CLIA certified for “Highly Complex testing.” Our staff provides testing on-site for many kinds of lab tests. They also provide drawing and handling of specimens that are sent to outside reference labs (labs that can accept referrals): Lab Corporation of America (Lab Corp) and Cayuga Medical Center (CMC).

Our lab staff will send specimens to reference labs when:

• The tests needed cannot performed at Ley Laboratory; in this case, Gannett charges a fee for blood draws and processing.
• The patient asks to have tests sent to the reference lab in order to maximize the insurance coverage; for this service, there is a $40 handling and conveyance fee.
  

If you have questions or desires about where your laboratory procedure will be performed, please talk with our lab staff.

Gannett’s lab is able to participate only with Cornell-sponsored insurance plans.

Lab Corp and CMC participate with a wider range of insurance companies. However, reference labs will bill you directly if they do not participate with your insurance or if the insurance information you provided was not adequate.

Before getting tests, find out what your insurance will cover:

• Call your health insurance company.
• Tell them what test(s) you are getting.
• Ask whether the tests are covered, and what the coverage is specifically.
• Ask where the lab work should be done to maximize coverage (i.e., Ley Laboratory at Gannett, Lab Corp, or CMC).
  

Gannett’s health information system gives you convenient access to your account through a secure portal called myGannett.

To view statements, appointment history, and other information:

• Go to https://mygannett.gannett.cornell.edu or use the myGannett link from any page on the Gannett website.
• Log on using your Cornell NetID authentication. 
• Go to the “account summary” link to view all recent statements. 
• If you want to submit charges for reimbursement from your insurance company, print the statement and send it with a claim form.
  

Watch for on-line updates

It may take 3 to 5 business days for all charges associated with your visit to appear in your statement. If you obtain a printed receipt from myGannett or a Gannett cashier before then, it may not reflect all charges. For instance, lab tests ordered during your visit may generate further charges if they are sent to outside labs or require follow-up testing.

We want you to feel comfortable seeking the care you need without worrying about privacy issues. All information about your health and health care at Gannett is confidential. We will not release health or billing information related to your visits without your permission.

If you ever have any concerns about whether something confidential may get into the wrong hands, please talk with your health care provider or a patient advocate. Gannett’s business services staff can help you make choices about your bills to protect your confidentiality. You can even call ahead (607.255.7492).

If you want the support of a parent, partner, spouse, family member, or friend to deal with health care concerns or expenses, we will be happy to share billing and/or other information. For your protection, this is never done automatically: we must have your permission after each visit to release confidential information about your health care, including health care expenses.

If you want someone else to have access to all of your billing information, New York State law requires that you file your written permission with us every year.

Please be aware of a couple of things about your Gannett bill:

• It contains specific details about your visits. The language may not be specific, but it does include a “diagnostic code” that is required by insurance companies to process requests for reimbursement. If you’ve had a visit or procedure that you would like to keep to yourself, look closely at your statement before passing it on to anyone else.
• If you have two (or more) visits in the same billing period, both will appear on the same statement.
  

All medical care and counseling at Gannett is confidential. Health care records are completely separate from all other university records. Gannett Health Services staff confer with one another as needed to provide integrated care for you; in the event of your treatment at Cayuga Medical Center or another hospital, the hospital and Gannett will share relevant health information for continuity of care. Otherwise, Gannett will not release any information about you without your written permission, except as authorized or required by law, or in our judgment as necessary to protect you or others from a serious threat to health or safety.

Inability to pay should never be a barrier to receiving the health care you need. If you have concerns about expenses related to medical or mental health care, consider these options:

• You may discuss them with a Gannett health care provider or member of our Business Services staff before or during your visit to Gannett. We can help you consider your options.
• Undergrads also may benefit from consulting with the Office of Financial Aid.
  

Please call us with any questions or concerns you have about costs, bills, financial assistance, or services. We want to help.

• Gannett Business Services, 607 255-7492
• Patient Advocate, 255-3564
• Office of Student Health Insurance, 255-6363