Health Center

Health Insurance While at School

Health Insurance Requirements/Coverage While at School

State Requirements

  • Massachusetts law requires all full time students (9 or more credits) to carry health insurance
  • Students may be covered by individual or family coverage, or may participate in the College's Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) offered through University Health Plans / Consolidated Health Plans
  • To ensure compliance with the law, all full time students are enrolled in and billed for the SHIP at the beginning of the academic year.
  • Students wishing to substitute other individual or family coverage for the SHIP must demonstrate comparable coverage by filing a waiver at the office of Student Financial Services or on line at www.universityhealthplans.com at the beginning of the academic year.
    • It is the policy of the College that all international students be enrolled in the school plan to ensure accessible coverage
    • The law does not allow out of state Medicaid coverage as comparable insurance, although MassHealth qualifies
  • SHIP coverage is also available to
    • Students entering in January or the summer
    • Students wishing family coverage
    • Part time students
      • Part time students and students wishing to purchase family coverage should also investigate market rate plans and subsidized plans offered through the Massachusetts Health Connector (www.mahealthconnector.org). Full time students are not eligible for the subsidized plans offered through the Connector

For a comparison of the school SHIP plan and other plans see Comparing School Plan with Other Coverage below.

Coverage Under the College Student Health Insurance Plan ( SHIP): Fall '08

  • The College plan (SHIP) is primarily an accident and illness plan and doesn't cover "well" visits, eye exams, dental care, most immunizations or other preventive care with the exception of an annual gyn exam.
  • The plan is designed to cover services such as ER visits, lab tests or visits to specialists that cannot be performed in the school's health center or other primary care settings,
    • The Health Center provides primary care to students through payment of an annual health fee, required of all undergraduates (currently $330 per semester). Graduate students are also welcome to use the Health Center for their primary care (see Fees)
  • The plan has an overall maximum annual benefit of $50,000 per "episode of illness" which includes any inpatient or outpatient care needed to treat that illness. This is sufficient coverage for most students, although occasionally a very serious accident or illness results in a student exceeding the plan maximum. In those rare instances, the student usually applies for coverage under the state's free care pool
  • The plan also offers a separate prescription drug benefit of $1,000, subject to co-pays
  • 24 outpatient mental health visits are also covered under the plan

Comparing the School Plan with Other Individual or Family Coverage

  • Benefits of other coverage, such as coverage under your family's plan
    • May offer wider range of services, with higher plan maximums or no maximum at all
    • Saves extra cost of SHIP if your family continues to need a family plan in any case
    • May provide you with option of continuing coverage after graduation
  • If you choose this (family) coverage check with your insurer about the following
    • Be sure your plan will cover you in an emergency while at school or traveling
    • Know whether your plan requires prior approval before referral to a specialist (e.g., dermatologist) or diagnostic testing and where to call to get approval
    • Know the prescription benefits of your plan. If the prescription coverage requires you to lay out the money and get reimbursed, be sure you have a way of doing that (e.g., credit card)
    • Be sure you have the name, policy number and phone number of your plan. Know who the primary "insured" is under your plan (Mother? Father? Self?). Have a copy of your insurance card.
  • Benefits of School Plan (SHIP)
    • Offers basic coverage at a reasonable cost when family or other coverage is unavailable or too expensive
    • Is known by local providers, facilitating specialty referrals
    • Meets needs of most students