Suffolk University
STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN

2024-2025 Academic Year

Dear Student:

We are excited to share information about the Suffolk University Student Health Insurance Plan (SSHIP).  Health insurance is an important consideration for all students and their families.  Massachusetts law (Mandatory Health Insurance Coverage Institutions of Higher Education) and Suffolk University policy requires that all full-time and part-time students enrolled in at least 75% of a full-time program maintain comprehensive coverage either through a student health insurance plan or in a personal health insurance plan with comparable coverage.  Comprehensive coverage includes coverage for both preventive and urgent or emergency care in the Boston area, including behavioral healthcare. 

To support student access to comprehensive healthcare, all eligible students are automatically enrolled in the Suffolk University Student Health Insurance Plan (SSHIP) for coverage effective August 20, 2024 - August 19, 2025. We encourage students and families to review the benefits of SSHIP to make an informed decision about healthcare insurance coverage. Details regarding SSHIP benefits and coverage are provided below. Students and families are particularly encouraged to consider provider network access in the Boston area as well as how obtaining healthcare in Boston will impact copays, coinsurance amounts, or deducible obligations.

Students may opt out of SSHIP by providing documentation of comparable coverage with a different insurance plan provided by a U.S. based insurance carrier. All eligible students who choose to waive SSHIP in subsequent years must re-submit the SSHIP Online Waiver Form each academic year before the waiver deadline. If the SSHIP waiver is not submitted by the deadline, then enrollment in SSHIP and the corresponding charge on the student account cannot be reversed.

A summary of SSHIP benefits can be found here. Returning students, please note there are some changes to the deductible and co-insurance amounts.  The annual deductible has changed to $500 and Hospital admission/surgery are now 20% coinsurance. 

Student Health Insurance Policy Periods, Costs, and Deadlines

Waiver/Enrollment Process

If you are covered by a comprehensive health insurance plan you can opt-out of SSHIP by completing the waiver form, located in the left-hand side navigation menu. Before waiving, compare the cost, coverage, and benefits of the SSHIP to your existing plan. In order to waive, your plan must meet the below requirements:

• Your plan must provide access to doctors, specialists, hospitals, labs, pharmacies, and mental health/behavioral health providers in the Suffolk University campus area without restriction or limitation. 
• The policy must be a US health insurance plan that is filed and approved in the US and ACA (Affordable Care Act) compliant. International insurance plans, travel insurance, and short-term limited duration plans are not accepted.
• Out-of-state Medicaid and many out-of-state HMO or EPO plans do not provide out-of-network coverage, sometimes preventing access to primary, specialty, and behavioral health providers in the Boston area. Urgent and/or emergency-only coverage does not meet SSHIP requirements.

If you do not submit a waiver form by the waiver deadline above, you will be enrolled in SSHIP and responsible for the premium. 

International Students

Suffolk is requiring all international students to be insured with an ACA compliant, filed, and approved policy in the U.S. All international students in the United States will be automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan and do not need to take any action. Please note, health insurance plans marketed solely to international students are often not filed and approved in the U.S., have limited benefits, provider networks and/or coverage periods that do not comply with the Suffolk insurance requirements. GBG Insurance, HDL Global Specialty, ISO, PGH (United), PSI, Student Medicover, and Tata AIG are examples of companies that do not meet the waiver requirements. Please contact University Health Plans at 833-251-1113 or info@univhealthplans.com if you have any additional questions.

Qualifying Event Enrollment Process

Students who waived SSHIP may qualify for special enrollment rights if they incur an involuntary loss of other coverage. The Qualifying Event Enrollment Form can be found in the navigation menu on the left-hand side of this page. To request a premium quote, contact University Health Plans at 800-437-6448 or info@univhealthplans.com

To enroll, you must submit an enrollment form, a letter from your prior insurance company documenting your loss of coverage, and payment within 60 days of the qualifying event. If all items are received by the deadline coverage will be effective as of the first day without coverage under your prior plan.