Wellesley College
STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN
2024-2025 Academic Year
Eligibility
Per Massachusetts State Law, all students including Davis Scholars are required to enroll in the Wellesley College Student Health Insurance Plan or be covered by a health insurance plan with comparable coverage. To ensure compliance with Massachusetts law, Wellesley College students are automatically enrolled in and billed for the Student Health Insurance Plan. To read the details on this law, please click here.
Plan Highlights
The 2024-2025 Wellesley College Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) is provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The plan is ACA-compliant and includes access to Blue Cross Blue Shield's national PPO network of providers. Students do not have to select a primary care physician and referrals are not required. The SHIP includes the Hospital Choice Cost Sharing benefit feature where hospitals in Massachusetts are grouped into two different cost-sharing levels. When students receive hospital services, the amount they pay out-of-pocket is based on that hospital’s cost-sharing level. Information about the Hospital Choice Cost Sharing benefit can be found by clicking here. For a list of high and low-cost-share hospitals, please click here.
Wellesley has partnered with University Health Plans to administer the plan and help with waiver, enrollment, or benefit-related questions. University Health Plans can be reached at 833-251-1116 or info@univhealthplans.com.
Cost and Coverage Periods
| Annual Students | New Spring Students | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage Dates | 8/15/24 - 8/14/25 | 1/1/25 - 8/14/25 |
| Insurance Cost | $3,860 | $2,417 |
| Petition to Waive Deadline | October 3, 2024 |
January 3, 2025 |
Enrollment Process
Students who wish to enroll in the Wellesley College student health insurance plan do not need to take any action and will be automatically enrolled by the College.
Waiver Process
If you are covered by a comprehensive health insurance plan you can opt out of the Wellesley College SHIP by completing the waiver form, located in the left-hand side navigation menu. Before waiving, compare the cost, coverage, and benefits of the SHIP to your existing plan. To waive, your plan must meet the below requirements.
- The policy must be a US-filed and approved, ACA (Affordable Care Act) compliant health insurance plan. International insurance plans, travel insurance, and short-term limited-duration plans are not accepted.
- Your plan must provide access to doctors, specialists, hospitals, labs, pharmacies, and mental health/behavioral health providers in the Wellesley College campus area without restriction or limitation. Please note, if you are enrolled in an out-of-state Medicaid, HMO, or EPO your coverage may not be sufficient in Massachusetts. Many out-of-state plans do not provide comprehensive benefits outside of the home service area, and urgent or emergency-only coverage in Massachusetts is not sufficient and does not meet the SHIP waiver requirements. For your benefit, a comparison worksheet has been provided for you below. Please review and complete the comparison to confirm your plan’s coverage before submitting the waiver form.
Students who do not submit an enrollment or waiver form by the deadline will be enrolled in the SHIP retroactively to the policy effective date and responsible for the insurance premium.
International Students
All international students will be automatically enrolled in the SHIP and do not need to take any action. You can access your health insurance membership information in the left-hand side navigation menu. International students can only waive if they are enrolled in a US-filed and approved, ACA (Affordable Care Act) compliant plan that provides both emergency and non-emergency care in Massachusetts, specifically the Wellesley College campus area. Please note, health insurance plans marketed solely to international students are often not filed in the US and have limited benefits and/or coverage periods that do not comply with the Massachusetts Student Health Plan Regulations and the Wellesley College waiver requirements. ISO, PSI, Student Medicover, PGH Global, DIANins, and NYIS Insurance are examples of companies that do not meet the waiver requirements.
Qualifying Event Enrollment Process
Students who waived the SHIP 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.
Spring Termination Request Process
Due to the Massachusetts Student Health Insurance Plan Regulation, Wellesley College is required to allow students to terminate their SHIP mid-academic year if the student is newly eligible for a subsidized Massachusetts Health Connector Plan or MassHealth before the start of the Spring Term (before 1/1/25) or if a student will no longer be attending the College in the Spring Term. Students who meet the spring termination criteria may submit the Spring Termination Request Form located in the left-hand side navigation menu in November 2024. The deadline to submit the Spring Termination Request Form is January 31, 2025.
