Student Health Insurance Plan
Massachusetts requires college students to have comprehensive health insurance.
UMass Amherst’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) coverage for the 2011 – 2012 academic year is offered through Aetna Student Health.
Students with comparable coverage may waive the SHIP using an online tool. Those covered by Commonwealth Care and international students are not eligible to waive SHIP coverage. For more information, see the "waiver eligiblity" section below.
What does SHIP offer?
The SHIP meets or exceeds state requirements, with coverage and benefits specific to college students. Go to the Aetna Student Health website and click on 2011 - 2012 Student Health Insurance Plan Brochure for comprehensive plan information.
The SHIP family plan provides coverage for a covered student's spouse, same-sex domestic partner and/or unmarried dependent children under age 26. To purchase the SHIP family plan and enroll eligible family members, the student must be enrolled in the SHIP and have paid the Student Health Fee. A marriage certificate is required to enroll in the SHIP family plan.
What if I already have insurance?
The bigger question is … will your family’s existing plan meet your needs and state requirements? For example, your plan may have a high deductible, which must be met before benefits begin. Other plans may not meet the state’s threshold for coverage. Compare your plan to the SHIP to see which choice makes the most sense for you.
How do I enroll?
If you’re taking 5 or more credits, you don’t have to do anything. You’ll be automatically enrolled in SHIP and the charges will appear on your tuition bill.
Students wishing to purchase the family plan, those taking fewer than five credits per semester, program fee students and those enrolled in a degree-seeking program through Continuing and Professional Education or University Without Walls must come to UHS Patient Services before the end of the Add/Drop period to register.
To purchase the SHIP family plan and enroll eligible family members, the student must be enrolled in the SHIP and have paid the Student Health Fee. A marriage certificate is required to enroll in the SHIP family plan.
What does it cost?
The SHIP is a competitively priced policy sold on an annual basis. Coverage is charged to the fall and spring semester tuition bills. No refunds are granted.
The individual rate for 2011 – 2012 is $1,388 per semester. This does not include the mandatory Student Health Fee.
The family plan rate for 2011 – 2012 is $2,299 per semester. You must be enrolled in the SHIP individual plan to be eligible to purchase the family plan. Your premium reflects the total of the two plans; it does not include the mandatory Student Health Fee.
Graduate students who have health plan eligibility are responsible for 5% of the cost of individual SHIP coverage, and for 10% of the family plan.
For more information, call UHS Patient Services, 577-5192.
Coverage dates
The SHIP provides coverage on an annual basis; effective dates for the 2011 – 2012 coverage period are August 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012.
ID cards
Once you’ve enrolled in SHIP, you'll receive an ID card. Keep this card with you and show it when you go for medical care.
If you need care and haven't received your card yet, go to the ‘Benefit Details’ section of the Aetna Student Health website to to download a temporary card.
Waiver eligibility
UMass Amherst may elect to allow students to waive participation in the SHIP.
Audits are performed; students whose waivers are rejected during an audit will have an opportunity to correct the information submitted. Waivers not accepted by the university will be recharged to the tuition bill.
If you waive coverage for the Fall semester, it is automatically waived for the Spring semester; you do not need to submit a second waiver request. Only new or transfer students need to submit the online waiver request for the Spring semester.
Waiver guidelines:
U.S. students with comparable coverage under another major medical insurance plan, including Commonwealth Choice, can waive the SHIP.
Closed network plans, which provide coverage through a closed network of providers not reasonably accessible in the area where the student attends school, are not eligible for SHIP waiver.
Veterans' benefits that provide access to Veterans' Administration healthcare facilities, and the U.S. Family Health Plan, a military coverage, are both acceptable.
Mass Health plans are acceptable; however, enrollment is subject to state eligibility. Subscribers who have been disenrolled based on their student status should contact UHS Patient Services to enroll in the SHIP.
Commonwealth Care plans are not eligible for SHIP waiver; this includes the Health Safety Net Plan. This policy is determined by the state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy. Subscribers who have been disenrolled based on their student status should contact UHS Patient Services to enroll in the SHIP.
International students are required to maintain SHIP coverage.
Waiving SHIP
The spring semester online waiver deadline (Feb. 6, 2012) has passed. Students who have not waived the SHIP will remain enrolled until July 31, 2012 and are responsible for plan charges on the semester tuition bill. No exceptions can be granted.
