Waive the SHBP

UPDATE 6/3/24: The waiver for 2024-2025 is now available. Submit it by 9/16.

1. Before the graduate add/drop deadline, go to the Wellfleet website and click "Waive"
2. Choose Undergraduate or Graduate. (If you are a new student you will need to create an account.)
3. Fill in all fields (anything with * next to it is required).

Please Note:

• Policy holder is who holds the insurance.
• Make sure to fill in YOUR (student) insurance ID #, not your parent's, when asked.
• Uploading your health insurance cards is REQUIRED.
• Be sure to read the 2 questions carefully.
• If you are under 5 university credits, UWW, or Accelerated Nursing Program, you should not be charged for SHBP and will not be able to waive for this reason.
• If you have signed a FERPA privacy statement with the university, you are unable to waive online and will need to submit an Alternative Insurance Waiver (see below) to Patient Services with a copy of the front and back of your health insurance card.

International students are not automatically eligible to waive the SHBP. However, international students enrolled in a U.S., employer, or embassy-based health insurance plan from the United States may be eligible for a waiver.

Eligibility is based on federal and state guidelines for the minimum essential coverage needed in accordance with the Affordable Care Act.

U.S.-based international students seeking a waiver must complete an individual insurance plan review before the add/drop deadline. To request a review, mail or bring health plan documentation to:

Patient Services
University Health Services, UMass Amherst
150 Infirmary Way, Amherst, MA 01003

-or-

Fax to 413-577-5023.

UHS' Student Health Benefits Coordinator will review the health plan documentation and notify applicants of their status via email. If approved, UHS will process a paper waiver allowing removal of SHBP charges from the tuition bill.

• Domestic students with comparable coverage under another major medical insurance plan can waive the SHBP. 
• Veterans with benefits that provide access to Veterans' Administration healthcare facilities and those with benefits through the U.S. Family Health Plan, a military coverage, can waive the SHBP.
• International students who are enrolled in an employer- or embassy-based health insurance plan from the U.S.

• Per Massachusetts General Law 956 CMR 8.00: Student Health Insurance Program, students living outside of their insurance coverage area may not waive participation in the SHBP.
• 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 SHBP waiver.
• Out-of-state Medicaid plans cannot be used to waive the SHBP.
• International plans cannot be used to waive the SHBP, except for students studying remotely in their home countries.

No. Waivers submitted during the fall semester apply to the entire academic year. Only new or transfer students need to submit the online waiver request for the spring semester.

Yes. Students who need to enroll in the SHBP after waiving in the fall should contact Patient Services at (413) 577-5192. Should your current situation change, such as losing your private health insurance or your enrollment status changes from studying remotely/online to studying on campus, then UHS will work with you to be sure you have comparable insurance coverage.

Coverage Guidelines:

• Must be a United States-based employer health plan, with claims paid in the United States; or embassy/fellowship sponsored student.
• Cannot be travel insurance.
• Coverage must be in force for the full time period in which the student is at UMass Amherst.
• Student coverage cannot be a closed network of providers that would prevent reasonable access to medical services in the area, except in the event of an emergency.
• No pre-existing condition clause.
• Annual plan maximum: $500,000.
• Ambulatory patient services.
• Emergency services.
• Hospitalization.
• Maternity and newborn care.
• Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment.
• Prescription drugs.
• Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices.
• Laboratory services.
• Preventive and wellness services, and chronic disease management.
• Pediatric services.

A confirmation email is sent within minutes of successfully completing the waiver request. Print and save this email as proof of your waiver. If you don’t receive a confirmation email, call Wellfleet customer service, (800) 633-7867, for help.

Approval by Wellfleet can take up to three business days, and it can take up to 17 additional business days for UHS and the bursar's office to complete the process.

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.

Yes. All UMass students are eligible to use UHS. Services at UHS are billed to insurance. We accept most major insurance plans that can be used to waive the SHBP, including certain MassHealth plans.

Contracts change frequently. For the latest information, call Patient Accounts: 413-577-5256.

UHS works with many major medical carriers, including:

• Aetna
• AllWays
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield
• Cigna
• Empire NYSHIP (This coverage may result in large deductibles. Please check your contract.)
• Fallon Select
• Harvard Pilgrim
• Health New England
• MassHealth
• Tufts
• Unicare/GIC
• United Healthcare
• U.S. Family Health Plan

UHS Cannot Accept the Following Plans:

The plans below also cannot be used to waive the Student Health Benefit Plan (SHBP).

• Out-of-state Medicaid plans
• MassHealth Limited
• Health Safety Net
• Children's Medical Security Plan
• Emergency/hospital-only coverage plans
• Fallon Direct (Non-Students)
• Harvard Pilgrim Quality HMO (Non-Students)
• Mass Health MCO & ACO Plans (Non-Students)
• Medicare (Non-Students)

Closed Network Plans and Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) Plans

Students waiving the SHBP with an EPO are responsible for expenses not covered by their plan.

If you're covered by MassHealth or any MassHealth MCO or ACO (managed care organization or accountable care organization) plan, you can waive the SHBP.

This must be done prior to the add/drop deadline each fall.

Please note, students with Health Safety Net, MassHealth Limited, or Children’s Medical Security Plan are not allowed to waive the SHBP, and we cannot accept these plans at UHS.