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Risk Strategies - University Health Plans

Salem State University
STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN

2024-2025 Academic Year

Student Health Insurance

Massachusetts requires that all students enrolled in at least 75% of their program’s full-time course load participate in a Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) or have comparable health insurance coverage.

At Salem State University, this includes:
  • Undergraduate students taking 9 or more credits
  • Graduate students taking 6.75 or more credits
  • Graduate students in programs where 75% of the course load is 6 or 4.75 credits

These students are automatically charged for the SHIP at registration. To opt out, students must submit a waiver form documenting their comparable coverage. Students intending to enroll in the SHIP must submit an enrollment form to transfer their information to the insurance company.

Cost and Coverage Periods

  Annual Students Newly Eligible Spring Students
 Coverage Dates August 1, 2024 -  July 31, 2025 January 1, 2025  -  July 31, 2025
 Premium  $3,941 $2,301
 Waiver/Enrollment Deadline September 27, 2024 January 31, 2025

Plan Highlights

The SHIP is an ACA-compliant plan insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and includes its national PPO network. Referrals are not required. Please note that with the rising costs of healthcare and the increase in utilization of the SHIP, benefit changes were made for 2024-2025 to help keep the insurance premium and the plan a viable option for all students. Additional benefit information is available on the left side of the page.

Waiver Process

Students with comparable health insurance may submit a waiver form by the deadline to opt-out. To be considered comparable, your plan must:
  • Be filed and approved in the U.S. and compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
  • Provide comprehensive, non-emergency benefits in the geographical area surrounding the school

Plans that do not meet the requirements include short-term medical plans, healthcare sharing plans, insurance plans from foreign healthcare systems, travel plans, and plans available to international students only.

Not all U.S. health plans offer comprehensive, non-emergency benefits outside their home coverage area; out-of-state students must check their plan's coverage area.

MassHealth Limited, Health Safety Net, and Children’s Medical Security Plan are not acceptable plans.

Waiver forms may be reviewed, and if the plan does not meet the requirements, you will be notified that their waiver form is not accepted. For more information about waiver requirements and comparable plans, please click on the waiver form on the left.

Enrollment Process

Although students are automatically charged for the SHIP, their information is not transferred to BCBS MA until after the deadline. To avoid difficulties accessing health insurance benefits, students should submit an enrollment form as soon as possible. Once submitted, enrollments may take up to 5 business days to process.

Students who do not take action or have an approved waiver form by the deadline will be automatically enrolled in the plan retroactive to the policy effective date.

Salem State Counseling & Health Services

Salem State Counseling & Health Services (CHS) provides services to all students regardless of insurance, but some services (such as immunizations and labs) can only be billed to contracted health insurance plans. If you plan to seek medical services on campus at Salem State Counseling & Health Services, it is recommended that you have one of the health plans with which we are contracted, and if not, consider enrolling in the student health insurance plan. The health insurance plans which CHS is currently contracted with include:

  • Medicaid/MassHealth plans
  • Aetna
  • Blue Cross
  • Cigna
  • Harvard Pilgrim
  • Tufts Health
  • Tufts Navigator
  • United

Similarly, if your existing health insurance plan is an HMO and you plan to access medical services on campus, you will need to obtain a referral from your Primary Care Provider (PCP) for one of the providers in Counseling & Health services. Please contact the medical billing department at Counseling and Health Services at 978-542-7299 with further questions.

For questions regarding the waiver form, coverage, or why/how a decision was made regarding your waiver, please contact University Health Plans directly at 833-251-1141. For questions regarding your billing statement, please contact the Navigation Center at navcenter@salemstate.edu