BU automatically enrolls all students legally required to have health insurance<\/a> in the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). If you are satisfied with this coverage, no further steps are necessary, and the SHIP premium will be billed to your student account.<\/p>\n You must take action by the Fall deadline (September 20) or Spring deadline (January 31) if you wish to:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Fall deadline <\/b>applies to students who are eligible<\/span><\/a> or automatically enrolled<\/a> in Aetna SHIP during the fall semester.<\/p>\n The Spring deadline<\/b> applies to students who are newly eligible<\/a> or automatically enrolled<\/a> for Aetna SHIP during the Spring semester. This includes students who were not registered for the Fall semester or who were ineligible for Aetna SHIP during the Fall semester.<\/p>\n If you have not enrolled in SHIP before the deadline, you may still enroll if you experienced a “qualifying life event.\u201d<\/p>\n Qualifying life events include:<\/p>\n To request enrollment due to a qualifying life event, you will need to send a written request for insurance coverage (including documentation of your involuntary loss of health insurance) within 31 days from the date your previous coverage ended. The documentation must include the effective date the coverage ended. Typical documentation may include:<\/p>\n Send your request and supporting documentation by email (insmed@bu.edu) or fax to 617-353-3313. Requests may also be mailed to Boston University, Student Accounting Services<\/a>, 25 Buick Street, Suite 130, Boston, MA 02215. To waive SHIP coverage, you must be enrolled in a healthcare plan that meets comparable coverage requirements and is underwritten in the United States. Waivers must be submitted every year by the Fall deadline (September 20) or Spring deadline (January 31).<\/p>\n We encourage students to consider their options before waiving SHIP. For many students, SHIP offers the most comprehensive coverage with the lowest out-of-pocket costs. Boston University has no financial stake in promoting this health insurance plan. Premiums are billed to your student account and paid directly to Aetna.<\/p>\n Before waiving SHIP, use the checklist below to see whether your current healthcare plan meets all the requirements for comparable coverage. If your current plan doesn\u2019t meet the criteria, your request for a waiver will be declined.<\/p>\n Your healthcare plan likely qualifies as comparable coverage if it meets all of the following criteria<\/em>:<\/p>\n In our experience, there are a number of student health plans that are not compliant with the comparable coverage requirements. The following list is not an exhaustive list, and students may have an insurance plan not included in the list, and still be ineligible to waive SHIP.<\/p>\n Review our list of some non-compliant plans<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n If your health insurance plan meets comparable coverage requirements, follow these steps to submit your waiver:<\/p>\n You can add or change SHIP coverage any time before the Fall deadline (September 20) or Spring deadline (January 31). Dependent coverage can also be updated within 31 days of a qualifying life event.<\/p>\n Eligible dependents include spouses and dependent children up to age 26. More information about enrolling dependents is found on Student Accounting Services\u2019 Dependent Coverage page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
Qualifying Life Events<\/h3>
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Comparable Coverage Checklist<\/strong><\/h3>
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\nIf the student is studying outside the United States, the requirement for an ACA-compliant plan is waived.
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\nBeing \u201cbased in the United States\u201d is not equivalent and will not be accepted. If the student is studying outside the United States, the requirement for a plan underwritten in the United States is waived.
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\nThese plans are aggressively marketed to college students as “comparable,” but when reviewed, often not compliant with state regulations.
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\nHealth plans with a closed network of providers and accessible only for emergency services (such as out-of-area HMOs, EPOs, or Medicaid products) are generally not accepted. If the student is studying outside the Boston area, substitute \u201cin the area where the student is studying\u201d for \u201cGreater Boston area\u201d.\u00a0
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How to Waive SHIP<\/h5>\n
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Add Dependent or Dental Coverage<\/h3>\n
Dependent Coverage<\/h5>\n
Dental Coverage<\/h5>\n