The Health Fee
The mandatory comprehensive student health fee for the Academic Year of $632.00 for 2009-2010 allows Tufts to maintain a full service comprehensive health center. It is not an insurance plan. All students must pay the health fee, and are therefore entitled to use Health Service and Counseling Center. Students with any type of insurance may use Health Service. The fee covers students for:

• Unlimited primary care and walk-in visits to the Health Service
• Access to the Counseling Center
• The first three psychiatric visits
• Allergy injections (excluding serum)

Health Insurance
All students are required by Massachusetts state law to carry comprehensive medical insurance. Students who are not covered under a private policy either through a spouse, partner or parent, can purchase the Student Health Insurance. Health Insurance is needed to pay for the following:

• Lab tests - both at Health Service and other labs
• Immunizations
• Visits to specialists - both at Health Service and in private offices
• Prescriptions
• Emergency Room visits
• Medical equipment - such as orthopedic supplies
• Private mental health visits

Private Health Insurance
Students with private health insurance are covered under their parent's, partner's, or spouse's policy. They come with insurance coverage from hundreds of different companies throughout the US and the world. Each of these policies has different features - different co-payments for medication, different requirements about specialty care, referrals, etc. Students with private insurance will need to find out from their insurance company what their benefits are. There are a few things at Health Service that you will need your insurance for: lab tests, specialty visits, immunizations, and orthopedic supplies. They are billed as follows:

• The charges will go on your Tuition Bill, unless you would like to pay at the time of service. We do not accept credit cards.
• The bill simply states "Health Service charge" and does not indicate what was done on that day to protect your confidentiality.
• We will send you, the student, an itemized medical bill to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement company for reimbursement..

Student Health Insurance
Student Health Insurance is an economical "accident and illness" policy that is available to students. About a third of our students purchase this plan. Some of the convenient features include:

• Health Service can bill the cost of labs and specialty visits that occur in our office directly to Student Insurance. The majority of these charges are covered 100%.
• Labs performed outside of Health Service (blood, x-rays, etc) are covered at 80%. The student is responsible for 20%.
• Mental Health visits (ie psychiatry from 4th visit on) with participating providers: $20 co-pay with 24 visit limit per year.
• Mental Health visits with out of network providers: $40 co-pay then covered at  70% of the usual and customary charges, after which patient is responsible for the balance. There is also a $100 deductible the student is responsible for with an out of network       provider.
• Physician office visits outside of Health Service: $40 co-pay for non-participating providers when referred by Health Services, $20 co-pay for participating providers when referred by Health Service.
• Hospitalization is covered at 80% up to a maximum of $10,000, then covered 100% up to a maximum of  $100,000.
• Emergency Room visits: $100 co-pay (waived if admitted)

Some important limitations:

• Labs for "Well care," outside of gyn care, are not covered. So a routine screening cholesterol is not covered.
• Travel immunizations and Travel medications are not covered.
• Cosmetic procedures and cosmetic medications are not covered.
• Weight management services not covered.
• Weight management services, treatment of sleep disorders, treatment of TMJ, biofeedback, acupuncture, and smoking cessation medications are all not covered.

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