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The Health Fee
The mandatory comprehensive student health fee for the Academic Year of $620.00 for 2008-2009 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 and immunizations (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
- 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, and orthopedic supplies. They are billed as
follows:
- The charges will go on your bursar account, unless you would like to pay
at the time of service.
- The bursar account simply states "Health Service charge" and does not
indicate what was done on that day to protect your confidentiality.
- We will send you an itemized medical bill to submit to your insurance
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. These are 100% covered.
- 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: $15 co-pay with 24 visit limit per year.
- Mental Health visits with out of network providers: $30 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: $30 co-pay for non-participating providers when referred by Health Services, $15 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.
- Allergy testing is 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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