Student Health Insurance Plan

All full-time matriculated Connecticut College students are required to maintain adequate health insurance coverage. All students will have the Student Health Insurance premium on their bill pending the decision to enroll or waive out.

If you wish to use your personal or family health insurance, you must waive the College-sponsored plan to avoid being charged. If you plan to waive out of the plan with an out-of-state HMO plan, or a Medicaid plan from New York, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island, complete the Acknowledgment of Financial Responsibility Form 2023-2024 it to us at shs@conncoll.edu. Please note that you must still fill out the waiver at www.gallagherstudent.com/conncoll.

Students with out-of-state Medicaid (other than New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts) or coverage for emergencies only will *typically* not be allowed to waive out but do have the option of transferring coverage to the Connecticut State Medicaid plan (https://portal.ct.gov/HUSKY). This process may not be able to be completed until the student is actually on campus in the fall so you must communicate this information to SHS. Waiver extensions may be granted in this case.

Please visit www.gallagherstudent.com/conncoll to fill out the waiver form. You will receive an email once you have successfully submitted your petition. Your plan will be reviewed to ensure that it is a comparable plan. You will then receive a second email approving or denying your petition submission.

If you wish to enroll in the College-sponsored plan, please visit this link, www.gallagherstudent.com/conncoll, to fill out the enrollment form.

Again, whether you are enrolling or waiving the College-sponsored plan you must visit www.gallagherstudent.com/conncoll.

The deadline to enroll or waive out for the 2023-2024 plan year is August 16, 2023. If no action is taken by August 16, 2023, the student will be enrolled in the plan.

Cost

The 2023-2024 Student Health Insurance Plan charge is $2,646. The policy term is effective from August 15, 2023, to August 14, 2024.

For further information on the 2022-2022 Student Health Insurance Plan, contact customer service at Gallagher Student Health at 877-373-2405 or visit www.gallagherstudent.com/conncoll.

Parents

For more information regarding the Connecticut College Student Health Insurance Plan or help with deciding whether to enroll or waive coverage, visit Parents Corner.

Student health plan FAQ

Q: If I am already covered by my family's health insurance, is there a reason that I should also consider taking the College's insurance as well?

A: This is a matter of convenience and privacy. When you are sick, the last thing you want to do is think about saving receipts, processing claims, sending information home to your parents, etc. If you purchase the College's Health Insurance Plan, fees for the College doctor's visits, dispensed medications, in-house lab tests, and psychiatric consults done through Student Health Services will be processed for you. If you do not purchase the College's Health Insurance Plan, these charges will appear as a "Health Service Fee" on your College bill. You will need to submit receipts for claims to your parent's insurance company to seek reimbursement.

Q: Why can't you process my private insurance?

A: With over 1800 students from many states and countries, the task of processing all those different claims would be formidable.

Q: What is not covered by the Student Health Insurance?

A: The plan does not cover some immunizations, routine physical exams, or most screening tests. There is a $10 co-pay for MD visits at Student Health Services ($40 for other in-network MD visits) and a $5-40 co-pay for most prescription medications as well as a $250 co-pay for use of the emergency room (applies only to sickness, not accidents).

Q: If I decline the student health insurance, can I still use the College's Student Health Services?

A: Yes, all full-time students may use the Student Health Services. However, if you decline the Colleges Health Insurance Plan, MD visits or any other charges such as in-house labs or certain dispensed medicines will be charged to your student account and a coded receipt will be available through the Student Health Service's Web Portal to submit to your insurance for reimbursement. It is advisable to fax a copy of your insurance/pharmacy card to Student Health whether or not you take the offered college plan. (860-439-5430 fax).

Q: After I have explored all my options and if I decide that I do not want to purchase the College's insurance, what do I do?

A: You must complete the online waiver. Insurance consultants contracted by the College will determine if your coverage is comparable to the College's health insurance, thereby making you eligible for the waiver.

Q: If I decline the college's insurance my first year, will the waiver cover the rest of my time at the college?

A: No, it will not. You must complete the online waiver each year of enrollment at Connecticut College.

Q: Will I have the opportunity to decline the insurance now and accept it later?

A: If your family's coverage changes due to employment or another qualifying event, we can enroll you at a later date.

Q: Does the insurance go through the summer?

A: Yes, the insurance provides annual coverage, effective August 15 to August 14 of the following year.

Q: If I am studying away in the fall, will this insurance cover me?

A. Yes.

Q: If I am studying away in the fall, can I wait to purchase the insurance for the spring semester?

A: Yes, you may waive the insurance and later purchase the insurance in January, which will provide coverage from January 1 - August 14. It will be your responsibility to notify the Administrative Assistant in Student Health Services of your intent to purchase the spring term insurance.

Q: If I am studying away in the spring, may I purchase the insurance for the fall semester only?

A: Yes, you may enroll in the insurance for the fall and then waive out for the spring but you must notify the Office Manager in Student Health Services of your intent.

Q: If I need a referral to a specialist, can I get one without the insurance?

A: Your personal insurance may require a referral from your primary provider at home; we will assist you in trying to obtain this approval.

Q: If I want to know the charges on a student bill that relate to health services can I request an explanation?

A: We will be happy to explain any charges to the student. Due to confidentiality, we cannot talk to parents without written permission from the student.

 

Insurance Billing and Fees

Student Health Services (SHS) does not charge students for visits with a nurse practitioner.* Laboratory tests, prescription medicines, procedures, and medical equipment provided, will incur a charge. Laboratory orders sent off-site will be billed directly to the student's insurance plan (College-sponsored and private) by Quest Laboratories. Student Health Services will not be held responsible for individual private insurance plan details (i.e. deductibles, co-pays, HSAs, etc.).

Please note that SHS does not bill private insurance companies for charges incurred in our clinic. Students with private insurance may visit the SHS web portal, http://connc.studenthealthportal.com/, to view and print receipts to submit to their private insurance company for any reimbursement.

Follow these steps to print a receipt:

*Charges will be incurred if a nurse practitioner provides medication, or performs in-clinic laboratory testing or procedures during an office visit.

SHS has an estimated price list available for commonly ordered tests on-site. SHS does not know how much a student's deductible, copay, or coinsurance cost will be. It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with their plan.

Office Visits

  • There is no charge for any student, regardless of insurance type, to see a Nurse Practitioner at SHS.
  • Appointments can be scheduled online at any time through our portal, by emailing SHS@conncoll.edu, or by calling the clinic during office hours at 860-439-2275.

In-House Labs:

  • SHS offers some lab tests and procedures on-site such as a rapid strep test or urinalysis. There is a CLIA waived lab at SHS.
  • If a student has the student health insurance provided by the College, tests done at SHS are fully covered. If the student has private insurance these tests will be billed to their student bursar account. Providers will discuss the cost of in-house testing with students before doing the test. SHS does not bill private insurance companies.

In-House Medication and Supplies:

  • Student health insurance covers medications stocked at SHS and will be prescribed to students at no cost.
  • If a student has private insurance and SHS supplies them with stock medication the student's bursar account will be charged.
  • SHS can also write a prescription and give it to the student or have it sent to a local pharmacy to be filled and delivered. This will be billed directly to the student's insurance, these medications can usually be delivered the same day they are ordered.
  • SHS also charges for some supplies, such as an ace bandage or an air cast. These items work the same way as in-house medications.

Labs/Radiology:

  • Labs drawn here are sent to Quest Laboratory. These labs are not processed at SHS; these tests are billed directly to the student's health insurance by the lab. Routine lab results are usually received within 3-5 business days. X-rays and other radiology studies are usually done at either Backus hospital or Lawrence Memorial Hospital outpatient centers.