View All Resources

You are here

Page Menu

Health Insurance

COVID-19 Update: Student Health Insurance coverage remains unaffected by the move to online instruction. Please visit our COVID-19 Support page for more information.

All Tufts students are required to be covered by health insurance (it's a Massachusetts state law). Choose from the Student Health Plan or your own private insurance.

Health Insurance is needed to pay for the following:

  • Routine medical care
  • Emergency care
  • 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
  • Hospitalization
We help students and parents with health insurance needs.  We recognize that insurance bills can be confusing and encourage you to give us a call or come see us if you have questions or concerns.
 
Health Insurance State Requirements
If you are covered by a separate policy, please complete the Health Insurance Waiver on your SIS account. This waiver process is required every year and is available between June 1 and July 31.  Please note, this waiver does not exempt undergraduate students from the mandatory Health Service Fee.
 
It is very important that you understand what these requirements are so that you can carefully plan and budget for these expenses. As you prepare to attend Tufts University, rather than simply directing you to the link for the state of Massachusetts Student Health Insurance Plan information, we are highlighting in this letter the minimum requirements of plans that will be accepted as well as what specific benefit levels would be excluded from coverage.
 
Please carefully review this checklist:
 
• My plan must have a valid US address. International policies cannot be accepted, according to state requirements.
• My plan provides and maintains coverage for the full academic year, as well as evacuation and repatriation benefits.
• My plan must provide reasonably comprehensive coverage of health services, including primary care, emergency services,
surgical services, hospitalization benefits, ambulatory patient services, and mental health services, and these services must be reasonably accessible to me in the area where I am attending school.
• My plan must provide unlimited coverage for prescriptions for the academic years.
• My plan does not limit coverage for a pre-existing condition.
• My plan does not impose an annual or lifetime limit for essential health benefits.
• I understand that a health insurance plan that provides coverage through a closed network of providers, not reasonably accessible to me in the area where I attend school, for all but emergency services does not qualify for a waiver. Examples of closed networks include students enrolled in MassHealth Limited or the Children's Medical Security Program or the Health Safety Net, Kaiser Permanente Insurance and out of state Medicaid programs.
Financial Assistance

The FIRST Resource Center offers Financial Resources to assist students with medical costs.

Your Health Fee

All undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled full time or a least half time pay a comprehensive mandatory Health Service fee.  Learn what it covers.

Student Health Insurance Plan

We provide an affordable insurance plan through UnitedHealthcare.  Learn about coverage and policies.

Contact Us

See when we’re open, where we’re located, and meet our staff.