• In Massachusetts, all individuals 18 years and older, including all students, are required to have qualifying health insurance coverage. All universities and colleges in Massachusetts must offers student health coverage. Both full and part-time students are required to purchase QSHIP coverage unless they have other “comparable coverage.”

Comparable coverage includes any insurance that provides coverage for the same benefits as QSHIP and that covers services from providers (such as doctors and hospitals) that are reasonably accessible to the student where he or she is enrolled in school.

• Not all student health plans will be considered QSHIP. Only student health plans that meet minimum standards for health insurance in Massachusetts will qualify as QSHIP coverage. To be considered QSHIP, a plan must cover: primary and preventative care, hospitalization, surgery, emergency care, mental health services. QSHIP plans may also require a deductible (no more than $250 per year), co-payments (up to $25 for doctor’s visits and/or $10 for prescription drugs), and/or co-insurance (generally 20% of covered medical expenses).
• QSHIP plan fees vary by school, but generally range from $1,000 to $1,500 annually.

• Massachusetts does not limit pre-existing condition exclusion periods or waiting periods for QSHIP plans. Most plans have a pre-existing condition period of 6 months, however plans can impose longer pre-existing condition exclusion periods.
• When you enroll in a Massachusetts college or university, a QSHIP fee is automatically added to your tuition bill. If you provide proof of other qualifying coverage, you can opt out of QSHIP coverage.
• For more information about QSHIP, contact the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Policy and Finance (DHCPF) at 617-988-3100 or 800-888-2250 or visit QSHIP on the web at http://www.massresources.org/pages.cfm?contentID=51&pageID=13&subpages=yes&dynamicID=864 .