Navigating Boston College's Medical Insurance Waiver Requirements

Massachusetts law and Boston College (BC) policy mandate that all students maintain adequate health insurance coverage. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the medical insurance requirements at Boston College and the process for waiving the university-sponsored health plan.

Who Needs Health Insurance at Boston College?

Generally, all students are required to have health insurance. Specifically:

Citizens/Permanent Residents: If you're taking courses that add up to at least 75% of a full-time schedule, you will be automatically enrolled. Students are responsible for monitoring their eligibility status. For graduate students in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Carroll School of Management, Connell Graduate School of Nursing, School of Social Work, Clough School of Theology and Ministry, and Woods College of Advancing Studies, 75% of full-time is 7 credits or more.
Students in exclusively online degree programs: If you are enrolled online only and not visiting Massachusetts, complete this form.

Automatic Enrollment and Important Deadlines

Medical insurance is automatically charged for the fall and spring insurance periods. Students must log into their Agora Portal account and select "My Bill." My Bill is Boston College’s electronic student account billing and payment system.

Registration and Enrollment: Registration for classes triggers your insurance enrollment, and it takes 5-7 business days for your insurance to show as active in the carrier’s system.
Coverage Start Dates: The fall semester coverage begins on August 7, regardless of when you register. Keep this timeframe in mind if you have health care providers who will need to verify your coverage with the insurance company. The academic year insurance coverage periods are fall (August 7, 2024-January 9, 2025) and spring (January 10, 2025-August 6, 2025).
Waiver Deadlines: All waivers must be submitted by the deadlines above. Students who do not complete a waiver prior to the deadline will automatically be enrolled in and charged for the UnitedHealthcare student plan. Once the waiver is submitted, the charge will be removed from the student account in one business day; students and authorized payers can verify the adjustment by logging in to the Agora Portal ("My Bill") and viewing Current Activity on the View & Pay Accounts tab.
Dependents Enrollment: Insured students have the option of enrolling their eligible dependents (a spouse or a child under the age of 26) using the enrollment form under the Forms tab. Dependents must be enrolled for the same time period as the student. For example, a student enrolled beginning in the fall semester cannot purchase dependent coverage starting in the spring unless there is a qualifying event; see the enrollment form for further details. Dependents enrolled for the fall must be re-enrolled for the spring, and you are responsible for enrolling and re-enrolling your eligible dependents each semester. The deadline to enroll dependents is September 20, 2024 for the fall semester and January 24, 2025 for students newly enrolling for the spring. Note to students: You need to be enrolled in the insurance plan in order to enroll dependents.

Waiving the Boston College Health Insurance

Students who are already enrolled in a health plan that is comparable to the student plan may waive the BC coverage through the Agora Portal if they are at least 18 years old. During the designated Waiver periods Boston College will post an online "Waiver" form. This form allows students to declare their intention to waive the student health insurance plan. Students over the age of 18 must provide this proof electronically through the College's Agora Portal. Log on to www.bc.edu/medinsurance and complete an online waiver form. Students under the age of 18 must complete a written waiver form. The form must be signed by the parent or guardian and student. A written waiver form is available at www.bc.edu/medinsurance.

Key Considerations Before Waiving

Before you make the decision to waive the student health insurance plan we strongly suggest you read the "To waive or not to waive" and the "Value of Student Health Insurance Plans" section on this web page. Look at your plan costs -- is the annual cost of the Student Plan less expensive than the cost of having your son or daughter as a dependent on your plan. Be sure to compare deductibles and total out-of-pocket costs, not just the annual premium. If the decision is made to waive the student health insurance plan it is important to have a copy of your current health insurance ID card and a description of your plan's benefits readily available as you will need this information to complete the waiver form.

Insurance Plan Requirements for Waiver Approval

Your insurance must comply with Massachusetts state law for a waiver. Several criteria must be met for your health insurance plan to be considered comparable and eligible for a waiver:

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance: Your plan should be compliant with the Affordable Care Act. Plans must be fully compliant with the Affordable Care Act.
Coverage Area: Your plan should cover these services in Massachusetts and near campus.
Timeliness: Your insurance must be effective on or before August 7, 2024 (for fall and annual waivers) or January 10, 2025 (for spring waivers) to qualify for a waiver.
Specific Plan Restrictions:
- Medicaid plans outside of Massachusetts are not eligible for a waiver because they limit what coverage is available outside of your home state.
- MassHealth plans qualify for a waiver, but the following MA Medicaid plans do not qualify for a waiver: Children’s Medical Security Program, MassHealth Limited and Health Safety Net.
- If you reside internationally, your insurance is eligible for a waiver only in limited situations. The state does not allow waivers with international insurance plans, socialized or standard medical policies (including Canadian policies), travel insurance plans, or short-term medical plans. However, waivers can be granted with (1) U.S. employer or (2) certain government-sponsored programs such as the Government of Kuwait/UAE or Government of Saudi Arabia.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Students who do not complete a waiver prior to the deadline will automatically be enrolled in and charged for the UnitedHealthcare student plan. Incomplete waivers will not be processed. Waivers must be completed every year. Providing insurance information to other offices on campus (e.g., Athletics, Health Services) does not fulfill the Massachusetts waiver requirement.

Regaining Enrollment After a Waiver

Students who initially waived participation in the student plan and subsequently wish to enroll prior to the waiver deadline may rescind waivers by deleting the prior waiver in the Agora Portal or by completing the Rescind Waiver form, available on the Forms tab. After the waiver deadline, a student may enroll in the student plan only on the basis of a qualifying event. Qualifying events include aging out of a parent’s policy at 26, marriage, birth of a child, or other loss of coverage from an existing policy.

Understanding the UnitedHealthcare Student Plan

Boston College offers a student health insurance plan through UnitedHealthcare.

Referrals: A referral is not required with the UnitedHealthcare Plan, but there are many benefits to first seeking care or advice from Boston College's University Health Services.
Creating an Account: Follow the steps to create your UnitedHealthcare account and access your ID card once the plan begins on August 7.
Accessing ID Card: If you are unable to access your ID card, check the date of the insurance charge on your bill.

Coverage Details and Important Information

Traveling: While studying or traveling abroad, keep your identification card with you. When outside the United States, you will likely be asked to pay for your medical care first and then will need to seek reimbursement. Covered expenses will be reimbursed on a non-network basis. When you submit claims for reimbursement, you may need to have the itemized bill(s) translated into English and include additional information.
Medical Leave of Absence: If a student who is enrolled in the student insurance plan takes a medical leave of absence effective mid-semester, they will continue to be covered for the remainder of that semester. Coverage may also be extended for the following semester with approval from Boston College. Enrollment is not automatic.
Graduation: Coverage for graduating students ends on January 9, 2025 (for fall graduates) or August 6, 2025 (for spring and summer graduates). There is not an option to extend the student plan. You can contact UnitedHealthcare about enrolling directly, or explore your options through your state Health Connector.

Navigating the Agora Portal and Student Accounts

Several tasks related to medical insurance and student finances are managed through the Agora Portal.

Accessing My Bill: Students must log into their Agora Portal account and select "My Bill." My Bill is Boston College’s electronic student account billing and payment system.
Two-Step Verification: Note: Access to My Bill requires two-step verification. Two-step verification is utilized to further protect your student account in the event your password ever becomes compromised. Students can set up two-step verification by visiting www.bc.edu/2step.
Third-Party Payers: Third-party payers are parents, guardians, or sponsors who can view student account bills and make payments through My Bill.
Authorizing Payers: Select “Authorize Payers” from the menu bar, then follow the instructions. The student must reset the password if an Authorized Payer loses or forgets his/her password. The student will click the "Reset Password" from within the Authorized Payer's section of QuikPAY. Authorized Third-Party Payers can pay tuition and fees bills through the system's online payment feature. Authorized payers can log in to QuikPAY using www.bc.edu/mybillparent. Payments will be transferred electronically to Boston College. To ensure security and privacy, each Authorized Payer is assigned a separate password to access his/her account and payment history.

Payment Options and Financial Aid

Boston College offers various payment options and financial aid resources.

529 Plans: A 529 Plan is an education savings plan operated by a state or educational institution designed to help families set aside funds for future college costs.
International Payments: Boston College has partnered with Flywire and Convera (formerly Western Union Business Solutions) to offer an innovative and streamlined way to make international tuition payments. Our goal is to save international students and their families money that would otherwise be lost on bank fees and unfavorable foreign exchange rates. With these two agencies, you are offered excellent foreign exchange rates, allowing you to pay in your home currency (in most cases) and save a significant amount of money, as compared to traditional banks.
Payment Plans: Boston College partners with Nelnet to offer the interest-free QuikPAY Payment Plan to undergraduate and Law School students. Enrollment for the 2025-2026 academic year begins on May 2, 2025. The payment plan is open for enrollment until August 25 (for annual and fall-only plans) and December 25 (for spring-only plans).

Budget Worksheet and Payment Plan Adjustments

When enrolling in the plan, use the budget worksheet in QuikPAY to calculate the amount of your plan. The budget worksheet is prefilled with default figures based on the student's school and class level. Payment plan balances will later be adjusted to match actual student account balances after charges and financial aid credits have been applied. Adjustments will begin in August for the fall semester and December for the spring semester. Changes to plan balances will be distributed evenly over the remaining payments for the semester. Appropriate notifications will be made prior to scheduled payment amounts being changed.

The budget worksheet includes fields for:

Tuition and Mandatory Fees: These amounts are based on the student's school and class level and cannot be changed.
Food (undergraduate students only): The amount on the budget worksheet is the default amount for meal plans. If a student is selecting a different meal plan, this amount should be adjusted.
Medical Insurance: The budget worksheet includes the cost of the student plan, offered by Boston College through UnitedHealthcare. Students who are covered by a comparable plan may opt out of participation in the student plan by submitting an annual waiver. If the student has or will waive the BC coverage, the amount in the worksheet should be changed to zero.
Financial Aid: This field should be used to report the total of the student's financial aid awards for the corresponding semester.
Private/PLUS Loans: This field should be used to report any approved loan applications.
529 Plan Payments: This field should be used to report any anticipated payments that will be made directly to BC from qualified 529 Plans.
Other Direct Payments: This field should be used to report any anticipated payments that will be made directly to BC apart from the payment plan process, e.g., payments from relatives.

Additional Resources and Information

Direct Deposit for Refunds: We recommend that all students use direct deposit when requesting refunds. Refunds processed via direct deposit are faster and do not require pickup. Note: You will need to enter a valid United States bank routing and account number.
1098-T Form: Under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, certain tax benefits may be available to students who have incurred qualified expenses for higher education. The 1098-T form is for informational purposes only, and, while you should retain a copy for your records, you are not required to submit it with your tax return.

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