Student health insurance
According to Massachusetts law, any student enrolled in a certificate, diploma or a degree-granting program for nine (9) credits or more, must be covered by health insurance and billed for it by Greenfield Community College. If you are currently covered by comparable health insurance, please complete the waiver form online, fill it out completely, and deduct any health insurance charges you were assessed on your bill. A billing worksheet indicating that you have completed the online waiver should be completed, signed and returned to the Bursar's Office, Greenfield Community College, One College Drive, Greenfield, Ma 01301 by the time your tuition bill is due.
The current cost of insurance is on our tuition and fee chart and provides coverage from September 1 through August 31 for the full school year or January 1 through August 31 for the spring term. If you are a financial aid recipient, the premium may be deducted from your financial aid award.
GCC's insurance plan is not available for students taking fewer than nine (9) credits, or for dependents of students taking nine (9) credits or more.
Frequently asked Health Insurance questions:
When does my
coverage start?
The full year policy is effective from 9/1 through 8/31 each year.
For students who first become eligible for coverage in the spring
semester, coverage is from 1/1 through 8/31.
If I’m on a
payment plan, or waiting for financial aid to pay my student
charges, am I covered under the student health insurance policy?
The health insurance premium is remitted to the insurer after your GCC bill is paid in full for the semester. The
insurer will send you a policy brochure and identification card in
the mail. Coverage is retroactive to the beginning of the insurance
period (either 1/1 or 9/1).
What if I require
medical treatment before I have paid the insurance premium?
If you require treatment
before you are enrolled in the plan, you can go to GCC Health
Services and get a plan brochure, which contains a temporary
identification card. The plan number to write on the card is on the
back of the booklet. Your social security number is your individual
identification for purposes of this coverage.
If the claim refused by Consolidated Health Plans because you
don’t
show up as enrolled yet, you can contact the Bursar's Office at 413-775-1301. Bursar's Office staff can certify to University
Health Plans (our insurance broker) that you are currently enrolled,
and are either on a payment plan or have pending financial aid that
will pay your premium. UHP will notify Consolidated Health Plans
that you are enrolled in the plan, and send you an ID card in the
mail. If a claim is submitted to Consolidated Health Plans before
they receive your eligibility they will hold the claim. After your
information is submitted by GCC they will pull your claim and
process accordingly.
Who
is the insurance carrier?
At the present time, the
policy for “Massachusetts Community Colleges” (which includes GCC)
is underwritten by Nationwide Life Insurance Company. The claims
administrator is Consolidated Health Plans in Springfield, Mass.
What do I do if a medical provider refuses to provide service to
me?
A medical provider has the
right to accept or refuse any insurance plan, including this one.
You should ask your provider before services are rendered. You can
optionally pay the bill yourself, and submit it for reimbursement to
the Consolidated Health Plans claims administrator. The claims
procedure is explained in detail in the plan brochure, available
in the GCC Health Services Office, or online.
By enrolling in this plan, you have a preferred provider network
available to you, the members of which provide services at
discounted fees. A complete listing is available at
www.hcvm.com, at the GCC Health Services office, or by calling
Health Care Value Management at 800-922-4286. (NOTE: You are
not required to
use a preferred provider.)
For more FAQ’s about this plan, the complete plan description, claim instructions, to check eligibility and claim status, and a link to the preferred provider network, you can visit the University Health Plan web site at https://www.universityhealthplans.com/intro/GCC.html or send email to info@univhealthplans.com.