Under the Massachusetts Mandatory Health Insurance Law, each Massachusetts Community College must require all students who are enrolled in a degree or certificate program and carrying nine credits or more to participate in the student health insurance program or in a health insurance program, separate from the school’s plan, but with comparable coverage.

Massachusetts Community College students will be insured for policy year 2024-2025 by Blue Cross Blue Shield (PPO) Insurance Plan. To obtain a Massachusetts Community College Student Insurance Plan Brochure, visit our website.

Eligibility to Purchase GCC's Student Health Insurance Plan

If you are a student enrolled in a certificate or a degree-granting program for nine (9) credits or more, you are eligible to purchase student health insurance coverage through Greenfield Community College. Therefore, state guidelines require GCC to charge you for insurance. However, you may be eligible to waive this charge if you meet the criteria. See eligibility to waive section below.

Part-time students taking fewer than 9 credits are not eligible for the school plan, nor are dependents of students. However, if you think you should be eligible but do not see the insurance charge on your bill, please contact the Student Billing Office at (413) 775-1301.

If you are ineligible to purchase the school plan, you can contact the insurance broker directly to learn about products and services that may meet your insurance needs.

If you are contemplating dropping current coverage purchased elsewhere in order to purchase the GCC student insurance plan, it is your responsibility to compare the two plans in order to determine which plan is best for you. The College does not advise on policy coverage. If you decide to drop your coverage and purchase the College plan, then subsequently, you determine that your other plan provided better coverage; the College is not responsible for your decision. Be sure you review both policies carefully to determine your best options. Once you have purchased the College insurance plan, no refunds are granted by the College if you decide the policy is not right for you.

Health Insurance Costs and Coverage Period

The insurer and costs are subject to change after July 1. The premium charge for the Massachusetts Community College Health Insurance Plan will appear on your bill. Premium costs and coverage periods for the 2024/2025 academic year are:

• Fall 2024: $3,573 for the coverage period of September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025
• Spring 2025: $2,382 for the coverage period of January 1, 2025 through August 31, 2025.

Health Insurance Enrollment Deadline

A deadline to enroll in the plan will be established each fall and spring semester and will be posted on our website. If you do not enroll by the deadline, you will not be able to enroll in the plan for the applicable enrollment period.

When Coverage Begins

Of all charges shown on your account, your insurance charge is paid last regardless of the source of payment. Therefore, if you are making monthly payments on the payment plan, or if you are expecting financial aid or a third party to pay your entire bill including insurance, your insurance coverage will not be in effect until your entire bill is paid in full. Once paid in full, the student billing office will submit your name and payment in the next reporting cycle. For extenuating circumstances, in order to expedite coverage, on a case by case basis, we will report individually upon request by the student. Otherwise, reporting is submitted to the insurance company during the first week of each month. Once the insurance company receives and processes the uploaded reporting file, students can request an ID card online within 10 business days following the date your name was submitted by us. When your insurance information is processed by the insurance broker, coverage will be retroactive to September 1 if paid in the fall term, or January 1 if paid in the spring term.

Financial Aid Payments and Health Insurance

• If all or a portion of your bill is being paid with Financial Aid funds, all other charges shown on your account that qualify as educational expenses will be paid first before health insurance.
• In addition, even though your Financial Aid may have been offered to you and you may have accepted it, your account will not be paid until the Financial Aid Office disburses your awards/loans to your account. Typically, most financial aid grants and loans are disbursed to accounts approximately six weeks into the semester.
• You should be sure you have enough aid to pay all of your charges, including health insurance. Further, you should be sure you’ve authorized your Financial Aid funds to pay health insurance by completing the appropriate section of the "Acknowledgments and Certifications" form provided by the Financial Aid Office. Otherwise, you will need to pay out-of-pocket for any charges not covered by Financial Aid, including health insurance. If you have questions regarding this topic, contact the Financial Aid Office at (413) 775-1109.

Verifying Insurance Coverage

If you are seeking healthcare treatment and you think your insurance charge has been paid but the insurance company has no record of you, contact the Student Billing Office to verify that your insurance charge has indeed been paid in full and your payment was forwarded to the insurance company on your behalf. If payment has been sent to the insurance company, the Student Billing Office will contact our insurance company representative to inform him/her that your payment is in transit for claim purposes. In the meantime, if you have a scheduled appointment with a healthcare provider, a temporary insurance card may be obtained online within a few days, once we have contacted the insurance company on your behalf.

Health Insurance Waivers

All online waivers must be completed and submitted by a strict deadline. NO EXCEPTIONS!! The deadline will be announced on our website and will be included on billing statements and supplemental materials sent with bills. If you have been charged for health insurance on your GCC bill, but you already have comparable coverage under your own or someone else’s plan (such as a parent), you can waive the GCC insurance charge. As part of the online waiver process, you will be required to create an account and certify that you currently have comparable coverage by answering a series of questions that will determine if you are eligible to waive the insurance charge. If eligible to waive, you must then complete the waiver form.

Per Massachusetts state guidelines, to be comparable, the coverage provided must include reasonably comprehensive coverage of in-patient and out-patient hospital and physicians’ services, and be reasonably accessible to the student in the area where the student attends school. Coverage by any insurance carriers outside the USA and coverage by foreign National Health Service programs are not deemed to be comparable coverage. "Uncompensated Care Pool" coverage also does not qualify as comparable coverage. It is the student’s responsibility to determine whether they are covered under a comparable insurance plan. In addition, only the student can complete the online waiver in order to certify that they do have comparable coverage per state law. GCC staff members are not permitted to complete and submit waivers on behalf of students. To complete the
online student insurance waiver form, visit our website at gcc.mass.edu/billing.

Alternative Insurance Options

Due to recently enacted federal healthcare laws, students may be eligible for coverage under a parent’s plan. Your parent should check with their insurance company or employer to determine whether you are eligible to participate under their plan. To find out about other insurance options, visit: https://www.mahealthconnector.org or contact our Student Health Insurance Broker to inquire about their alternative student plan for students enrolled for fewer than nine credits.

Insurance Broker Contact Information

If you have questions about what’s covered, how to access benefits, enrollment concerns, replacement insurance ID cards or plans for students who are ineligible for the student insurance plan, contact our student insurance broker:

Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk
500 Victory Road
Quincy, MA 02171
Phone: 877-307-8194
Web: gallagherstudent.com