FAQ: Student waiver
My quiz results indicate that I’m not eligible to waive, but I disagree. What can I do?
It may be possible to waive in cases where the benefit offered by your alternate insurance plan is close to meeting state and MIT requirements, even if it falls short by a bit. We are happy to discuss your specific situation with you. Contact us at 617-253-4371 or stuplan@med.mit.edu.
Can my parent complete the online waiver for me?
No, you must complete the waiver yourself using your own MIT certificate. Even if your parent has an MIT certificate, he or she cannot complete the waiver for you.
Do I have to waive every year?
Yes. MIT will automatically enroll you in, and bill you for, the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan every fall. At that point, you can waive coverage for the whole academic year. You must submit the waiver form by August 15 to have the charge removed from your bursar’s account.
I am eligible to waive, because I have comparable insurance coverage, but my spouse and children don’t have health insurance. If I waive, can I still buy coverage for them through MIT?
No. You need to be enrolled in an MIT health insurance plan before you can buy that plan for your spouse and children. So, if you want your spouse and children to be covered by the Extended Plan, you need to be covered by the Extended Plan, too.
I’ve waived, but now I’ve changed my mind. Can I still enroll in the Extended Plan?
If the August 15 deadline hasn’t passed, it’s easy to withdraw your waiver and get Extended Plan coverage. Just send an email to stuplan@med.mit.edu saying that you want to withdraw your already-submitted waiver. If you change your mind after the August 15 deadline, you will be able to enroll for the spring term only during an open enrollment period from December 15–January 15.
You can enroll outside of an open enrollment period only if your comparable insurance coverage is terminated. This might be because you turn 26 and age off your parent’s plan. Or it might be, for example, if your parent, spouse, or partner loses a job and loses the insurance coverage under which you were covered. In that case, you would just need to give us a letter from the former employer stating that the employer has stopped providing insurance coverage to your parent, spouse or partner with the date on which the coverage stopped. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the next open enrollment period (July 15–August 15 or December 15–January 15) to enroll.
I am a graduate student with an award that covers the cost of the Extended Plan; can I still waive?
You may have a research or teaching assistantship or a fellowship that covers the cost of the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan. You may still decide to waive the Extended Plan, but if you do, you will not receive cash in the amount of the plan’s cost.
