Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment for the MIT Student Insurance Plan (MIT SHIP) is now closed.
During Open Enrollment:
- Eligible individuals, including eligible family members, can enroll in MIT SHIP.
- Automatically enrolled students can ask to waive MIT SHIP coverage. Your waiver will be approved only if you can show that you have another insurance plan that provides comprehensive coverage in the Boston/Cambridge area.
Outside of Open Enrollment, you may enroll yourself or family members in MIT SHIP only under certain circumstances known as “qualifying events.”
Enrollment for regular MIT students and family members
During Open Enrollment: If you are a full or part-time student, you will be automatically enrolled in MIT SHIP. You may also enroll family members in MIT SHIP during the open enrollment period.
How to enroll yourself or your family members in MIT SHIP
- Visit the Gallagher Student Health website, and log in. If it’s your first time using Gallagher, you will need to create an account.
- Complete the enrollment form for yourself, if you are not already enrolled.
- Once you are enrolled in MIT SHIP, you can enroll eligible family members. If you are enrolling family members for the first time, you will need to upload documentation showing their relationship to you.
If you already have an insurance plan that provides comprehensive coverage in the Boston/Cambridge area — if you are covered by your parent’s insurance plan or a spouse’s plan, for example — you may request to waive MIT SHIP coverage and have the charge removed from your bursar’s account.
Outside of Open Enrollment. If you waive MIT SHIP coverage but lose your other insurance coverage during the school year, you may be able to enroll in MIT SHIP outside of the Open Enrollment period. You may also enroll family members in MIT SHIP outside of the Open Enrollment period under certain circumstances known as “qualifying events.”
Enrollment for other eligible MIT-affiliated individuals and family members
During Open Enrollment, or at the beginning of your MIT appointment: Eligible, MIT-affiliated individuals and family members can enroll in MIT SHIP by completing the MIT SHIP Enrollment Form for Eligible Non-Students and emailing the form to affplan@med.mit.edu.
Outside of Open Enrollment: You may enroll yourself or your family members in MIT SHIP outside of the open enrollment period under certain circumstances known as “qualifying events.”
How to document eligibility for family members
|
Spouse or partner |
Documentation Needed |
|
Spouse |
Marriage certificate showing your name and your spouse’s name |
|
Spousal equivalent or partner: |
|
|
Divorced spouse |
Copy of final divorce decree signed and dated by the judge, specifically the:
|
|
Dependent child(ren) up to 26 years of age |
Documentation Needed |
|
Birth child |
Birth certificate showing child’s name and your name |
|
Adopted child |
Adoption certificate showing child’s name, child’s birthdate, and your name |
|
Stepchild: The biological or adopted child of your spouse or spousal-equivalent |
Birth certificate or adoption certificate showing child’s name, child’s birthdate, and your spouse’s/spousal-equivalent’s name |
|
Child for whom you are the legal guardian |
Proof of legal guardianship and birth certificate |
|
Child of any age with a physical or mental disability that prevents the child from earning |
Appropriate documentation as listed above for dependent child (birth child, adopted child, stepchild, or child for whom you are the legal guardian) and certification of disability |
|
Child of an enrolled dependent child (as defined above) |
Appropriate documentation as listed above for enrolled dependent child (birth child, adopted child, stepchild, or child for whom you are the legal guardian) and birth certificate showing name of child and name of your enrolled dependent child as parent |
|
Child recognized under a qualified medical child support order: Child for whom a state court or agency has issued an order requiring a health plan to provide insurance coverage. |
Qualified medical child support order and child’s birth certificate |
Qualifying events: Making coverage changes outside of Open Enrollment
There are situations in which you can make changes to your own insurance coverage or enroll family members outside of the open enrollment period. These situations are called “qualifying events.”
Examples of qualifying events appear in the table below:
|
Event |
What you need to do |
| Loss of other insurance. You were previously covered under a different insurance plan, and that coverage has ended. Common reasons for loss of insurance include:
|
Provide a letter from the insurer stating that your insurance coverage has been terminated and giving the effective date. |
| Marriage. You marry and want to add coverage for your spouse. | Provide a copy of your marriage certificate. |
| Employment termination. Your spouse or spousal-equivalent partner stops working or changes jobs and loses the insurance coverage they had from their previous employer. | Provide a copy of your marriage certificate. International Students: Provide an 1-20 form. |
| Employment termination. Your spouse or spousal-equivalent partner stops working or changes jobs and loses the insurance coverage they had from their previous employer. | Provide a letter from the former employer stating that the employer has stopped providing insurance coverage to your spouse or spousal-equivalent partner and giving the date when the coverage stopped. |
| Family members arrive from another country. Your spouse or spousal-equivalent and/or dependent children arrive from another country for the first time. | Provide your family members’ passports or boarding passes. |
| New baby. You have a baby, and you need to add the baby to your coverage. | Provide:
|
| New dependent child added to family. This may be an adopted child, stepchild, or child for whom you have just made legal guardian. | Provide the child’s name and date of birth, and provide necessary documentation. |
To make changes to your coverage, you must upload documentation of the qualifying event and make any changes to your coverage within 30 days for all other qualifying events.
The changes you make to your insurance coverage must be related to the change in your circumstances (such as adding coverage for a new spouse, new domestic partner, or new baby).
