When choosing a health insurance plan, you need to consider coverage, cost, and convenience:
- Coverage: The health insurance plan you choose must have benefits that meet minimum requirements for J-1 visa holders (for international affiliates) or “minimum essential coverage” requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for U.S. citizens and resident aliens.
- Cost: Remember that the price of your health insurance includes both the regular payments you must make to continue your coverage (“premiums”) and your “out-of-pocket” costs. Read more about cost.
- Convenience: Can you easily find medical providers who accept your health insurance plan? Do you have to fill out a lot of paperwork every time you see the doctor? Many MIT affiliates buy the MIT Student Health Insurance Plan (MIT SHIP), which will let you use most services at MIT Medical, right on campus, with no copay or additional charge and no paperwork. You can use your other insurance when you need to go to a hospital or get other medical services outside of MIT Medical.
