Waiving NUSHP

Northeastern University is required by law to ensure that all non-remote full-time and eligible part-time students have compliant health insurance coverage. All eligible students will be automatically billed and enrolled in the health plan administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. If you already have comparable health insurance, you must submit a waiver to be removed from the University’s plan. Students must complete this annual waiver form each academic year.

For all waiver denials, questions or appeals, please contact Gallagher directly at 844-333-1462 or gallagherstudent.com/northeastern.

What is considered ‘comparable coverage’?

Your health insurance plan must be fully-compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and meet Massachusetts State requirements. This means your plan needs to have participating providers and cover a range of services in and around the area where you attend school. Services include, but are not limited to, preventive and non-urgent care, emergency care, surgical care, inpatient and outpatient hospitalization, lab work, diagnostic x-rays, physical therapy and chiropractic care, prescription drugs, mental health and substance abuse treatment. If your current plan is an HMO, it is very likely that coverage is limited, or not available, outside of the HMO’s service area.

Before deciding whether or not to waive coverage, compare your current health insurance plan to  NUSHP to look at your possible out-of-pocket costs – deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximums. You may find your out-of-pocket costs are greater than paying the premium for NUSHP.

Before waiving coverage you should review your current policy, and considering the following:

• • • • Is your plan fully compliant with the Affordable Care Act? (reference the “What is considered Comparable Coverage” question above)
      • Will your current plan cover medical care beyond emergency services (i.e. doctor’s office visits, diagnostic testing, x rays, prescription drugs, mental health, etc.) on- and off-campus?
      • If you plan to travel elsewhere during the course of the year, does your coverage extend to these areas as well?
      • Check the cost — is the annual cost of NUSHP less expensive than the cost of being added as a dependent to your parents’ plan? Be sure to compare deductibles and total out-of-pocket costs, not just the annual premium.
      • Are there administrative pre-requirements, pre-certification, or Primary Care Physician referrals required under your current plan that may delay receipt of care?
      • To compare your coverage to NUSHP please use this form here. 

Will my waiver be audited/verified?

Yes, all submitted waiver forms will be subject to waiver verification. The intent of the waiver verification process is to assess whether or not your insurance plan provides coverage that meets legal standards while students are at school. The verification process checks the insurance company information you entered on your form and confirms the information submitted is accurate and that your coverage is currently active and ACA compliant or otherwise comparable. Most waivers will be verified within 24-48 hours. Once your waiver has been verified, an email notification will be sent to your university email address. If your waiver is denied, the email will explain the reason for the denial and provide instructions on how to revise and resubmit your form and with any requested applicable supporting documentation.

How do you Waive NUSHP?

If you have comparable, domestic health coverage, you may choose to waive NUSHP by completing the waiver. There are a couple of different  located on the Student Hub. Parents do not have access to this waiver. Please follow the steps below to waive the insurance. Incoming students have a different process. Please see below for more information. 

1. 1. 1. Log onto me.Northeastern.edu
      2. Click  “Resources” at the top of the page.
      3. Go to “Health & Wellness” 
      4. Click “Health Plan Fee Waiver (NUSHP)”
      5. This will bring you to the Gallagher website, please log in with your NU credentials.
      6. Scroll down to “Plan Summary” and click on the yellow “Waive” button. 
      7. Enter information for your plan and click “Submit”. 

*This waiver is to be filled out every new academic year by all eligible Northeastern students. 

Incoming Student Waiver Process

Incoming students can waive NUSHP  from their Application Status Check. To learn more about this please go to the following link here.

What if I can’t find the link to Gallagher? 

If you have difficulty finding the link to Gallagher to waive or to find your Verification of Coverage Letter, you can always click on this link here.

How do I know if my waiver has been approved?

Students will receive an email from Gallagher Student Health letting them know when the waiver has been approved or denied. Gallagher will also send an email if more information is needed to verify coverage. If the waiver is denied, the reason will be stated in the email with information on how to appeal the judgment. 

Students may also verify that their  waiver was completed successfully on the Student Hub:

1. 1. 1. Log onto me.Northeastern.edu
      2. Click “Resources” at the top of the page
      3.  View “Account Summary” under the “Student Account, Payment and E-bill Information” link.

The waiver/credit will post to your student account within 24 hours and be reflected on your next e-statement.  

Please note that when the waiver is approved, the “Health Plan Fee” will remain on the bill. A credit for the “Health Plan Fee Waiver” will appear, canceling out the charge. This may take some time to reflect on the bill. If a student with an approved waiver would like to make a payment before the bill has been updated, simply deduct the cost of NUSHP manually and pay the remainder.  

Waiver Deadlines

If a waiver is not approved by the deadline stated below, you will remain enrolled in NUSHP and responsible for the Health Plan Fee.

*The waiver deadline has been extended multiple times for the fall 2022 to grant students ample time to waive the insurance. The LAST time we are extending the deadline is until 11/23/2022. In future, please pay attened to your bills and communications from Student Accounts and Gallagher Student Health.