<p>Hello people,</p>
<p>I'm an incoming freshman to Harvard, and I have a question about health insurance. Does anybody have a list of the plans accepted in MA, particularly Boston and Cambridge? I'm currently on Medicaid, and I'm looking to apply for a plan acceptable by Harvard, preferably cheaper than BCBS. Any ideas? Any help will be greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I know that Harvard accepts Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts. It also accepts others, but these two are the ones I know for sure.</p>
<p>They accept most of the majors, Aetna, Definity, etc. If you're not in a group plan, I don't know if you can beat the price. You only knock off the $700 or so BCBS, not the health services fees.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if Harvard accepts Medicaid?</p>
<p>You should call HUHS and find out. If it doesn't, no worries - sign up for Harvard's Blue Cross health insurance plan and have financial aid cover that for you. My parents are self-employed so I was under New York State's Family Health Plus, which obviously isn't valid in Massachusetts, so I signed up for Blue Cross through Harvard and got my financial aid officer to increase my financial aid in proportion to how much it was going to cost me.</p>
<p>xjayz, thanks for the advice! But you prob did that before agreeing to go to Harvard right? I mean, it's too late to call the Financial Aid Office now, isn't it? Oh, and I tried to ask HUHS, but they refused to tell me!</p>
<p>homebuddy: Actually, I did it AFTER I agreed to go to Harvard - because Harvard's financial aid package blew everyone else's out of the water. Call FAO on Monday.</p>
<p>xjayz's comment about financial aid got me thinking - If you're receiving finanical aid, there's an established total cost of attendance, you've had an Estimated Family Contribution calculated, and Harvard is making up the difference to you in aid. If you maintain that you have similar coverage and get the cost of BCBS insurance coverage waived, wouldn't that just lower the cost of attendance and reduce the amount of your aid accordingly? Your EFC remains the same, so isn't 100% of the cost of your required insurance covered by your aid?</p>
<p>I'm an incoming freshman and I waived my BC/BS insurance through Harvard about 2-3 weeks ago b/c my family has BS already and it didn't change my financial aid package... atleast not yet</p>
<p>No, they figure you are paying for it either way.</p>
<p>Yes, you two are correct - I went back and looked at the "Cost of Attendance" on the Financial Aid website and it doesn't include insurance. There's a statement at the bottom that says "In addition, health insurance coverage is required, at a cost of $1,200 unless the student is covered under the family's health plan."</p>
<p>Yup. That $1,200 is covered by my financial aid budget. If you are getting insurance through Harvard because you cannot get it through here, go ahead and contact FAO - the worse they could say is no.</p>