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General Information

Health Insurance is Required

Colby requires all students, including students participating in Colby-billed programs (such as Colby at Bigelow Laboratory, Colby in Dijon, Colby in Salamanca, and Associated Kyoto in Japan), to certify proof of health insurance coverage on an annual basis. To meet this requirement, students must either demonstrate their own insurance coverage with a U.S.-based provider, or enroll in the Colby Student Health Insurance Plan (“Colby SHIP”), administered by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (and brokered by Varney Benefits Advisors).  

Colby Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)

The Colby SHIP (also known as the “Anthem” plan) is a major medical insurance plan that utilizes the national Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield network of medical doctors and hospitals, and it is fully compliant with the Affordable Care Act. It is designed to align with the medical services available through the Colby student health center at MaineGeneral College Health. For more information, students can review the plan’s summary of benefits, provider network, and exclusions.

All Students are Billed

In July, all students (who will be enrolled in a Colby-billed program in the fall) will be charged for the $2,508 annual premium for Colby SHIP coverage beginning on August 1 and ending July 31 of the following year. For any students who will not be enrolled in a Colby-billed program in the fall, and will be returning to Colby for the spring semester only, the half-year premium of $1,457 will be charged for coverage beginning on January 1 and ending July 31. For students who already have comparable health insurance coverage with a U.S.-based provider, these charges will be removed upon successful completion of the online waiver form. 

Annual Enrollment or Waiver Process

Every year, all students must complete the online enrollment or waiver form in order to enroll in the Colby SHIP, or to waive coverage. The form is due by August 1 for full-year coverage, and by January 1 for spring-only coverage. Students electing to waive Colby’s insurance plan must provide proof of their own comparable coverage by submitting their current insurance information. The Colby SHIP premium charge will only be removed when a student’s waiver request has been approved. 

International Students are Automatically Enrolled

Due to the need for comparable U.S.-based coverage, all international students will be automatically enrolled in the Colby SHIP. Therefore, international students do not need to complete this waiver or enrollment process. However, if you are an international student and believe your plan should qualify for a waiver, please contact [email protected]. The only other exception to the automatic enrollment of international students is when they are studying off-campus at non-Colby-billed programs, as described in the following section. Students (international and domestic) who are studying off-campus at non-Colby billed programs are not included in the Colby SHIP, since they are typically covered via health insurance provided by their external program or university.

Students Studying Off-Campus

Students studying off-campus at Colby-billed programs in the Fall Semester (such as Colby at Bigelow Laboratory, Colby in Dijon, Colby in Salamanca, and Associated Kyoto in Japan) are still required to complete this waiver or enrollment process for the Colby SHIP. Students studying off-campus at all other non-Colby-billed programs in the Fall Semester are not required to participate (and are not included) in this process. Students studying away at non-Colby-billed programs should review the health insurance coverage offered by their external program as well as supplemental options. Students returning to Colby for the Spring Semester will be offered to enroll in half-year Colby SHIP coverage at that time, for the half-year premium rate of $1,457 for coverage beginning on January 1 and ending July 31. Though students studying off-campus at non-Colby-billed programs are not included in the Colby SHIP, they may request special consideration for Colby SHIP enrollment on a case-by-base basis by contacting [email protected].