Tips to help you understand your insurance
- Read your insurance plan Summary of Benefits and Coverage and Exclusions each year. Your plan details explain what medical expenses your insurance will cover, any annual deductible and applicable co-pays, plus other useful information.
- Visit your insurance provider’s website and set up your member account (if available). Your insurer will usually have tools to help you find doctors who accept your health insurance plan and have information about your plan available.
- Have the student insurance plan? Visit the student health plan member site. Videos explain health insurance and reviews how to set up your member account.
- Review commonly used insurance terms. Your insurance plan will also have commonly used terms defined in the glossary.
- Common definitions in a variety of languages, including Chinese, English, French, Korean, Russian, and Spanish are available at the New York State of Health website.
- Contact your provider’s customer service if you have any questions or would like clarification about your coverage.
- Keep all bills and coverage letters for reference.
- Many preventive medical services (like an annual flu shot) may be fully covered under the Affordable Care Act when provided by an in-network provider. Review your insurance plan summary of benefits and coverage for details.
- Visit healthcare.gov for more information about insurance and healthcare.
Additional Resources
The university Student Health Insurance Plan is offered to eligible Mason students. If you are not eligible for the plan, these resources may be useful.
The Mason Alumni Association has options offering insurance coverage to Mason graduates.
If you are continuing your graduate studies at Mason, you can learn more about the Subsidized Graduate Student Health Insurance plan.
Healthcare.gov, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offers information about insurance, an insurance finder tool, and more. The site has some helpful tips for college graduates.
Virginia will transition from using the federal marketplace to using Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace on November 1, 2023, for the plan year 2024 Open Enrollment Period.
Virginia residents may qualify for quality, low-cost health coverage through Medicaid in Virginia. Adults aged 19-64 who are not eligible for other Medicare/Medicaid programs, who are Virginia residents and meet the income requirements may be eligible. Cover Virginia has program information and screening tools (1-855-242-8282) and applications are available through Virginia Commonhelp. Enroll Virginia has information about accessing health insurance in Virginia.
Plan for Your Health has useful information about health insurance.
Review differences between primary care and an emergency department (pdf).