Affiliate Health Plans

Overview

The MIT Affiliate Health Plan provides affiliates with comprehensive, high-quality health care during their time at MIT. The convenience of our medical services, the expertise and experience of our physicians, and our affiliation with top hospitals in the Boston area are only a few of the plan’s advantages. The plan is available to those who meet both of the following requirements:

Have a full- or part-time MIT appointment (at least 50% time) for a minimum of three months but are not receiving a salary or voucher payments from MIT, and
Have one of the following job titles: visiting scientist, visiting engineer, visiting scholar, visiting economist, visiting research associate, visiting professor (including assistant and associate professor), fellow, Bantrell Fellow, research fellow, postdoctoral fellow, or research affiliate.

The plan has two complementary parts:

MIT Affiliate Medical Plan: Covers a wide range of care and services provided at MIT Medical, including primary care, certain medical specialties, 24-hour urgent care, mental health care, and others.

MIT Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan: Meets Massachusetts requirements for comprehensive health insurance. In addition to the services provided by the MIT Affiliate Medical Plan, members receive access to inpatient hospitalization (including the birth of a child), inpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment, emergency room services, surgical procedures, and other benefits, such as annual eye exams and prescription medicine.

Do I need to enroll?

Affiliates with appointments of five months or longer* are required to have comprehensive health insurance . If you have other health insurance that meets Massachusetts requirements, you may waive coverage from the MIT Affiliate Health Plan by completing the affiliate waiver request form. If you do not have insurance and are required to purchase insurance, you must purchase both the MIT Affiliate Medical Plan and the MIT Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan. Check with the administrative officer in your department if you have questions about your eligibility.

If you'd like to purchase the MIT Affiliate Medical Plan but not the MIT Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan, you must complete the application process in person by coming into the Health Plans office (E23-308) during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.). You must bring proof that you have adequate hospital insurance from another provider that is comparable to the MIT Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan.

* except Bantrell Fellows and those with the title of visiting professor, including assistant or associate profesor

To enroll:

Obtain a letter from your department administrator stating your status as an affiliate.
Schedule an affiliate orientation session by calling the MIT Health Plans Office at 617-253-4371. Orientations take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at MIT Medical. Bring the personnel action form from your department or a copy of your DS-2019 form to the orientation. If you waive both the MIT Affiliate Medical Plan and the MIT Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan (see below), you do not need to attend an orientation session.
At the orientation, complete and sign an enrollment form. You will also choose a payment schedule for your insurance. We can bill you every three months, every six months, or every 12 months.
About three weeks after you enroll and make your first payment, you will receive a Blue Cross Blue Shield card in the mail. Be sure to carry this with you.
Choose a primary care provider at MIT Medical.

To waive coverage:

If you already have insurance that's comparable to MIT’s insurance coverage, you may submit an affiliate waiver request form. Complete insurance information, including a copy of your insurance card or certificate, is required on all waiver forms.

Family members

Family members of covered affiliates are also eligible for one or both parts of the MIT Affiliate Health Plan. Family members are defined as spouses or spousal-equivalent partners, unmarried dependent children under 25 years of age, and dependent children of covered, unmarried dependents.

If you are purchasing coverage for a spousal-equivalent partner, you will need to complete an Affidavit of Spousal-Equivalent Partnership form (PDF). You will also be required to provide proof of family relationship or eligibility for other family members. Please see Family/Dependent Eligibility: Documentation Required for more information

Resources

The Affiliate Health Plan Overview provides a summary of the two plans offered to affiliates.
The 20-page Benefit Description has a more detailed explanation of services covered at MIT Medical under the MIT Affiliate Medical Plan.
The addendum provides information about services provided by MIT Medical that are covered under the Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan as well as other benefits administered by the MIT Health Plans office.
- For 2010-11 documents , please see our Forms and Publications page
Affidavit of Spousal-Equivalent Partnership (PDF)
Affiliate Waiver Request Form (PDF)
MIT Medical directory of staff and services