Insurance

Insurance
Medical
Travel Accident
Auto
Personal Vehicles on Campus
Property
Liability
Worker's Compensation
Risk Management

Insurance
The following information is provided to inform students about the insurance coverage that the College may purchase, and how the coverage may apply to students. The descriptions of coverage are not intended to, nor do they supplement, amend or modify any insurance policy terms and conditions. The College reserves the right at all times to modify its insurance coverage, terms, conditions and limits without notice to any person or entity, including students, faculty or staff. Students may wish to make adjustments in their own coverages if they feel that it would be appropriate to their interests.

Medical
The comprehensive fee covering tuition, room and board provides basic physician and nurse treatment at the Mount Holyoke College Health Services.  A student may experience the need for more extensive medical treatment, and insurance is therefore required of all students by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Mount Holyoke College.
A fee for Mount Holyoke College’s Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Program  appears on the tuition bill as an additional charge.  If a family or student has other equivalent coverage for the student, the student may submit information confirming the coverage via the Koster Insurance on-line waiver form, and if the coverage is acceptable, the insurance charge will be waived. Paper waivers are no longer accepted.
More detail is available at Student Health Insurance.

Payment for Mount Holyoke College’s Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Program  is administered by the Student Financial Services Office. Claims and questions about coverage are handled by the Student Health Service. Benefits include emergency, ambulance, in-patient, surgery, specialty consultations, physical therapy, and dental injuries to sound natural teeth. Please note, there are coverage limits and caps: co-payments, deductibles or exclusions may apply. The policy conditions may result in the student incurring partial or full charges for some medical care.  Mount Holyoke College is not responsible for any co-payments,  medical, dental or surgical expenses not covered by the Mount Holyoke College  Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Program , or the student’s own insurer, or any uninsured or excluded medical, dental or surgical expenses.

Claims are handled by the program administrator. The staff at Student Health Services may provide assistance with claims problems. The program is a managed care program, so in the event of an injury or sickness, the insured student should, if at school, immediately report to the Student Health Service. If the student is away from school, consult your doctor, and follow his/her instructions. Report all claims to the program administrator (see the plan brochure for information) and follow their instructions.

Intercollegiate and club sports athletes have additional benefits available under certain policies which are purchased for their behalf by the College. Coverage applies to athletes who are injured while in organized competition or practice, which is constructively supervised, or traveling to or from one of these events. The Sports Accident Policy provides up to $75,000 for intercollegiate and $25,000 for club sport injuries, and has a $500 deductible.  If you do not carry the Student Medical Insurance you are responsible for meeting the deductible either with your own insurance or out-of-pocket. (The Student Medical Insurance provides $500 for intercollegiate sports injuries or covers club sports as "any condition" subject to policy limits, terms and conditions, which meets the deductible.) The NCAA policy insures for an unlimited amount (subject to policy terms) over the Sports Accident Policy, for intercollegiate sports only, and benefits range from medical and rehabilitation to lifetime disability income and home health care. The limit on Club Sports Catastrophic Policy is $5,000,000, for medical expenses only, in excess of all other collectible insurance and a $25,000 deductible (met by the primary policy). The benefits of all of these policies are over and above benefits available through any other valid and collectible insurance available to the injured person. The Student Financial Services Office administers these insurance policies. These policies do not extend to participants in intramural or any other recreational sports. They cover intercollegiate and College recognized club sports only.

The College accepts no responsibility for any losses, costs or expenses not covered by the insurance policies listed above, whether by coverage terms or exclusions or the injured student's failure to comply with policy required claims procedures.

Travel Accident
The College provides limited travel accident insurance, including medical evacuation and repatriation to students traveling on official College or academic business, world wide. Worldwide travel assistance services are also available. More information is available at Student Risk. Contact the Risk Management Office for assistance.

Auto
Mount Holyoke College purchases Auto Liability Insurance which protects both the College and the driver from third party liability and third party property damage arising from the use of College owned, hired/rented and non-owned vehicles.

All persons driving on College business must be credentialed. Information is available at Driver Credentialing.
In addition:

A.         For College owned vehicles, the student driver must have permission from a faculty member, a dean, a coach, or a department head to drive a college vehicle, or be a registered fleet driver, using an authorized fleet vehicle.

B.         To rent or drive a rented vehicle for College business, the student must have written authorization from an authorized person (see owned vehicles) and be a scheduled driver with the rental company.  Most car rental agencies prohibit persons under the age of 25 from driving rented vehicles.  The College policy is to waive coverage for liability and collision coverage on domestic rentals, however students should follow departmental guidelines with respect to waiving the rental company insurance. If the College insurance is used, a certificate of insurance should be obtained as proof of insurance.

C.      If a student drives his/her own vehicle on College business, such use must be specifically authorized in writing before the use occurs. The College policy is excess of the student's own policy with respect to liability coverage. No coverage is ever provided for any physical damage to the student's vehicle, nor will any deductible amount be paid by the College, whether the vehicle is used for College business or not, and regardless of any liability of the driver or other parties.

More information is available on the Five College Risk Management web site or at auto insurance information. 

The College auto insurance policy may not respond to cover unauthorized drivers. Unauthorized drivers may be personally liable for claims brought against them. The College may also have a right to claim against unauthorized drivers.

Personal Vehicles on Campus
The College is not responsible for, nor will it pay any claims for, damages to student owned vehicles resulting from falling ice, snow, tree limbs or any other natural occurrence or event on its property or elsewhere, whether the possibility of such an event is warned against or not. The College is not responsible for, nor will it pay any losses, claims or damages to student owned vehicles resulting from vandalism, collision or other acts by any person, other than damage caused directly by its employees. More information is available at Personal Vehicles.

Property
The College does not have property insurance for student possessions, and it accepts no responsibility for any personal possessions or property of students. Any possessions in student rooms or left in storage areas are left at the owner’s own risk. Students are responsible for insuring their own property against loss, and may be able to do so using parents’ policies or by obtaining a tenant’s policy through a local insurance agent. It is recommended that students keep their doors locked and not leave valuable items in storage areas. A copy of the letter we send to all students is on line at Personal Property and has information on one source of insurance for your personal property.

Liability
The College is not liable for the actions of its students, nor is it possible for the College to obtain liability insurance on behalf of its students. Student athletes especially should be aware that if they are sued for injuries or damages caused to others in the course of an athletic event, Mount Holyoke’s insurance does not provide coverage. The liability section of a parent’s homeowner’s policy or renter’s policy may provide for the defense of the student and damages awarded, if any, in a suit alleging negligence. Students are responsible for avoiding intentional acts or negligent behavior that could harm others or give rise to adverse legal action. Although Mount Holyoke College will not provide liability protection, it may assist in obtaining a defense if it is not provided for by parental insurance coverage.

If a student is sued for an act or omission and believes that s/he was acting in the capacity of an employee or agent of the College at the time of such act or omission, contact the Dean of Students immediately for instructions. See Student Personal Liability for additional information.

The College will not provide any legal defense for any student accused or arrested for any criminal act, whether on or off campus, even if the student is on a field trip or other College function or program.

Workers’ Compensation
Students who are employed by the College, and who are injured in the course of their work may be eligible for Workers Compensation. If a student is injured on the job, the student should contact his/her supervisor immediately to report the injury and complete an accident investigation form. Questions should be directed to the student’s supervisor and the Human Resources Office.

Risk Management Office
If you need further assistance, you may contact the College Risk Manager. For more information on other student risk management issues, visit the Five College Risk Management Web Site, noted below.

Elizabeth J. Carmichael
Risk Manager, Five Colleges Incorporated
Mount Holyoke College
50 College Street
South Hadley, MA 01075-6404
Tel: 413-538-2731
Fax: 413-538-3031
ecarmich@mtholyoke.edu
http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/riskmgmt/