# 9.03 Student Health Program ## expand\_more Detailed information regarding the Harvard University Student Health Program (HUSHP) can be found at the [HUSHP site](http://www.hushp.harvard.edu/). Students should read the plan details carefully and familiarize themselves with the [policies](https://hushp.harvard.edu/policies-and-forms) and coverage available. Students with questions should contact HUSHP Member Services at . ## Responsibilities of Health and Counseling Services ***Medical care and medical decision making.*** Medical care and medical decision-making are the province of clinicians. Thus, in consultation with patients, clinicians recommend hospitalization, arrange procedures, prescribe medications, conduct psychological evaluations, and recommend and implement ongoing treatment. Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) preserves the rights to privacy and confidentiality of students under its care, communicating with others about students only with those students’ knowledge and consent, except as noted below. ***Exceptional circumstances***. In certain circumstances it may not be possible or advisable for professional staff at HUHS to obtain a student’s consent to a disclosure of health or health-related information. Circumstances worthy of note include the following: - **Danger to Any Person** One exception to obtaining a student’s consent is the rare instance in which a student’s medical condition or behavioral disturbance poses a danger to the student or threat to others or to the community. HUHS professional staff may then disclose any relevant information to any appropriate person, including Harvard Medical School officials, for the purpose of protecting the student, others, or the community from harm. Generally, even in this situation, every effort is made to notify the student of the need to disclose and the reason for such disclosure. - **Treatment at Hospitals or Medical Facilities** HUHS will notify Harvard Medical School when it is aware of student hospitalizations or transfers to emergency departments. Such notification is provided to the Office of Student Affairs and is documented at HUHS. If Harvard Medical School has reason to believe that a student may be in a medical facility, the School may contact HUHS regarding a student’s whereabouts. The HUHS clinician ordinarily will disclose only that the student is safely in care. When, in an HUHS clinician’s medical judgment, a student is in a life-threatening condition, or is psychologically unstable, or has sustained an illness or injury that likely will result in a hospital admission or require care after discharge, that clinician will notify the Office of Student Affairs, or a Harvard Medical School administrator. Only information regarding the fact of the admission/discharge, location of the student, general medical condition, and prospects for return to enrollment or residence is shared; information regarding diagnosis or treatment is not shared. Students who are hospitalized or are receiving emergency care are expected to update HUHS; when the hospitalization or emergency room visit raises serious questions about the student’s health or well-being, the student ordinarily will be assessed regarding suitability to return to enrollment or residence (See “Clearance for Return”). When HUHS is aware that a student who has been hospitalized or received emergency treatment decides to leave a medical facility against medical advice, an HUHS clinician may apprise Harvard Medical School of this decision, if in the clinician’s judgment the student’s decision may pose a significant risk of physical or emotional danger to the student or to members of the community. Depending upon the circumstances, the clinician may inform a Harvard Medical School official of the student’s location, decision to leave a facility against medical advice, risk of further injury or relapse, or possible threat to the student’s own safety or to that of others. ***Consultation to Harvard Medical School.*** In addition to providing student health and counseling services, HUHS also acts occasionally as a consultant to Harvard Medical School, advising Harvard Medical School about individual students’ needs, ordinarily with students’ full knowledge and consent. Situations that routinely call for close coordination and consultation between HUHS and Harvard Medical School involve: accommodations for students experiencing difficulties; leaves of absence and returns from leaves of absence; clearance to return to residence and enrollment; and agreements to engage in treatment. When considering the situation of a student who has an illness or is exhibiting behavior that affects functioning, Harvard Medical School may need a professional evaluation of the condition to determine appropriate next steps. In response to a request from Harvard Medical School, HUHS clinicians may evaluate a student’s condition and make recommendations to Harvard Medical School. In making such recommendations, HUHS clinicians ordinarily will not disclose information they know independently about a student’s medical or mental health condition without the student’s consent and, in all cases, will not disclose information about the student that is not relevant to the recommendations. ## Responsibilities of Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School, in consultation with the affected student, determines: (a) whether an injured or ill student, or a student exhibiting disruptive behavior, may continue to be in residence and/or enrolled; and (b) whether a student may continue in or return to residence and enrollment after a short or longer-term absence due to accident, illness, or behavioral disturbance. In situations where a student’s medical illness or behavioral disturbance raises concerns about the practicality and appropriateness of the student’s residence and enrollment, Harvard Medical School values the expert advice of HUHS in reaching its decision. AGREEMENTS TO ENGAGE IN TREATMENT The School may condition a student’s enrollment and/or residence on certain terms or conditions, as set forth in a written contract between Harvard Medical School and the student, when the student’s conduct or circumstances have caused heightened concerns about the student’s safety and/or well-being and (a) the appropriateness of the student’s continued enrollment and/or residence or (b) the student’s readiness to return to the Harvard community. The agreement to engage in treatment may include, among other things, compliance with a medical treatment plan, regular consultations with health care professionals, communication with administrators, and limited disclosure of relevant medical information on a need-to-know basis, such as compliance with treatment and restrictions on certain activities. The decision to require such an agreement is made in consultation with HUHS after an individualized assessment of the nature of the student’s conduct, circumstances, and any other pertinent factors. CLEARANCE FOR RETURN After a hospitalization or emergency room visit by a student that raises serious questions about the student’s health or well-being, or in other circumstances that raise serious questions about the student’s health or well-being and reasonably call into question their ability to function as a student in the Harvard Medical School environment, Harvard Medical School ordinarily will not permit that student to return to residence and enrollment or participation in any Harvard-related programs or activities before making its own assessment of the suitability of the student’s return. (See [Procedure for Notice and Consultation](#Procedure)). To better inform that assessment, students are expected to notify both Harvard Medical School and HUHS of any hospitalization or emergency department visit. HUHS can be notified by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 617-495-5711. ## Reason for Policy An important consideration in Harvard Medical School’s decision as to whether a student may continue in or return to residence and enrollment is the impact of the student’s presence on the community. A student who is injured, ill, or exhibiting disturbing or disruptive behavior may require ongoing care. Serious alcohol- or drug-related problems, in particular, have the potential to disrupt residential life and/or life in the academic community significantly and impair a student’s ability to function academically and socially. Harvard Medical School regards as unreasonable the expectation that roommates, suitemates, friends, or Harvard Medical School staff will take on health care responsibilities for students. Any student may, of course, refuse to allow consultation between the student’s clinician(s) and Harvard Medical School, but such a refusal will not prevent Harvard Medical School from making a decision regarding a student’s return to residence or continued enrollment. ## Procedure for Notice and Consultation Harvard Medical School will consult with clinicians at HUHS and/or, if the student has been treated elsewhere, clinicians at other facilities or in private practice, ordinarily with the student’s permission. Depending on all of the relevant circumstances, such consultation may be initiated either by Harvard Medical School or by clinicians at HUHS. Notice that a student has been hospitalized or treated in an emergency department may prompt Harvard Medical School to begin a process of consultation through which it will decide whether and under what circumstances the student may continue in or return to residence or enrollment. Harvard Medical School may also independently decide, based on its observations or other information about a student, to initiate the process of consultation with HUHS clinicians, which may include ascertaining whether the student has been hospitalized or treated in an emergency department. Consultation will focus on the concerns raised by the student’s condition or behavior and requirements for continued care, in order to facilitate Harvard Medical School’s decision about the student’s capacity to continue in or return to residence and enrollment. ## Massachusetts Insurance Requirements Massachusetts law requires that all full-time or part-time students enrolled in an institution of higher learning in Massachusetts participate in a qualifying student health insurance program or in a health plan of comparable coverage. All Harvard students are automatically enrolled in the Harvard University Student Health Program (HUSHP), and charges are applied to the student's term bill. #### HUSHP is a comprehensive health program comprised of two parts: **Student Health Fee:** *Required of all students who are enrolled more than half-time and studying in Massachusetts.* This fee covers most services at Harvard University Health Services (HUHS), including internal medicine, most medical/surgical specialty care, mental health/counseling services, physical therapy, radiology, and urgent care. **Student Health Insurance Plan:** Provides hospital/specialty care through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and prescription drug coverage through Catamaran. Coverage includes emergency room visits, hospitalizations, diagnostic lab/radiology services, ambulatory surgery, specialty care outside HUHS (limited), and prescription drug coverage. Benefit limits and cost-sharing may apply—visit the [HUSHP site](https://hushp.harvard.edu/your-benefits/optional-dental-plans-benefits/) for more details. ## Waiving the Student Health Insurance Plan Students with alternate health insurance may be eligible to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan, and in very limited cases, waive the Student Health Fee. Learn more about [waiver eligibility & applications on the HUHS site](https://hushp.harvard.edu/waiver-eligibility-application). ## Dependent Health Insurance Students may enroll eligible dependents in HUSHP for the fall term or the full academic year. Visit [HUSHP site for student dependents](http://hushp.harvard.edu/hushp-student-dependents) for more information. ## Dental Coverage Options Dental coverage is available for students and their eligible dependents. Visit the [HUSHP dental coverage](https://hushp.harvard.edu/your-benefits/optional-dental-plans-benefits/) site for more information. *Updated 7/16/25* *Approved by PME Administration and The Office of General Counsel*