Colby College does not bill for services performed by its Athletic Trainers. Maine General Medical Center and other healthcare providers will bill patients/insurers for their services. In these cases, a student athlete’s regular health insurance will respond as the primary insurance coverage, with traditional copayments, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses as determined by the terms of the student athlete’s policy. After this primary insurance coverage has been applied, if the injury occurred during an activity sponsored and supervised by Colby Athletic Department personnel, Colby’s additional sports insurance policy will provide secondary coverage for any remaining expenses. (Colby’s Director of Sports Medicine can assist student athletes in determining whether a claim under Colby’s additional sports insurance policy is appropriate.)
Primary Insurance: All medical services (except those provided by Colby’s Athletic Training staff) will be billed to the student's personal/primary health insurance plan. If the injury did not occur during an activity sponsored and supervised by Colby Athletic Department personnel, the student and student’s family will be responsible for copayments, deductibles, and any other out-of-pocket expenses. Given this, it is advisable for students to speak with their primary insurance company to gain a full understanding of what is covered, for all health needs arising outside of the athletic season.
Secondary Insurance: As a benefit to student athletes, Colby purchases a basic sports policy from BMI that serves as the secondary insurance policy for injuries resulting from activities sponsored and supervised by Colby Athletic Department personnel. As secondary insurance, this policy covers remaining expenses after the primary insurance reimbursement has been applied, including the remaining copayments, deductibles, and/or any other out-of-pocket expenses, up to $90,000. Starting after $90,000 in expenses, the NCAA maintains an insurance policy to provide coverage for catastrophic injuries to athletes.
When speaking with health insurance representatives, and reviewing coverage details for a primary insurance plan, students should investigate the following:
- Deductibles: Depending on the insurance plan, it may or may not have a deductible, which is an annual amount that patients need to pay out-of-pocket for their own healthcare first, before the insurance plan will begin covering the cost of care.
- Copayments (Copays): Depending on the insurance plan, it may or may not involve a copayment, which is a fixed cost that patients need to pay out-of-pocket for each of their medical visits, at an amount set by the insurance company (often between $10-$50 per visit).
- Coinsurance: Depending on the insurance plan, it may or may not involve coinsurance, which is the percentage of the specific services provided at the medical visit that is covered by insurance, and the remaining percentage left to be paid out-of-pocket by the patient (for example, 80% covered by insurance, with 20% left for the patient to pay).
- Coverage in Maine: Depending on the insurance plan, it may or may not cover non-emergency care in the state of Maine (regional HMO plans, such as Kaiser, typically do not). Students must have an insurance plan that covers non-emergency care in Maine (for example, preventative and primary care).
- Coverage for Campus Services: Depending on the insurance plan, it may or may not cover health-related services provided to student athletes on campus, such as physical therapy and team physician visits by Maine General providers occurring at the Colby Harold Alfond Athletics & Recreation Center.
Colby College offers a primary health insurance plan, Anthem, in which all Colby students can enroll on an annual basis.
