Lasell College Athletics
Intercollegiate Sports Accident Insurance Policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is “Intercollegiate Sports Accident Insurance” and why does Lasell College have a policy?
A. Lasell College Athletics coordinates coverage with Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk (Gallagher) to help cover medical expenses related to an athletic injury that results from a school sponsored/supervised activity. Please be advised that this policy is secondary coverage, as such, it will be considered after all other valid/collectible insurance has been utilized for the student-athlete. The Intercollegiate Sports Accident Insurance covers eligible medical expenses shown as the patient’s responsibility on their primary insurance Explanation of Benefits (EOB).
Q. How does a student-athlete become eligible for coverage?
A. Student-athletes are eligible for coverage under the plan if a school sponsored and/or supervised accidental injury occurs, following their yearly clearance to participate at Lasell College. Once a covered injury occurs, an Injury Claim form must be completed and submitted to the college’s insurance claims company, BMI Benefits, in order for medical bills to be eligible for coverage.
Q. Do I still need to have primary insurance, since Lasell College Athletics has this policy?
A. YES, you do. All Lasell College student-athletes are required to have primary insurance. The Intercollegiate Sports Accident policy ONLY covers eligible school sponsored/supervised athletic related injury charges. This policy does not cover any bills associated with general illness or non-athletic related injuries.
Q. How long can a student-athlete receive coverage for their medical bills under this policy?
A. Coverage under this policy has a two-year benefit period from the date of injury. This is on a per injury basis.
Q. What type of expenses does the Intercollegiate Sports Accident Insurance policy cover?
A. The policy is designed to cover medically necessary expenses not covered by a student-athlete’s
primary insurance for school-sponsored/supervised athletic related accidents and injuries, up to 100% of Usual & Customary charges.
Q. How will claims be processed?
A. When seeking medical treatment, student-athletes should be sure to bring their primary insurance to the provider first and consult the Lasell athletic training staff about the Intercollegiate Sports Accident Insurance billing information. Medical claims will first be sent to the primary insurance for consideration*. Once primary insurance processes the claim, the medical provider should be given the secondary insurance information to submit the claims to BMI Benefits (in the form of an Itemized Claim + Primary EOB) to process under the Intercollegiate Sports Accident policy. The secondary insurance information will be provided by the Lasell athletic training staff.
*If a student-athlete is covered by more than one health insurance policy, then the medical providers will need to bill both insurance before utilizing this plan.
Q. Who Files the Claim after an injury occurs?
A. The Lasell College Athletic Training Staff submits the claim through injury tracking software. The athletic training staff should be contacted about bill received after the athlete’s primary insurance processes the claim. The athletic training staff may assist in notifying the provider about the secondary policy.
Q. Is there a deductible associated with Intercollegiate Sports Accident Policy?
A. There is a $500 per injury deductible. The policy deductible is a coordinating deductible, meaning the deductible reduces with primary insurance payments on eligible medical claims.
Q. What can cause a delay in processing eligible medical claims?
A. BMI Benefits cannot process eligible medical claims that are missing one or more of the following documents: The Injury Claim Form, the Itemized Claim (HCFA 1500 or UB04) or the Primary Insurance EOB. BMI Benefits cannot accept balance due, balance forward, or past due statements sent to the patient.
Q. What should a student-athlete do if they receive a billing statement in the mail?
A. If the bill is related to a sports injury, they should call the billing department phone number on the statement. In most cases, when a billing statement is sent to a patient it’s because the Intercollegiate Sports Accident plan has not been billed yet. They should contact the Lasell athletic training staff about the status of the claim. The athletic training staff will assist in instructing the billing department that they have another insurance plan to be billed and provide the BMI Benefits billing information.
Q. What if expenses are paid out of pocket by the student-athlete / their family? How do they obtain reimbursement?
A. In order to be reimbursed for eligible medical charges, BMI Benefits will still need the Itemized Medical Claim and Primary Insurance EOB, in addition to proof of payment. Proof of payment can be in the form of a receipt, copy of a check, etc. Keep in mind it usually takes longer to be reimbursed, for this reason, we recommend that providers are given the Intercollegiate Sports Accident insurance information up front.
Q. Does the athletic department’s Intercollegiate Sports Accident Insurance plan cover student-athletes who become sick and require coverage?
A. No, the Intercollegiate Sports Accident insurance plan does not cover charges due to general illness or medical related claims, since they are not results of athletic participation at Lasell College. Therefore, services for general “non-athletic” medical concerns (cold/flu, appendicitis for example) are not covered.
Q. What if a student-athlete becomes injured while participating in intramural sports or while playing another sport in the off-season?
A. Injuries that do not occur during a school sponsored and/or supervised Intercollegiate Sporting event are not covered under this plan.
Q. What address should a student-athlete use when filling out medical forms at doctor’s offices – their Lasell College or their home address?
A. Most students tend to move fairly often, so we recommend they list a home address to make sure bills arrive efficiently and are received by their parents/guardians. However, for international students we do recommend listing their current local address, and properly follow mail forwarding procedures during each move. Postage can get expensive and confusing with international addresses, and mail takes much longer to arrive, possibly delaying the entire claims process.
****For secondary insurance information please contact Hilary Turner Athletic Trainer/Clinical Administrator at hturner@lasell.edu or 617-243-2406.****