About
The MIT Graduate Student Dental Plan is offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) and is separate from the MIT Student Health Insurance Plan (MIT SHIP). You are not automatically enrolled in the dental plan. If you want dental coverage through this plan, you must enroll during the open enrollment period from July 15–August 15.
The dental plan offers full coverage for routine diagnostic and preventative dental services once every six months, including emergency exams and periodic X-rays. It pays for 80 percent of other dental services, such as fillings (composite or silver) and root canal procedures — up to $1,500 per year — after a $50 deductible. The dental plan does not cover braces, orthodontics, or cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening.
Download the Summary of Benefits to learn more.
Eligibility
If you are a graduate student who is enrolled in a degree-granting program at MIT, you can enroll in the dental plan. If you enroll in the plan, you may also add your family members — spouse/partner and dependent child(ren).
Enrollment
You can enroll in the dental plan during each year’s open enrollment period (July 15–August 15). Here’s how:
- Visit the Gallagher Student Health website, and log in. If it’s your first time using Gallagher, you will need to create an account.
- Complete the enrollment form for yourself and any family members you would like to add.
- Choose how you want to pay. When you enroll, you can pay for the whole year at that time, or you can choose the installment plan — pay for the first three months of coverage, and then begin paying a smaller amount every month through automatic debits from your checking account.
Using your dental insurance
Finding a dentist
You can use the dental plan anywhere that accepts the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Dental Blue Program 1. This includes MIT Health’s Dental Service. To find other providers who accept this insurance, call the BCBSMA Physician Selection Service at 1-800-821-1388, or go to the BCBSMA website, click on “Find Care” and choose “Find a Doctor” from the drop-down menu. Fill out the search form by entering “General Dentistry” (or, for a child, “Pediatric Dentistry”) in the “Doctor, Hospital, or Specialty” field. Choose “DENTAL BLUE” from the “Network” drop-down menu, and enter your location to find dentists in your area. You can sort your search results by distance and filter the results by gender, language, and other characteristics. So, for example, you could use the filters to find female dentists who speak Korean.
Paying for dental care
The dental plan will pay for you to have a routine dental checkup and teeth cleaning every six months. If you need a filling or a root canal, you will pay the first $50 yourself. If your treatment costs more than $50, the dental plan will pay for 80 percent, and you will pay for 20 percent. The dental plan will pay up to $1,500 per year for your dental services. If your family members are covered by the dental plan, it will pay up to $1,500 per year for each of them as well.
If you have at least one dental appointment but use less than $700 in services in one year, you can roll over up to $1,250 for the next year. Download the Summary of Benefits to learn more.