Skip to Content

University of Colorado Boulder
Search

Search

Other ways to search:

  • Events Calendar
  • Campus Map
Health & Wellness Services
Health & Wellness Services

Main menu

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
  • Programs
  • Education & Prevention
  • COVID-19 Updates

Secondary Menu

  • Employee Wellness
  • Health & Wellness Requirements

Mobile menu

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
  • Programs
  • Education & Prevention
  • COVID-19 Updates
  • Employee Wellness
  • Health & Wellness Requirements
  • Graduate Student Dental Insurance

"buffcare" written next to a shield

Breadcrumb

Home Health & Wellness Requirements Insurance Health Insurance Options BuffCare Supplemental Coverage Program

BuffCare Supplemental Coverage Program

Play Video


The BuffCare Program provides peace of mind by reducing out-of-pocket costs for medical services provided on campus after your primary insurance has been billed.

This includes illness prevention and treatment, injury care and other services provided at Wardenburg Health Center and at Health and Wellness Services in the Village Center at Williams Village.

Reasons to use BuffCare

Cost-effective

Coverage costs $225 per semester, and there is no limit for covered services.

Convenient

BuffCare covers out-of-pocket costs for on-campus medical care including co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles and out-of-network costs.

Simple

Students just need to bring their insurance card and student ID to check in for their appointments.

Dates, deadlines and costs

Students who have private or personal insurance can enroll in the BuffCare Program anytime. In order to make the most of your BuffCare benefits, we recommend enrolling at the beginning of the semester before your first health visit.

Please note: You must be enrolled in BuffCare to cover out-of-pocket expenses at CU Boulder. Charges cannot be retroactively covered or refunded once incurred.

 

Spring 2023

Coverage period:
January 1 - July 31, 2023

Open enrollment period:
December 14, 2022-February 11, 2023

Cost: $225

Enroll in BuffCare

Summer 2023 only

Coverage period:
May 1 - July 31, 2023

Open enrollment period:
April 13 - May 31 2023

Cost: $225

Fall 2023

Coverage period:
TBD

Open enrollment period:
TBD

Cost: TBD

Using BuffCare at CU Boulder

Students can use BuffCare to cover a variety of out-of-pocket expenses after their primary insurance has been billed. Here is how it works:

 

A student receives care from CU Boulder Medical Services.

Medical Services bills the student's primary insurance company.

Instead of applying the remaining balance to your tuition account, BuffCare will pay the remaining balance for covered services (listed below).

BuffCare covered services

BuffCare covers a variety of services provided by Medical Services. However, some services are not covered. 
 

Included in coverage

  • Primary care for illnesses and injuries
  • Preventive care including an annual physical
  • Sexual health visits and infection testing
  • Lab and X-ray services*
  • Initial travel health clinic visit (does not include vaccinations)
  • Two physical therapy visits
  • Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and tuberculosis (TB) screenings
  • Out-of-network costs
  • COVID-19 testing

Not included in coverage

  • Counseling and Psychiatry Services
  • Nutrition counseling
  • Prescription drug costs

*Lab services must be ordered and managed by Medical Services. Labs sent to outside facilities may not be fully covered.
**Flu vaccines are free for all CU Boulder students during flu season.

Please note: BuffCare is not an insurance product and can only be used for services provided at Wardenburg Health Center. BuffCare is only available to use after a student's primary insurance plan has been billed. If a student has a lapse in insurance coverage, BuffCare cannot be used.

Schedule an Appointment
​

Student Health Portal

Advocacy and Support

Footer menu

  • Graduate Student Dental Insurance

Health & Wellness Services
Hours and Contact
Campus Support Resources

Give Now

CU Boulder acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute and many other Native American nations. Their forced removal from these territories has caused devastating and lasting impacts. Full CU Boulder land acknowledgment

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Colorado Boulder
© Regents of the University of Colorado
Privacy • Legal & Trademarks • Campus Map

Return to the top of the page