Form 1095-B Frequently Asked Questions
Students with Wellfleet
Beginning in the 2019 tax year, the federal penalty for failing to enroll in health insurance was discontinued. Accordingly, individual tax payers no longer have to report or certify on their federal returns whether they had health insurance during the tax year and do not need this form. As a result, Wellfleet Insurance Company will not be mailing the 1095-B form to students enrolled in the NYU sponsored health insurance as it is no longer needed for tax filing.
Nonetheless, Wellfleet enrollees who still want a copy of their form can request one by emailing or calling Wellfleet. Please email Wellfleet at 1095B@wellfleetinsurance.com or call 1-800-633-7867, Option 7. The applicable form will be supplied within 30 days of receipt of the request.
Why am I receiving this request?
As an enrollee in the NYU sponsored student health insurance plan, your insurance plan is issued by Wellfleet. Administrative Services for the plan are also provided by a company called Wellfleet.
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Wellfleet is required to furnish you with Form 1095-B, which includes information about your health insurance coverage during the 2019 tax year. Wellfleet will also report the information contained on Form 1095-B to the IRS, including your first and last name, Social Security Number (“SSN”) or other Tax Identification Number (“TIN”) (if either is available to Wellfleet), date of birth and mailing address. The IRS will use this information to determine if you or your dependent(s) should incur a tax penalty for any potential failure to maintain the minimum level of health coverage required by PPACA.
Do I need to provide my Social Security Number?
Please understand that if you do not provide your SSN to Wellfleet, this will not affect your health insurance coverage. However, according to IRS’s Form 1095-B instructions, “if you don’t provide your SSN or other TIN…, the IRS may not be able to match the Form 1095-B with … individuals to determine that they have” the required coverage. In other words, if you don’t provide your SSN (or if applicable, the SSNs for any dependents) to Wellfleet, it may make it more difficult for the IRS to match the information provided by Wellfleet about your health insurance coverage with you or your federal tax return.
Is my Social Security Number going to be secure?
Wellfleet has assured NYU that they are committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data they maintain. They have further assured us that all SSNs are encrypted in their system and that they will only be used for purposes of this Federal requirement.
Contact Wellfleet if you have questions relating to Form 1095-B:
Phone: 1-800-633-7867 option 7
Email: 1095b@wellfleetinsurance.com
Students with GeoBlue
As an enrollee in the GeoBlue Insurance Plan, your plan is issued by 4 EverLife Insurance Company (“4EL”) and administrative services for the plan are provided by a company called GeoBlue. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), 4EL is required to furnish you with Form 1095B, which includes information about your health insurance company during the tax year. GeoBlue will report certain information contained on Form 1095B to the IRS relating to your health insurance coverage including: your first and last name, date of birth, social security number and mailing address. The IRS will use this information to determine if you or your dependent(s) should incur a tax penalty for any potential failure to maintain the minimum level of health coverage the PPACA requires.
Current Plan Enrollees
If you are currently enrolled in the GeoBlue Insurance Plan, you will need to go to www.geobluestudents.com (the GeoBlue portal) and click on the link for Form 1095B to download and print your form.
Former Plan Enrollees
If you were enrolled in the GeoBlue Insurance Plan during the last academic year and not in this current year, you will need to contact the Customer Service Office to obtain your copy of the Form 1095B.
The GeoBlue Customer Service Representatives can be reached at:
In the United States: 1.844.537.4634
Outside the United States: 1.610.263.2847
Customerservice@geo-blue.com