Tools for making your decision

Am I Eligible to Waive SHIP Enrollment?

• While all Berkeley students have access to services at UHS-Tang Center, students with SHIP pay 20% of any fees at the time of service and UHS bills SHIP for the remaining 80%.
• UHS will file claims only to SHIP. If you have another plan, you must pay UHS fees for services, file a claim to your plan, and wait for reimbursement.
• Many HMO and PPO insurance plans will not cover fees for services provided at UHS. For example, a student without SHIP has a sports injury and comes to UHS. The visit with the clinician is free, but there will be fees for the x-ray and any supplies, such as a splint or sling. Many HMO and PPO plans will not pay for the x-ray and supply charges.
• Many HMO and PPO plans require you to use a service provider within their network. Check to see if your plan's network includes providers in the Berkeley area, and that those providers are accepting new patients (many may not). The nearest Kaiser facility is 7 miles from campus, in downtown Oakland.
• Many HMO and PPO plans provide worldwide coverage only for emergencies. When students move to Berkeley from outside the Bay Area, travel to visit family or friends, or study abroad, routine care may not be covered.
• SHIP is a group plan, comparable in benefit levels to group plans provided to employees by employers. Individual plans, purchased directly from an insurance company by people who do not have access to a group plan, often cost more and provide fewer benefits.

For the reasons listed above, we recommend students keep SHIP, even if they have another plan. Dual coverage results in lower out-of-pocket costs during the school year, and students appreciate the convenience of on-campus care. Students who waive SHIP their first year at Cal often struggle to coordinate care on their own, then join the plan the following year.

Compare carefully the cost, benefits, and limitations of your plan to SHIP. In general, we recommend you compare the following:

• Cost of the plan
• Deductibles, co-pay amounts and co-insurance amounts
• Annual and lifetime maximum amounts covered
• Services covered as well as any limitations
• Service area (will your plan cover care provided in the Berkeley area?)

Our Health Plan Comparison Worksheet can help you compare the medical, mental health and dental benefits of SHIP to your plan. You may also find the Glossary of Insurance Terms helpful.

For all undergraduate and continuing graduate students, the deadline for waiving SHIP enrollment for Fall 2009 has been extended to August 15th 2009. For new graduate students, the deadline is August 31st, 2009.

Waivers submitted after the deadline will be subject to a $50 late waiver service fee billed to the student's E-Bill.

No waivers will be accepted after September 15th, 2009.

Please note that students who have waived SHIP enrollment for Fall 2009 will have enrollment automatically waived for Spring 2010.

• I've decided to keep SHIP

or

• No waivers will be accepted after September 15, 2009.
  
  To complete the online SHIP Waiver Request, you will need an active CalNet ID and details about your health insurance plan, including the company name and phone number, group number, the policy's holder identification number, and the name of a Bay Area health care facility covered by the plan.

Questions

Have a question? See Frequently Asked Questions About Waivers or call the Student Health Insurance Office at (510) 642-5700.