• While all Berkeley students have access to services at UHS-Tang Center, students with UC SHIP pay 10% of any fees at the time of service and UHS bills SHIP for the remaining 90%.
• UHS will file claims only for UC SHIP members. If you have another plan, you must pay UHS fees for services, file a claim with 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 UC SHIP has a sports injury and comes to UHS. There will be an office visit copay, plus possible additional fees for an 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 because UHS is a non-network provider for all HMO and PPO plans.
• 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.
• UC 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.

• Cost of the plan
• Deductibles, co-pay amounts and co-insurance amounts
• Annual and lifetime maximum amounts for covered services
• Scope of 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, dental and vision benefits of UC SHIP to your plan. You may also find the Glossary of Insurance Terms helpful.

Absolutely no waivers will be accepted after February 1, 2012.

Please note that students who have waived SHIP enrollment for Fall 2011 will be automatically waived for Spring 2012.

• I've decided to keep SHIP

or

• I've decided to waive SHIP
  Important information:
  1. Our online waiver application is administered by Wells Fargo Insurance Services.
  2. 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 student's identification number, and the name of a Bay Area health care facility covered by the plan. If information is incomplete or inaccurate, your waiver application will be denied.
  3. If your waiver application is denied, please follow the instructions provided in the waiver application.

  >The Spring 2012 waiver period is now closed. Click here for more details.