Changes to the SHIP 2008-2009 Academic Year Plan

Benefit Changes for 2008-2009
The Student Health Insurance Plan Committee would like to give you an update regarding health insurance benefits for SHIP members for the 2008-09 school year. We are very pleased to announce the following benefit additions to your plan, effective Fall 2008:
Vision Plan – Vision coverage is a new benefit to SHIP for this academic year. VSP will provide a vision plan for SHIP members. The plan pays for a yearly eye exam and lenses with copay of $25, and frames every 2 years with $130 allowance. Contact lenses can be chosen in lieu of lenses and frames every year with the $130 allowance. There is also an average 15% laser discount.
Dental Plan – The Delta Dental annual maximum benefit will increase to $750 per year.
Medical Plan – The pharmacy annual maximum benefit will increase to $5,000 per year.
Students will continue to receive all primary care by the Student Health Services at Cowell. When students are referred for care beyond the health center, SHIP pays 80% of in-network covered expenses (50% out-of-network) after the annual deductible. The annual deductible will increase to $200 per year starting Fall 2008. For a detailed listing of plan benefits for 2008-09, view our 2008-2009 Academic Year Plan Information or SHIP Benefit Highlights (pdf).
Premium Costs for 2008-2009
The cost of SHIP will be charged to your student account along with your registration fees each term. Three quarterly payments (for law students, two semester payments) provide year-round coverage. Costs for SHIP for the 2008-09 policy year are:
Undergraduate Students: $286 per quarter = $858 per year
Graduate/Professional Students: $618 per quarter = $1,854 per year
Law Students: $927 per semester = $1,854 per year
You may note a considerable increase to the graduate SHIP premium for 2008-09. Prior to this year, graduate and professional students were fortunate to have premiums fairly stable since 2003, when the premium was $1377 per year (the premium for 2007-08 is $1440 per year). In 2007, there was a substantial increase to the number and dollar amount of graduate and professional student claims, which resulted in an increase to the base renewal of the plan. The SHIP Committee felt it was important, even though the renewal quote for existing benefits was over a 25% increase, that the above described changes to benefits be added this year. The pharmacy, dental and vision benefits are significant additions and will prove valuable to SHIP enrollees. The Committee noted that Davis SHIP plan benefits and premium are comparable to that of other UC campuses.
All decisions regarding benefit and cost changes for SHIP were made by the 2007-08 SHIP Committee. If you have concerns or comments regarding SHIP changes, please contact your representatives on the SHIP Committee.
Health Insurance Requirement & Waiver Application for SHIP
If you have comparable health insurance and want to waive participation in SHIP for the 2008-09 academic year, you must file a SHIP waiver application. In order to be approved for a student health insurance waiver your individual health insurance policy must meet minimum waiver guidelines. Waiver applications are available to be completed and submitted online.
Waiver applications must be submitted by September 18, 2008 (August 18, 2008 for Law students).
For some student groups, SHIP waiver application deadlines are different from those listed above, based on the dates that their academic programs begin. Examples of this are FNP/PA, LLM, MPVM, and 1st year Veterinary students. Check the information for your student group on the new students page if your academic program begins on a different date than the beginning dates of coverage listed above.
Comparing SHIP to Private Health Insurance
You may be interested in comparing the benefits and cost of the student health insurance to alternative private health insurance policies. To help you with this, the Student Health Services website provides links to some online resources where you may obtain price quotes and detailed benefit information on a variety of individual health insurance policies.
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