Health Insurance and Medical Resources

The University requires each student to have major medical insurance, and provides the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) to meet this requirement. The University Health Services (UHS) provides primary care to each student, and SHIP covers care outside of UHS, including hospitalization, off-campus or out-of-area care while traveling, and some specialty services not available at UHS. Each student automatically is enrolled in SHIP, and there is a charge on the student’s CalCentral My Finances bill. Each student may choose to keep SHIP, or waive enrollment if the student demonstrates to the university that he/she has comparable health insurance coverage.

 

Medical Coverage. The Tang Center is the UHS’ comprehensive outpatient center, complete with medical, mental health, and wellness units. Services include primary, urgent, and specialty medical care; pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology services; and physical therapy.

 

Mental Health Coverage. The Tang Center provides a wide range of counseling programs to help students with personal, academic, career, or health-related issues and crisis concerns. More information is available at uhs.berkeley.edu/students/counseling/index.shtml

 

Additional Mental Health resources for graduate students can be found at https://grad.berkeley.edu/students/graduate-student-mental-health/.

 

Dental Coverage. Dental coverage is included as part of SHIP. All UCB students enrolled in SHIP automatically will receive benefits covering preventive and general restorative dental care.

 

Metropolitan Life (MetLife) is the dental insurance provider for SHIP members. Note that dental care is not provided at the Tang Center. SHIP members may select from a wide choice of local dentists, listed on the MetLife Web site. More information is available at uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance/dentalannouncement.shtml.

 

Vision Coverage. SHIP includes vision coverage. This coverage includes vision screening and correction services and is provided by the UC Berkeley School of Optometry. Injury or illness of the eye will continue to be covered by the medical portion of SHIP, administered by Anthem Blue Cross. More information is available at uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance/VisionServices.shtml.

 

Period of Coverage. Fall semester coverage begins August 1 and ends December 31 each year. Spring semester coverage begins January 1 and ends July 31 each year. Registered UCB students enrolled in SHIP for the Fall and Spring semesters have year-round health insurance coverage.

 

Anthem Insurance. SHIP was created solely for the benefit of UC Berkeley students. It is a non-profit plan administered by the University. In order to keep the cost of the plan low, the University has contracted with Anthem to provide medical and mental health services through Anthem’s extensive network of providers and hospitals.

 

Waiver. A student may request a waiver of SHIP if the student has health insurance coverage through a major medical insurance plan comparable to SHIP. If a student waives SHIP and is a registered student, the student may be seen at University Health Services. There is no charge to see a doctor or nurse practitioner there. For waiver qualifications, instructions, forms, and FAQ, please see uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance/waiver/welcome.shtml.

 

Disabled Students Resources. The campus offers many different resources for graduate students with disabilities. The purpose of an academic accommodation is to offer the graduate student an equal opportunity to meet the department’s academic standards and requirements. The Disabled Students Program [dsp.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-0518] serves graduate students with disabilities (who complete the process for establishing eligibility) by authorizing academic accommodations. Disabled Access Services [access.berkeley.edu or (510) 643-6473 or 643-6456] can usually assist with accommodations to extra-curricular events. Most physical access issues are addressed in the Campus Access Guide [acads.chance.berkeley.edu/CAG/]. Finally, problems with accommodations should be reported to the campus Disability Resolution Officer [acads.chance.berkeley.edu/ada.shtml or (510) 642-2795].