.png?mtime=1695746928)
Announcements
- The U-SHIP enrollment/waiver site is now open for Winter Quarter 2024. New students for Winter Quarter, as well as students returning from Autumn Quarter leave, are required to enroll in or waive U-SHIP with comparable coverage before the deadline: January 19, 2024. To enroll/waive U-SHIP click here.
- Students who do not take action to enroll/waive by the deadline will be enrolled in U-SHIP by default for the remainder of the policy year (through 8/31/24) and the quarterly U-SHIP premium will remain on the student’s Bursar account. Mid-year waivers are only possible with a qualifying life event. For more information visit: https://wellness.uchicago.edu/student-insurance/u-ship/mid-year-changes/
- Students who were enrolled in U-SHIP for Autumn Quarter 2023 will automatically have their coverage rolled over for Winter Quarter provided they remain in a U-SHIP eligible status at the University. No action is needed on the part of the student.
- Effective 9/1/21, U-SHIP enrollment is required for all PhD students at the University of Chicago. As such, PhD students are not eligible to waive U-SHIP with comparable coverage. Individual student premiums will be paid for PhD students at no cost to them.
- U-SHIP Eligibility: The University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP) generally is available to all registered students enrolled in programs that convene in the Hyde Park Campus and their eligible dependents. Students in certain designated programs may not be eligible for coverage under U-SHIP. For additional information on specific University programs of study that are ineligible for insurance coverage under U-SHIP, students should contact their area Dean of Students Office or the Registrar. Students in certain programs may be eligible to opt-in to U-SHIP (see more information about the opt-in plan below).
The University requires all registered students to carry adequate health insurance to cover, among other costs, hospitalization and outpatient diagnostic, testing and surgical procedures. Additionally, the insurance must cover medical care provided in the Chicago area for both emergency and routine, non-emergency medical situations (or, if the student will not be in Chicago, it must provide this coverage wherever the student will be residing and studying during the academic year). In keeping with this requirement, each year all students registered in an insurance-required program are enrolled in the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP). Students wishing to waive out of U-SHIP coverage must review the comparable coverage checklist and affirm possession of alternate comparable coverage before the enrollment/waiver deadline.
Students who do not enroll in or waive the student insurance plan by the deadline will by default be enrolled in U-SHIP and remain enrolled in U-SHIP through the end of the plan year, and thus will be responsible for the annual premium, which is billed quarterly.
Effective 9/1/21, U-SHIP enrollment is required for all PhD students at the University of Chicago. As such, PhD students are not eligible to waive U-SHIP with comparable coverage. Individual student premiums will be paid for PhD students at no cost to them.
For further details on the policy, please refer to the Student Manual.
To waive U-SHIP, students must affirm that they have insurance that meets the University’s comparable coverage requirements.
The U-SHIP premium is billed on your student account in three installments, generally on the Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarterly bills. Please note, you will be automatically assessed a health insurance fee on your Bursar bill the first quarter you are registered in the academic year (see billing cycle info below); this does not mean you've enrolled/confirmed your coverage in U-SHIP. The fee will only be removed if you successfully complete a waiver. Regardless of which quarter a student enters the University, the Spring Quarter premium provides coverage from the start of Spring Quarter through August 31. Students whose first quarter of enrollment is Summer Quarter will be billed for that period’s premium on their Summer bill.
| Annual Premium | Per Quarter | |
|---|---|---|
| Student | $4,917 | $1,639 |
| Student + Spouse/Partner | $9,834 | $3,278 |
| Student + Child | $9,834 | $3,278 |
| Student + Spouse/Partner + Child | $14,751 | $4,917 |
| Student + Spouse/Partner + two or more children | $19,551 | $6,517 |
- If your first quarter is Autumn, you will be assessed three installments on your Bursar bill (Autumn, Winter, Spring quarters).
- If you first quarter is Winter, you will be assessed two installments on your Bursar bill (Winter and Spring).
- If your first quarter is Spring, you will be assessed one installment on your Bursar bill (Spring).
- U-SHIP coverage continues through to August 31st but students do not pay a summer premium unless summer is your FIRST and/or ONLY quarter of registration at the University.
The chart below indicates which quarters your student account will be charged, based on the first quarter you are registered:
| First Quarter Registered in the academic year | Autumn Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | Summer Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | x | x | x | included in spring premium |
| Winter | x | x | included in spring premium | |
| Spring | x | included in spring premium | ||
| Summer | x |
The University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP) is underwritten by UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company and is administered by UnitedHealthcare Student Resources. More information about benefits and coverage can be found at the below links.
- 2023-2024 U-SHIP User Guide
- 2023-2024 U-SHIP Summary Brochure
- 2023-2024 U-SHIP Policy Certificate (Master Policy)
SUMMARY
For definition of these terms, see the Health Insurance Glossary at studentinsurance.uchicago.edu.
| In-Network | Out-of-Network | |
|---|---|---|
| Deductible | $400 | $800 |
| Annual out-of-pocket maximum | $2,000 | $3,000 |
| Co-insurance | 10% (plan pays 90% after deductible has been met) | 30% (plan pays 70% after deductible has been met) |
| Prescriptions, paid by co-pay | Tier 1: $10 Tier 2: $25 Tier 3: $40 |
$300 deductible (does not apply to policy deductible), then 50% of bill charge |
| Co-pay for doctors/specialist visit Co-pay for mental health outpatient visit (see exception below) |
$20 $20 |
Co-insurance and deductible apply |
| Co-pay for psychotherapy with community providers (contact UChicago Student Wellness for more info) | $10/visit | N/A |
We are pleased to announce the following plan design changes to U-SHIP for the 2023-24 policy year effective 9/1/23. (These changes are the result of a competitive student insurance bid process as well as Ivy Plus peer benchmarking.)
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual deductible | $500 in-network $1,000 out-of-network |
$400 in-network* $800 out-of-network |
| Annual out-of-pocket maximum | $1,500 in-network $2,500 out-of-network |
$2,000 in-network** $3,000 out-of-network |
| Ambulance co-pay | 90% coverage in-network after deductible has been met 70% coverage out-of-network after deductible has been met |
$50 copay in and out-of-network (no co-insurance or deductible apply)*** |
*Decrease in the annual deductible benefits 100% of all students who utilize the insurance
**Increase in the annual out-of-pocket max affects approx. 6% of students enrolled in the plan according to prior year utilization
***Most ambulance companies do not contract with insurance and are therefore out-of-network; this plan design change will financially assist all students on U-SHIP who utilize ambulance services.
For complete information about 2023-24 plan benefits click here.
Due to an Illinois Department of Insurance mandate eliminating referral requirements for insurance plans like U-SHIP that are considered “Preferred Provider Organizations” (PPOs), effective September 1, 2022:
- U-SHIP enrollees are not required to obtain a referral from UChicago Student Wellness for medical or psychotherapy services outside of Student Wellness.
- Eligible students are encouraged to continue to visit Student Wellness for primary care, psychiatry, health promotion, or short-term psychotherapy, and for recommendations on specialty care. Accessing Student Wellness is a great option for students who need timely access to high-quality care at no additional cost. For the list of services provided by Student Wellness visit: https://wellness.uchicago.edu/about/services
- U-SHIP enrollees are eligible for the special $10/visit copay (coinsurance and deductible do not apply) for psychotherapy with providers on the Student Wellness Community Provider list. Contact Student Wellness for more information.
If you're enrolled in one of the following programs, you can opt-in to U-SHIP by purchasing annual only coverage directly through UnitedHealthcare StudentResources (UHCSR). For students whose first quarter of registration is Autumn Quarter, your coverage will become effective September 1, 2023, if enrollment is received by the October 13th deadline. Coverage will continue until August 31, 2024.
- Booth School evening and part-time programs
- Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice evening and post-masters certificate programs
- Harris School of Public Policy: Part-time Evening Master's Program
- Physical Sciences Master of Science in Applied Data Science (part-time in-person program only)
- Graham School of Continuing Studies (following programs only):
- Master of Science in Threat and Response Management
- Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics
- Returning Scholars
- Students studying at one of the following Hyde Park seminaries:
- Catholic Theological Union at Chicago
- Chicago Theological Seminary
- McCormick Theological Seminary
- Meadville-Lombard Theological Seminary
Enrollment must occur the first quarter of registration for the year (usually Autumn Quarter) and students will remain enrolled through August 31st of that plan year. Students voluntarily enrolled in the opt-in plan are not permitted to terminate U-SHIP mid year. Students in these programs are not eligible to visit UChicago Student Wellness.
For questions about opt-in (voluntary) enrollment, please contact the student insurance advocates at 773.834.4543 (Option 2) or uchicagoadvocates@uhcsr.com.
Please note: The Opt-in (Voluntary) Coverage program will no longer be available after the 2023-24 plan year. Students ineligible for U-SHIP coverage in 2024-25 are encouraged to explore alternate insurance options including through healthcare.gov. Students previously enrolled in U-SHIP Opt-in (Voluntary) coverage may be eligible for up to 3 months of continuation coverage. See below.
Students who are no longer eligible for U-SHIP, (due to graduation or not returning in a U-SHIP eligible status) may enroll in Continuation Coverage for up to 3 months, provided they were enrolled in U-SHIP for 6 consecutive months before becoming ineligible. Students must enroll within 31 days of their current coverage expiring, and may purchase one month at a time ($402 per month). Payment is made directly to UnitedHealthcare StudentResources.
Students who purchase Continuation Coverage are not eligible to visit UChicago Student Wellness.
To enroll in Continuation Coverage, view My Coverage in your UnitedHealthcare MyAccount. If you have questions please contact the Student Insurance Office at 773-834-4543 (press option 2) or email uchicagoadvocates@uhcsr.com.
Students who arrive on campus before the beginning of the University's Autumn Quarter may have a gap between their matriculation date and the start of the U-SHIP, which begins on September 1. For students who want/ need health insurance during the month of August, there is the OPTION of enrolling in coverage directly with UnitedHealthcare Student Resources.
New students for Autumn Quarter needing coverage for the month of August may now enroll in Early Arrival Coverage. Two options are available: 1) full coverage for the month of August ($409); 2) coverage for the last two weeks of August ($237). Students enroll and pay premium directly to UnitedHealthcare.
To enroll visit https://www.uhcsr.com/ and be sure to select the 2023-24 coverage period for “Early Arriving” students.
For questions about Early Arrival enrollment, please contact the student insurance advocates at 773.834.4543 (Option 2) or uchicagoadvocates@uhcsr.com
All students who are enrolled in U-SHIP have access to the UnitedHealthcare Student Resources (UHCSR) My Account, where they can view their benefits, manage their claims and balances, view their ID card, and more.
Please login using the new link, My Account. Please see the attachment for assistance with the new login process.