Health Watch

FAQs about Your Student's Health Care

High in some parents' catalog of worries is a vision of their students, sick in bed and away from home. University Health Services staff help allay your concerns.

By Heather Pineda and Nancy Chapman

The Tang Center, a state-of-the-art outpatient facility, houses the University Health Services. Peg Skorpinski photo

Summer 2005 | One of the main reasons parents call the Cal Parents helpline (510/642-7147) is to ask about student health care—who provides it, where to find it, how to pay for it, provisions for emergencies, quality of care. Below are answers to the most frequently asked of these questions, including an update on coverage provided through enrollment in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).

Q: What kind of health insurance is best for my student?
A: As fall semester approaches, now is the time for you and your student to be asking this question, because you're going to have to make an important health care decision for the coming academic year. Students must have major medical insurance coverage as a requirement for enrollment. Berkeley recommends that students meet that requirement through enrollment in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Alternatively, students may substitute enrollment in a comparable plan.

SHIP currently provides more than 24,000 Berkeley students with outstanding coverage, including full medical, mental health, and dental benefits, at a fraction of the cost of comparable plans. Although students do not need SHIP to use the Tang Center—the state-of-the-art outpatient center housing the University Health Services—SHIP covers 80 percent of most fees at Tang. Off-campus services such as emergency care and hospitalization are covered as well.

The combination of UHS and SHIP is recommended as the best health coverage for student needs. Students are enrolled in SHIP automatically, and the plan premium is charged on students' campus billing statements. The rates for the 2005-06 academic year are $461 per semester for undergraduates and $586 for graduate students, about half the cost of comparable employee plans. Summer is covered as well; students enrolled in SHIP for the fall and spring semesters receive 12 months of coverage anywhere in the world.

Students covered by another plan may waive enrollment in SHIP. Those considering waiving can visit www.uhs.berkeley.edu/ShouldIWaive to learn if waiving SHIP coverage is the best option and to complete a waiver application. Waiver applications must be submitted online by August 15, 2005.

Please note that, beginning August 15, 2005, inpatient hospital services will be covered at 90 percent of negotiated rates for Blue Cross network hospitals and 80 percent of non-negotiated rates for hospitals not in the Blue Cross network. Emergency department services will continue to be covered at 100 percent of Blue Cross-negotiated rates for treatments provided within 72 hours for injuries or sudden and serious illness.

For a complete list of SHIP benefits, please go to www.uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance. SHIP staff members also are available to answer your questions; call 510/642-5700 or stop by the health insurance office on the third floor of the Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way.

Q: My son has allergies that he controls with regular medication. Can he get refills readily at University Health Services?
A: Students using medication on an ongoing basis should bring a one-month supply with them, as well as copies of all their prescriptions. Upon arrival, your son can transfer the prescription to the UHS pharmacy. At UHS he also should choose a primary care provider, who will continue writing prescriptions for him. He might also want to make use of UHS's allergy clinic; the phone number is 510/642-2000.

Q: The university has taken steep budget cuts in the past few years. How have the cuts affected the services that my daughter can expect from University Health Services?
A: The bad news is over; only good news remains. The bad news was that UHS took a 20 percent budget cut last year. Some physician, nurse, and nurse practitioner positions were lost, which did not eliminate essential services but made students wait longer for them. The good news is below.

Q: I heard that there was a student referendum last spring about raising fees to increase student health services. What was the outcome, and what does it mean for my son?
A: Berkeley students did indeed take it upon themselves to vote for a fee increase of $43 per semester to restore cuts to UHS. That amount times 32,000 students provides a dedicated income stream that is allowing UHS to fill lost physician, nurse, and nurse practitioner positions in urgent care, primary care, and mental health services. Emphasis is on initial access, making it far easier for students to get help quickly.

The new fee also expands pharmacy hours to Saturday for the first time and restores Saturday hours for urgent care. The need for a co-pay for medical and mental health office visits is eliminated. "Students have taken the future into their own hands," said Claudia Covello, director of clinical services at UHS.

Aid packages for students on financial aid will cover the new fee.

Q: My son called this morning to say that he's been in bed for four days with a fever and chills, and I think he should see a doctor. How does he go about finding one?
A: He should not have waited so long to get help! Next time, your son should call the Tang Center advice nurse at 510/643-7197. The nurse will review his symptoms and, if necessary, schedule him in for an immediate office visit at UHS. The nurse is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. During off hours the phone line rolls over to After Hours Assistance for referral to community services. All registered students can use UHS services, even if they have their own major medical insurance.

If your son lives in university housing, he also can talk to the student health worker who lives in his residence hall. There are 68 of these "first responders" in the residence halls, co-ops, family student housing, International House, and the Greek system. About half are pre-med students. The student health workers, who are liaisons with the Tang Center, are trained at the center in first aid and CPR, life style issues, alcohol and drug abuse, nutrition and fitness, mental health, peer counseling, ethics and protocol, and medical issues. They receive a total of 120 hours of training as well as a course in public health, for which they earn 4 units of academic credit. The student health workers can review symptoms with sick students and accompany them to the Tang Center if necessary.