Waiving the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP)

All registered undergraduate and graduate students at UC Irvine are automatically assessed the UC SHIP fees and they are included with the registration and tuition fees. The timing of fee assessment can vary year-to-year but typically occurs in the latter part of July to mid-August timeframe prior to the start of the Fall term. Fees will appear on the student’s campus billing account (see ZOT Account Online). If you are covered by another health insurance plan that complies with UC’s waiver criteria, then you may apply for a waiver. If the student's waiver application is approved, then the UC SHIP fees will be credited on the campus billing account usually within seven (7) to ten (10) business days.

PLEASE NOTE THAT A MISSED WAIVER DEADLINE FEE OF $50.00 WILL BE CHARGED TO ANY STUDENT WHO SUBMITS A LATE WAIVER APPLICATION THAT IS ULTIMATELY APPROVED. THIS FEE WILL BE NOT BE CHARGED TO A STUDENT WHOSE LATE WAIVER APPLICATION IS ULTIMATELY DENIED. LATE WAIVER APPLICATIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS FOLLOWING THE CLOSE OF THE REGULAR WAIVER PERIOD.

Note that, for UCI general accounting purposes, the UC SHIP fees will appear on the student's campus billing or "Zot" account segregated into three components: 1) ADMIN fee; 2) PREMIUM fee; and 3) BROKER fee. The combined fees will match the total fees as shown on the Cost of SHIP webpage for the respective student group and academic term.

Before Starting the Online Waiver Application

To waive out of UC SHIP, you must submit a request on-line during the open waiver periods and by the posted deadlines as shown below. If approved, the waiver is in effect for the current term and the remainder of the academic year. A new waiver request must be submitted at the beginning of each academic year. If a waiver deadline is missed, then the student will have dual health insurance coverage for the term and must wait until the waiver period opens for the succeeding term to apply for the waiver. For information regarding dual coverage and coordination of benefits, please refer to the Dual Health Insurance Coverage and Coordination of Benefits section below. The UC SHIP waiver and enrollment processes are managed by Academic Health Plans (AHP) on behalf of the University of California.

UC SHIP Waiver Periods and Deadlines AY 2024-2025

Waiver Criteria

Please follow the link below to view the UC SHIP waiver criteria. To satisfy UC's health insurance requirement for registered students, your health insurance plan must meet all of these criteria. Note that all plans must provide unrestricted access to an in-network hospital, primary care provider and mental health provider within 50 miles of the UC Irvine campus or the student’s place of residence while attending school either via remote learning or on-campus. This requirement applies to all plan types, including Covered California plans. Travel plans will not qualify to be used to waive participation in UC SHIP.

UC SHIP Waiver Criteria for AY 2024-25

For questions regarding the UC SHIP Waiver criteria, please call or email the SHC Insurance Services department. The Insurance Services team members are currently telecommuting and the department is closed at SHC for in-person inquiries until further notice.

Please note that you will be required to upload a copy of your health insurance ID card and summary of benefits as part of the waiver application submittal to Academic Health Plans (AHP), the UC SHIP waiver and enrollment vendor. If you don't know the answers to the waiver questions, please call the Member information number or Customer Service number on your insurance card for assistance. Most plan information can be found in your plan benefit booklet, benefits summary, contract, policy, or on the carrier’s website. Incorrect answers could result in delay or denial of your waiver application.

Other Important Information Regarding the UC SHIP Waiver Application Process

1. Students must submit a waiver application each academic year. With the new AHP system, it’s easy to upload proof of comparable coverage, including an image of your ID card. You can also go back to the online system at any time to make updates to your existing application.
2. When you submit a waiver application, it typically takes 5-7 business days for AHP to audit your waiver. During the audit process, AHP will automatically contact your health insurance company to verify that you are actively enrolled. After AHP completes the waiver audit, you will receive an email from AHP informing you if your waiver is officially approved or denied.
3. If your waiver is approved, you must maintain active enrollment in your health insurance plan for the entire academic year. AHP will automatically re-verify that you are enrolled in your health insurance plan before the start of every term.
4. If AHP cannot verify that you are actively enrolled, you will be notified via email and/or text message that your waiver was denied. You will then be enrolled in UC SHIP and charged the cost of coverage for that term.
5. If your waiver is denied, you may appeal the decision by submitting proof of current insurance coverage from your health insurance plan.
6. Please submit your waiver application as soon as possible following the start of the waiver period. There are no exceptions granted for missed waiver deadlines.
7. If your waiver has been approved, fees will be credited and reflected on the student’s ZOT account (see Zot Account Online) usually within seven (7) business days.
8. If you pay your fees before you have completed the waiver application and before you've been notified by AHP regarding waiver status, then be sure to pay the entire fee amount. If you deduct the UC SHIP fee amount from the amount of registration fees that you pay and your waiver request is denied, then you risk having your classes dropped unless you pay the remainder of the fee before the registration fee payment deadline.
9. Please note that the AHP waiver sites are, on occasion, unavailable for several hours due to routine system maintenance. During these periods, the waiver sites will display a "Site in Maintenance" message.

Waiver Auditing Process

AHP will audit all waiver submissions. The AHP Auditor will use UC's Waiver Criteria to establish if a waiver will be Approved, Denied, or placed in a Pending status. The Auditor will update the waiver with the appropriate status listed below based on the compliance of the waiver submission:

1. If AHP determines that the alternate health insurance plan does not meet the minimum requirements, the waiver status will be changed to ‘Denied’. The waiver system will send an auto-generated Denied email advising the student that their submitted alternate plan does not meet UC's waiver requirements.
2. If AHP determines during the audit of the waiver submission that additional information is needed to verify the waiver submission, the waiver status will be changed to ‘Pending’. The waiver system will send an auto-generated Pending email advising the student that additional information is required. If additional information is needed the student will be provided steps to address the missing information. Duplicate Pending emails will be sent every 7 days for a maximum of 3 sends to students who remain in a Pending status.
3. If AHP determines that the alternate insurance plan is active and meets the University’s waiver criteria, then the waiver status will be changed to ‘Approved’.
4. All appeals of waiver denials must be submitted to SHC's Insurance Services department. See Waiver Appeals and Reversals .

Dual Health Insurance Coverage and Coordination of Benefits

For both the undergraduate plan (USHIP) and graduate plan (GSHIP), services provided at SHC will be billed exclusively to Anthem Blue Cross regardless of whether you have dual coverage through another plan in addition to UC SHIP. Services performed at the Student Health Center are primary to any other coverage. For services that are not performed at the Student Health Center, the coverage under this Plan is secondary coverage to all other plans (including Medicare), with the exception of Medi-Cal, MRMIP, and TRICARE. If you are covered by more than one health plan, your benefits under this Plan will be coordinated with the benefits of those other plans. These coordination provisions apply separately to each Member, per Plan Year, and are largely determined by California law. Any coverage that you have for medical or pediatric dental benefits will be coordinated as indicated in the Plan Benefit Booklet.