Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)

35,000 students on campus. ~21,000 have SHIP insurance and will be eligible for SHIP Vision Insurance. Other students eligible for SHIP Vision Insurance are Mills College Students, Freshman 500 (Extension Students), and Graduate Students who pay a filing fee. About 50% of undergraduates have SHIP insurance. Freshman 500 Extension students enroll in the spring, but take classes at University Extension in the fall.

Students are automatically enrolled in SHIP Vision Insurance and must opt-out/waive out between August 15 and September 15. On August 15, a list of termination and add files is sent from Tang to Aetna/VSP. Thereafter, additions and deletions are made on the 1st and 15th of every month from Tang to Aetna/VSP.

For NON-SHIP Students

~14,000 without SHIP insurance. For those students, please check if under parent’s vision insurance.

Otherwise, offer 20/20 plan: 20% off all exam fees and 20% off materials excluding contact lenses materials. The financial class category is UC Student.

For SHIP Students – VSP Plan and Aetna

How to check eligibility:
On patient demographic page, click on SHIP VERIFY button to check if student is eligible. Enter in patient data including Student ID number. Click on the SHIP Verify box. You will receive a return message that the student is SHIP eligible or not. Be sure to check ID.

Student completes Financial Responsibility Statement.
No athletic department discount of 35%.

Plan description

Exam

• $10 Exam Co-Pay, Benefit – a thorough testing of ocular health and function as well as visual acuity. If a patient wears or wishes to wear contact lenses, a special contact lens evaluation and fitting is required. These are additional services for which there is a charge.
• Eligible for one yearly full exam after each anniversary date with co-pay.
• Does not include Direct Patient Care (DPC) service.
• Patient may also come in for medical visits for $15 co-pay with Aetna.

Prescription Glasses

• $25 Prescription Glasses Co-Pay, Benefit – single vision lenses are covered. The patient has a $120 allowance for frames. A prescription must provide for at least 0.50 diopter of vision correction (i.e. non-prescription glasses and non-prescription sunglasses are not covered.)
• Eligible for one frame up to $120 allowance and SV lenses yearly after each anniversary date with co-pay. Additional lens options including frame overage are 20% off Usual and Customary.
• Patient chooses to use Contact Lens benefit or Prescription Glasses benefit – cannot have both.
• If patient elects to use Prescription Glasses benefit, they get 15% off on contact lens services but not on contact lens materials.

Contact Lenses

• $10 Exam Co-Pay
• Contact Lens – $120 allowance to cover fitting and evaluation fees and contact lenses. No 20% discount on services or materials related to contact lenses when using allowance.
• No billing balance on allowances that are not fully used.
• A prescription must provide for at least 0.50 diopter of vision correction (i.e. non-prescription colored contact lenses are not covered.)
• Patient chooses to use contact lens benefit or Prescription Glasses benefit – cannot have both.
• If patient elects to use Contact Lens benefit, they will get 20% off on any other materials.

Laser Vision Correction

• Patient 21 and under must have recent primary care exam prior to being seen at RSC.
• Benefit – testing procedures to assess the probability of a successful and beneficial outcome of a LASIK or PRK procedure (i.e. to determine if a patient is a reasonable candidate) to surgically correct vision will be provided at no charge a $400 value).
• Pre- and post-operative care as well as the surgical procedure will be provided at $2,000 of usual and customary charges (i.e. currently $3,800 for two eyes after discount).

Specialty Clinics

• SHIP students are not entitled to discounts for Specialty Clinics services.
• However, as a UC student, services beyond primary care exam are subject to 20% off usual and customary rates (such as in LV or BV).

After Hours and Medical Visits

• After-Hours emergency
• Students may call the clinic and be referred to the optometry resident to triage.

Medical Visits:

• Upon verification of SHIP eligibility and Aetna insurance, student will pay $15 co-pay. 90% is billed to Aetna. Patient pays 10% of fee. $150 after-hour fee is due; this is not billed to insurance.

Other Materials

• Other materials such as lens cloths, eyeglass cases, eyeglass chains/holders etc. are offered at 20% off usual and customary pricing.
  Sample SHIP Vision Insurance Scenarios