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Externships – Health and Travel Insurance

HEALTH INSURANCE

SHIP

SHIP students are covered worldwide. If a student is out of the Berkeley area and needs to see a doctor, the student will need to contact the SHIP Office and have a referral entered into the system. Once that is done, the student may go to any provider. The network in California is Blue Shield of California. Students who are on SHIP may see any doctor in the Blue Shield of CA network while in CA. If the student is in another state, they will use the Cigna network. Any students on SHIP outside of CA may see any doctor in the Cigna network. Coverage for any student currently on SHIP on July 31, 2020 unless they are continuing in the Fall and do not submit a SHIP waiver. If they have questions, students may contact the SHIP Office at (510) 642-5700 or ship@berkeley.edu.
MEDI-CAL
What services does Medi-Cal cover for recipients who are temporarily out of state?
CCR, Title 22, Chapter 3, Article 1.3, Section 51006, allows reimbursement for medically necessary emergency services that need to be provided by an out-of-state provider to California Medicaid (Medi-Cal) recipients temporarily in another state. Note that some services require authorization. For more information, call the Out-of-State Provider Unit at (916) 636-1960. Please refer to Section 51006 – Out of State Coverage.
Students under any other health insurance must check that plan’s benefits.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Students traveling to participate in off-campus activities sponsored and supervised by the University are covered 24 hours a day, worldwide, for a wide variety of accidents and incidents. This broad coverage is provided at no cost to the student, but the student will need to register all out-of-state and foreign country travel at the UC Trips website to ensure coverage for each covered off-campus activity. You are covered from the time you start your travel to the rotation, through your rotation, and through your return trip. Upon registration, students will receive confirmation of coverage and the toll-free number to call in an emergency. Coverage is also provided for in-state off-campus activities, but registration is not required.

The following travel assistance services and benefits are available to students who travel 100+ miles from campus to participate in University sponsored and supervised off-campus activities:

  • Emergency Medical Evacuation,
  • Security Extraction (not subject to the mileage limitation),
  • Accident/Sickness Medical (U.S. $10,000/occurrence; Foreign $100,000/occurrence),
  • Other Travel Assistance Services: such as passport replacement assistance, legal assistance referrals (when the student traveler is 100+ miles from campus)
  • Accidental Death, Dismemberment, or Paralysis Benefits,
  • Repatriation of Remains

These services can be activated by calling the toll-free number on the registration card or by contacting the Office of Risk Management risk@berkeley.edu. If there are any delays or difficulties encountered when calling the emergency number, contact Risk Management immediately for help in resolving the problem(s). Coverage is also provided to the student’s traveling companion(s), defined as a person or persons with whom the student has coordinated travel arrangements, and who intends to travel with the student during the covered trip. Examples of traveling companions would be a spouse or domestic partner, children, colleagues, friends and/or extended family. A translator hired in a foreign country would not be a traveling companion. Students must list their traveling companion(s) when they register their own travel. Both the student and the traveling companion(s) will receive a trip registration card.

By registering travel for out-of-state and foreign University sponsored and supervised off-campus activities, students ensure their own coverage and that of their traveling companion(s), help the University maintain the best possible and most cost-effective coverage for the entire University community, help ensure that emergency resources are available at the travel destinations, and enable the campus Office of Risk Management to be proactive in protecting their health, safety, and security. Additional information is available at the UC Trips website.

Please contact UC Berkeley’s Office of Risk Management at risk@berkeley.edu if the above resources don’t answer your questions.