Waiving UC SHIP

All registered students are automatically enrolled into the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP). Students who are currently covered under a private health plan and do not wish to be covered by UC SHIP may submit an online application to opt out of (waive) the UC SHIP. The online Health Fee Waiver application will be available and accessible for the 2024-2025 academic year during the following periods for current registered students (new incoming students will be able to in August after registration):

Spring 2024

Fall 2024

Winter 2025

Spring 2025

Waivers

Waiving UC SHIP — What's New

UC SHIP and UC San Diego are making it easier and faster for students to complete the waiver process. UCSD will partner with AHP (Academic Health Plan) to process our health fee waiver requests. AHP will perform 100% overview of insurance coverage for submitted health fee waiver requests. Beginning August 1, 2019, UC San Diego students seeking to waive UC SHIP coverage will be able to initiate their request and submit all documentation online through AHP's fully automated website. For additional information regarding this announcement, please visit our UCOP website.

Make sure you qualify for the waiver

To satisfy UC's health insurance requirement for enrolled students, the plan held by the student must meet all of the criteria listed on the 2023-2024 Waiver Criteria. To help you in gathering the required information from your own insurance plan, you may use this Waiver Criteria.

How to appeal a waiver denial

If you would like to file a health fee Waiver Appeal because you were denied, please print and complete the Waiver Appeal (PDF) form. You can bring the form to the Insurance Office in the Student Health Clinic; fax it to 858-822-5910; or e-mail it to SHIP3@ucsd.edu. Remember: Appeals are only accepted during an open waiver period.

Before you decide to waive, review your options carefully

UC SHIP is a low-cost, comprehensive package designed to provide students with medical coverage anywhere in the world. Only UC SHIP offers UC Family Network discounts for students to receive care at UC hospitals, affiliated facilities and professional providers. Dental and Vision are included in the UC SHIP package.

If you would like to waive out of UC SHIP, take a moment to watch this video and read about transferring your insurance coverage to San Diego.

If You Waive UC SHIP

RAFT: Reduced Access Fee for Tritons

RAFT gives students who waive UC SHIP the peace of mind that they can be seen at SHS for many of their primary care needs without the worry of high costs. Students who waive UC SHIP but do not purchase RAFT will be required to pay the full cost of all services at SHS.

How do I apply for a waiver?

The online Health Fee Waiver application is only available through TritonLink during scheduled waiver periods.

  1. Select "TritonLinkTools", then under FinancialTools, select "Health Fee Waiver".
  2. The "Health Fee Waiver" link will take you to your SSO, where you will log in.
  3. You will then be directed to the Health Fee Waiver questionnaire on the AHP website.
  4. Complete the insurance information and submit your Health Fee Waiver request.

TIP: If you do not receive an e-mail confirmation from AHP that your waiver was submitted, please contact AHP at (855) AHP CARE or call the UCSD Student Health Insurance Office at (858) 534-2124.

All waivers must be received prior to the waiver deadline date. No exceptions.

When can I apply for a waiver?

The online Health Fee Waiver can only be submitted during an open waiver period (see above chart). Transfer students, students who acquire new insurance coverage, and students who missed the previous waiver period, may apply for a waiver during the next scheduled waiver period to opt out of UC SHIP for the remainder of the academic year.

Waiver is done once per academic year. If your waiver was denied and you would like to have your waiver reconsidered for subsequent quarters of the current academic year, please visit TritonLink under Financial Tools and submit your corrected information directly to the AHP website. You will receive e-mail correspondence regarding the status of your waiver.

Waiving is an annual process and must be completed each new academic year to avoid being automatically enrolled into UC SHIP. Even if your insurance has not changed since the previous year, you are still required to submit a new waiver application.

I waived UC SHIP but I'm still being charged.

The Health Insurance Fee is charged to ALL students as a mandatory registration fee. If you applied for a waiver, you should see a charge for the Health Insurance Fee AND a credit for the waiver. If you do not see the credit, or if the credit was reversed, it is possible that any one of the following occurred:

How do I find out the status of my waiver?

If the coverage period (quarter) has not started, you may cancel your waiver by submitting the Waiver Cancellation (PDF) form to enroll in the UC SHIP effective the first day of the quarter.

If the coverage period has already started, you may only cancel your waiver IF your other health insurance coverage has terminated. To cancel your waiver if your other coverage terminated, submit the Exception to Closed Enrollment (PDF) form (and required documentation) to enroll in the UC SHIP as of the date your other coverage terminated. SHS Insurance Office must receive notification within 31 days of the loss of other coverage.

If I waived UC SHIP, may I still use Student Health Services?

All students who pay full registration fees are entitled to use SHS, regardless of insurance. For students who waive UC SHIP, there will be a fee for all services received at SHS. Please refer to Cost of Services. SHS is not a participating (i.e. in-network, preferred, etc.) provider with any insurance plan, and does not accept or bill private insurance.

If you think there is a possibility that you may use SHS even though you waived UC SHIP, it is recommended that you enroll in the Reduced Access Fee for Tritons (RAFT) program during the waiver process. Students who enroll in RAFT have access to certain SHS services at no or low cost. Refer to RAFT for more information about the program.

All charges incurred at SHS will be billed to the student's campus billing account if not paid for at the time of service.

UC SHIP