<p>Does anyone else want to waive SHIP (Student Health Insurance Plan)? $846 per year and then it is only secondary to existing health insurance. What a deal for an underwriter to serve this healthy population!
You have to jump through hoops though. For one thing, your PCP (Primary care physician) has to be within 100 miles of UCSD. I searched our HMO plan for participating family practice MD's within 10 miles and got 96 hits. For other specialities or distances I get a lot more hits.
Where do we start? Most of the MD's are members of large groups, and some of the groups have multiple locations. Examples: SD Physicians Med Group North Coastal Zone on Villa La Jolla DR.; UCSD Med Group Family Med/Genesee; Sharp Community Med Group; Scripps Clinic Carmel Valley; Sharp Reese-Sealy Mira Mesa on Activity Rd.; UCSD Med Group/Scripps Ranch; multicultural primary care; Mercy Physicians.
This is for a healthy 18-year-old female. What's the best group to call, and a specific MD if you can recommend one?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Someone correct me if I’m wrong… but I don’t think you have to list a specific physician on the application, just the location of the physician. But they do randomly audit people in the middle of the year (heard this on CC from astrina I think) so it’s good to have one just in case you are one of those few.</p>
<p>I filed for that and was granted a waiver without having listed a physician.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, you just have to have one listed before school starts in the fall</p>
<p>Really? SHIP is only secondary to existing health insurance? 
It has dental and everything, I thought it was going to be great stuff. Never had real health insurance before lol.</p>
<p>I wouldnt really say its second to existing coverage. The thing is you only have coverage if your parents have a health insurance plan. If thats the case, your parents will be paying for their plan which covers their whole family which would make paying for the SHIP coverage pointless since it just creates double coverage.</p>
<p>pick one at scripps memorial hospital. its a great hospital and its right next to warren</p>
<p>Don’t know about you guys – but SHIP is actually less expensive than the BlueShield plan my mom has for me. It is an individual plan purchased for me by Mom – not through an employer. So, if SHIP provides annual coverage at UCSD and at home for $ 846, bring it on. I am ready to sign up. (As a bonus, the UCSD Medical facilities are second to none)</p>
<p>I think SHIP provides wonderful coverage. If it’s all you have then it would have to be primary, right? It was just verbally described to us at orientation as secondary to any existing health insurance. I would like to keep the family plan we have. If they ask, we need to have a primary physician near UCSD by the first day of the quarter, and since it takes a month to change we need to start looking now.</p>
<p>fastpitchmom: Here is how UCSD describes SHIP on its website:</p>
<p>"All students paying full registration fees to UCSD are automatically enrolled into the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)</p>
<p>SHIP offers:</p>
<pre><code>* Coverage year-round and worldwide to registered UCSD students for a moderate premium and low annual deductible
- Premiums that are automatically assessed as part of registration fees each quarter"
</code></pre>
<p>Now, I am a to-be 18 year old – but in my understanding, this is year round, worldwide coverage – which is really the description of a PRIMARY coverage. I certainly don’t see the need to maintain my Blue Shield PPO plan which costs my Mom over $ 130/month. SHIP will be convenient for me for the 3 quarters I am on campus, with unlimited, 24 hour access to excellent medical facilities – and I will have to learn to use SHIP when I am back home or traveling. But SHIP covers me yearround and off campus as well.</p>
<p>I certainly do not begrudge you your decision to maintain your primary coverage for your son/daughter attending UCSD. But, you would then be seeking a waiver from SHIP to save $ 846 on the grounds of it being secondary. That is your choice. I simply don’t see SHIP as being secondary. The University offers you a choice. Keep what you have or choose SHIP. I will choose SHIP. It is vastly superior to most private insurances, if one is fortunate to be able to afford one.</p>
<p>Ohhh secondary as in it’s like a backup if you have one already, not as in it’s secondary in quality. I get it. </p>
<p>Having health insurance is going to kick ass.</p>
<p>I don’t see why you have to have a primary physician selected in the area. I never had to state a primary physician when waiving ship for my kids although I’m not on an HMO plan. The main thing is that there’s a health facility covered by your insurance within the radius, and that the coverage out of pocket and maximums are within their limits. </p>
<p>UCSD has the UCSD Thornton Hospital adjacent to it and Scripps Memorial Hospital adjacent to it (both within walking distance if need be). Just up the road a couple of miles from UCSD is Scripps Clinic-Torrey Pines and Scripps Green Hospital (at the same location). Also nearby is the Scripps Clinic Carmel Valley.</p>
<p>The best starting point is usually to contact your insurer and ask for participants at those or other nearby locations. You could then contact the facilities and just tell them you’re in need of a primary care physician and let them assign one to you but again, at least for a non-HMO, you don’t really need to go through this finding a primary care physician step. For example, if your D were to go to the urgent care at any of these facilities, would she be covered by your insurance?</p>
<p>Check with UCSD on any advice you get here though or if you have any questions on this so you don’t end up getting stuck paying for the SHIP unnecessarily. And if you find you’re covered, don’t forget to waive it during the waiver time or you’ll be stuck with it.</p>
<p>SHIP is great but be aware that it really annoyed me when I found out it DOESN’T cover learning disabilities like ADHD (which I have) but it will help pay for transgender surgery if you decide you want to change your sex (which I don’t).</p>
<p>With no particular recommendations to a particular med group or MD I called UCSD/Genesee and I am very happy. My initial contact person seemed very competent, gave me choices of clinics and doctors and told me exactly what to do. Like others here it is unlikely D will seek care outside of UCSD Health Services (also available to non-
SHIP students) but I think the quality of care will be high if she needs extra help. It is time to change doctors anyway as she will soon be 18 and wonders why she is still seeing a pediatrician with a waiting room full of screaming babies.
My next call would have been to Scripps Carmel Valley; Sharp seems big and like an assembly line.
Thanks for all the input! No doubt SHIP is excellent-but I do not need the extra bill for $846 when the plan I have qualifies for exemption.</p>