Hi. Could you provide me with cheaper insurance alternates to USHIP ?
4 years ago, I compared the USHIP cost/benefit with ALL available insurance policies at that time, actually, USHIP is more competitive than all the comparable. Not sure if it is still compatible with OBAMA care, but I doubt about it.
The best way to waive USHIP is if your family plan can cover the student at Chicago.
I should add, you can buy cheaper insurance than USHIP but you will sacrifice benefits, such as higher deductible, less coverage, no local primary care and such. The school had done a good job to make the insurance affordable, especially when international coverage is needed.
Actually, @artloversplus is incorrect. If your insurance plan isn’t equal to or better than USHIP, the University will not allow you to waive the insurance.
You are absolutely right that the requirements to waive USHIP is that the waiver has to be comparable. But, if you carefully examine the following waiver requirements:
https://studenthealth.uchicago.edu/page/comparable-coverage-2015-2016
The comparable plan waiver does not have limit to deductibles, coverage in the type of conditions and primary care location requirements. So, you could pay less for a $5000 deductible plan with certain conditions excluded as a waiver. Also, I have carefully compared the primary doctor locations of certain plans when I was looking, the USHIP plan holders can use the UChicago doctors whereas the other plan may require you to see a doctor 2 miles away. I was more concerned at that time for international coverage, because D was going away for the summer abroad. A waiver does not have to have international coverage, whereas USHIP has.