If You Plan To Keep Medi-Cal and Waive SHIP
First make sure that your insurance provides coverage for non-emergency medical care within 50 miles of UC Berkeley. Avoid having your waiver denied and take the necessary steps now to make sure that you have the necessary coverage before you need to use it.
Get started on this process as soon as possible, especially if you need to transfer your Medi-Cal to a different county. Your waiver cannot be approved until your Medi-Cal coverage is active AND has assigned a primary care physician that provides non-emergency coverage in the Berkeley area prior to the start of the semester.
Which county is Medi-Cal sufficient to waive out of Berkeley SHIP?
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Marin
- San Francisco
- San Mateo
- Santa Clara
How do I change my Medi-Cal county if I already have Medi-Cal?
Contact the Department of Health and Human Services in the county where your Medi-Cal was obtained. Explain you are attending college at UC Berkeley and may reside in your home county during vacations and school breaks. Please note it may take 30 days or more for your change request to be processed.
When a family informs their county that the Medi-Cal beneficiary attends college outside of the family’s residence county, the county should update only the student’s address and enter the new residence county information into the Statewide Automated Welfare System (SAWS) and the Medi-Cal Eligibility Data System (MEDS). This action will trigger the discontinuance of the student’s current health plan in the family’s residence county. You should then receive a package with information and steps on how to select a medical plan near Berkeley or you may call Medi-Cal Healthcare Options at (800) 430-4263 to complete the medical plan selection and provider assignment process.
During the new plan selection and enrollment process in the new county, students can continue to use the same Benefits Identification Card to obtain health care services and have access to Fee-for-Service Medi-Cal providers only until the new health plan enrollment is completed. Please note, locating a Fee-for-Service Medi-Cal provider, who is accepting new patients, may be difficult.What if I want to apply for Medi-Cal but haven’t yet?
How do I contact Medi-Cal?
You may find these external contacts helpful:
-
California Statewide Medi-Cal: (800) 541-5555
- Medi-Cal Managed Care Health Plan Directory
Can I use Medi-Cal to pay for services at the Tang Center?
All eligible registered students may receive services at University Health Services (UHS). However, you will be charged for services and UHS will not bill Medi-Cal. Please be advised, in most circumstances Medi-Cal will not reimburse for care received at Tang.
Pell Grant and Dream Aid recipients are eligible for the Health Opportunity Fund to help offset some expenses at Tang. Please note this is not tied to insurance plans, but to fees for services within the Tang Center (excluding Optometry).
Why should I keep SHIP if I have Medi-Cal?
Financial Aid often covers or sets aside money strictly used for SHIP fees. Before applying for a waiver, please inquire with Cal Student Central at (510) 664-9181 to find out if SHIP is or can be included in your FinAid package. If SHIP is included and you waive out, your financial aid package will be adjusted and you will not be allowed to use the aid towards other fees. Please carefully consider your decision to waive.
Please note, while all eligible registered students may use the Tang Center (UHS) for services, UHS does not bill Medi-Cal and Medi-Cal is unlikely to reimburse you for services provided at Tang.What if I don’t change my Medi-Cal county to be within 50 miles of campus?
What if my Medi-Cal gets terminated?
Can I keep both SHIP and Medi-Cal?
Will financial aid pay for SHIP if I do not waive out?
Financial Aid often covers or sets aside aid strictly used for SHIP fees. Before applying for a waiver, please inquire with Cal Student Central at (510) 664-9181 to find out if SHIP is or can be included in your FinAid package. If SHIP is included and you waive out, your financial aid package will be adjusted and you will not be allowed to use the money towards other fees. Please carefully consider your decision to waive.