Amidst ongoing delays in the distribution of financial aid packages and funds, students reported that their University of California Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP) appeared to be inaccessible on Thursday.
The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship (OFAS) notified students on Sept. 10 about Zotaid technical difficulties delaying their aid letters. While most students have received their letters, many are still waiting for the funds to be applied to their Zot Billing accounts.
Due to the delays, OFAS announced that those waiting for aid will not be penalized and will not lose their classes or housing after the fall 2024 quarter tuition deadline, which was Sept. 16.
Following this, students began to notice that their UC SHIP plans are inactive due to the financial aid that covers these fees not being applied to student’s accounts.
“I just wanted to share that the schools delay with paying registration fees and tuition is collaterally affecting individuals who rely on UC SHIP as their primary health insurance,” Reddit user Fit-Birthday2387 wrote on r/UCI. “The school or financial aid office made no note of this happening. This is beyond disappointing considering that a lot of individuals rely on UCSHIP for their mental health services, doctors appointments, and needed medication.”
UC SHIP helps to provide students with health services such as specialized visits, mental health services, medication and more. All students are automatically enrolled into UC SHIP unless they choose to waive out of it.
On Wednesday, students received an email from the Student Health Center (SHC) saying that they are “aware of the delay” in financial aid and how it has affected UC SHIP.
“SHC is working to ensure that all registered students, who are enrolled in UC SHIP, have access to care. We are in the final stages of processing your enrollment,” the email read.
This year, the cost of UC SHIP has increased, which OFAS explained as one of the reasons why many student’s aid packages are lower than last year. During the 2023-2024 school year, the annual cost for undergraduates was $2,185.65 and $5,518.86 for graduates. This year, the undergraduate annual cost is $2,653.11 while the graduate’s cost is $6,842.40.
UC SHIP was also packaged in the UCI grant differently. In previous years, the UCI grant combined the funds for UC SHIP, the UC Debt-Free Pathway plan and the University Student Aid Program. This year, the grant was split into three different categories: the UCI Grant, USHIP Grant and the Anteater Grant.
“Based on your FAFSA or CADAA assessment, you may receive one or a combination of these grants,” OFAS explained on their website.
Fourth year psychological sciences and criminology major Jackie Hernandez talked to New University about how she was told by her therapist this week that her insurance was inactive. Until her UC SHIP works, she will have to pay for her next session out of pocket which can range from $100 to $200.
“It collaterally affected my ability to get mental health care,” Hernandez told New University. “I have received mental health care for over two years, and it’s something that I kind of depend on. So I just think that it’s affecting my mental health overall.”
A similar situation happened last year with the graduate students in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science who had to pay their tuition fees late. Sociology PhD candidate and President of Associated Graduate Students Amelia Roskin-Frazee explained how those students “temporarily lost UC SHIP coverage.” Many expressed their concerns to her while she was the Chair of the Student Health Insurance Advisory Committee.
“It’s extremely scary if you have medical needs and you find out your insurance isn’t active,” Roskin-Frazee told New University. “In the U.S., healthcare is so expensive that you really need insurance to be able to get care, and without it, students were terrified.”
Roskin-Frazee explained that graduate students got their coverage fully restored after tuition fees were paid. Once these payments are complete, UC SHIP activates and covers anything that dates back to the start of the quarter.
“You might need to ask your provider to re-bill your insurance once it activates if they tried to bill it and told you that it came back inactive. I would be absolutely shocked if all claims that UC SHIP normally covers from this time period are not covered once tuition and fees are paid,” Roskin-Frazee said.
Medical claims that are outside of SHC may require a “retroactive referral” which can be filed through the Patient Portal on the Student Health Center website. Guidelines on the exceptions and requirements to make a referral can be found here.
“It’s not only affecting me, it’s affecting other people on greater levels,” Hernandez said. “I also think it’s kind of unfair that UCI, or the Office of Financial Aid, whoever handles it, did not reach out and say that this was something that we needed to look out for. Because in that case, I would have been more prepared.”
According to SHC, you can still receive medical care as long as you inform the front office that “you are enrolled in UC SHIP and did not waive.” Those that need medical care outside of SHC need to contact the SHC insurance department through the patient portal in order to receive a referral and temporary insurance card.
Skylar Paxton is the Fall 2024 Co-Managing Editor. She can be reached at paxtons@uci.edu.
Edited by Kaelyn Kwon.
