Primary care for students is provided through the Student Health Service and the Student Counseling Service. Health Promotion and Wellness (a new unit) has been established to increase and coordinate services and programs related to preventive health matters and overall well-being.
Health Insurance Requirement
The University requires all students to carry adequate medical insurance to cover, among other costs, hospitalization and outpatient diagnostic and surgical procedures. The insurance requirement may be satisfied in 1 of 2 ways:
- Automatic enrollment in the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP) offered by the University, or
- Completion of the insurance waiver form certifying that the student has insurance coverage comparable to the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP). Insurance and waiver forms are available online.
Automatic Enrollment
Each year, all eligible students are automatically enrolled in U-SHIP and will be billed for that enrollment for the year. Students have the option to waive U-SHIP by providing proof of comparable alternate insurance. Students approved to register for classes after the waiver deadline must submit an insurance waiver form at registration time. Failure to do so will result in automatic enrollment in U-SHIP. The waiver deadline for the 2012-13 academic year is October 26.
Eligibility
University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP) is available to all registered SSA students. Students in the Extended Evening Program are not automatically enrolled but must specifically opt-in to the plan. U-SHIP is also available at additional cost to a student’s spouse or registered same-sex domestic partner, and to dependent children. Information about plan benefits is available at here. For questions about enrollment contact:
The Student Insurance Coordinator
Room 231
5801 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60637
(773) 834-4543 (press Option #2)
e-mail: uchicagoadvocates@uhcsr.com
Student Life Fee
The University requires all students, with the exception of Extended Evening Program (EEP) Students, to pay the Student Life Fee each quarter of enrollment. However, EEP students who specifically opt-in to the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP) will be assessed the Student Life Fee. This fee covers patient visits at the Student Health Service and Student Counseling Service. This fee also covers student activities through the Office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities (ORCSA). Dependent spouses or same-sex domestic partners and dependent children age 14 and older, who are insured through the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP), are assessed the Dependent Life Fee and are entitled to receive services at the Primary Care Service and Student Counseling Service.
Students who live more than 100 miles away from the University may waive the Student Life Fee by making this request to the SSA Dean of Students.
Summer Student Life Fee
Returning students and June graduates who remain in the Chicago area during the summer but are not enrolled in classes have the option to pay the Summer Student Life Fee for continued access to the Student Health Service and Student Counseling Service. Students' family members already on the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP) may also purchase this service.
Immunization Requirements
By State of Illinois law, all students are required to present proof of immunity to rubella (German measles), measles (rubeola), mumps, and tetanus/diphtheria. Primary Care Services notifies all new students of the requirement and provides instructions for compliance. The exact requirements vary for each disease and are different for international students. Information and immunization forms can be accessed from the Student Health and Counseling Services web pages. Students who fail to meet this requirement by the third week of the quarter will be notified and their subsequent quarter registration restricted. A student who receives this notification is urged to call the Immunization Office at 773.702.9975 to resolve their status.
Rocio Reyes, AM '12
“A lot of the clinical approach is second nature to me, but it is compelling to take what I learn in class and really make it work,” says Rocio Reyes, AM '12.