“It’s been in existence as long as I’ve been here,” Alice Smith, interim director of Total Rewards, a compensation and benefits department, said. “It’s really important students don’t go without health insurance.”

Students eligible to voluntarily enroll in SHIP include MSU College of Law students, undergraduate and graduate students and nursing students. More information on eligibility is available on the MSU Human Resources (MSU HR) website.

Students in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Human Medicine and College of Veterinary Medicine, as well as international students, are automatically enrolled in the plan as part of the mandated group.

Due to visa requirements, international students are automatically enrolled.

Medical and veterinary students are automatically enrolled because, during their training at MSU, they will work in healthcare settings and have a higher likelihood of exposure to conditions that require health insurance, Smith said.

The mandated group of students can waive SHIP if their existing health insurance plan meets the criteria listed on the website. Meeting those criteria ensures that the plan the mandated students are using to waive out of required participation in MSU plans meets some basic quality requirements and will likely provide acceptable coverage, according to Smith.

The purpose of the criteria is to help students avoid buying bad plans, and some students might buy a plan because they think that, since it’s cheap, it’s automatically good, but they end up paying for it later through unreasonable coverage limits and high deductibles, Smith said. 

”We are trying to help students avoid the experience of picking plans that may not meet their needs due to factors such as unacceptably high deductibles and various coverage exclusions," she said. "Whether or not plans offer “good” or “bad” coverage is somewhat subjective depending on the medical needs of the particular student. I’d say the criteria is intended to help ensure those student groups who are automatically enrolled in our plans can’t waive out of MSU coverage by selecting an alternate plan unlikely to cover their needs when they try to use it.”

According to MSU HR’s website, waiving criteria differ between mandated student groups. Some of the criteria for international students include worldwide coverage, coverage of inpatient and outpatient medical and mental health services, a policy-year deductible of $500 or less per person and a minimum of $25,000 in coverage for repatriation (removal of remains after death).

For medical and veterinary students, some criteria include prescription, hospitalization, emergency care, lab work and X-ray coverage.

A large percentage of undergrads without assistance already have access to and remain on their parents’ insurance, but some parents don’t have access to insurance for students to rely on. According to Smith, MSU’s effort is to make sure they don’t face life without insurance.

“I think the most important reason they (students) should be aware of their options is that, if they currently aren’t enrolled in health insurance, that’s an incredibly dangerous state to be in,” she said. “It’s a scary world to live in without insurance and a potentially expensive world to live in.”

All students, even those without SHIP, aren’t charged for their first three medical office visits to the Olin Health Center per academic year.

Smith said SHIP has been vetted by the Benefits Office as a good plan through its Request for Proposal (RFP) process, which it conducts every few years. The goal of the RFP process is to get the “best deal possible for students” through good coverage and competitive rates; however, according to Smith, a good value doesn’t always mean the cheapest.

When MSU is looking for good coverage, they’re looking for good prescription drug coverage, hospitalization coverage, office visits and a good network (where students are likely to need care). They look for the price, quality and level of coverage.

MSU also has an annual renewal process. They get with the plan's vendor and ask questions such as what changes the vendor recommends, what’s driving price increases and how those increases can be softened, so it’s a good value for students.

Last year, MSU had a total of 4,494 people enrolled in SHIP, of whom 1,784 were domestic students, 2,423 were international students and 287 were dependents. With 6% being dependents, Smith said this shows that the vast majority of the people enrolled in SHIP are students.

Smith said what's important to MSU is that students understand the importance of having good insurance, whether that coverage is through their parents' plans, SHIP, or another plan they select after vetting it for quality, to make sure they understand the coverage they are buying.

”As for students who are not required to enroll in MSU plans, the criteria on the website may still be helpful to them in considering the quality of coverage of plans they may be considering purchasing,” she said.

Students who are deciding on an insurance plan are welcome to contact the MSU Human Resources Office for guidance.

Erin Hemlin, senior director of communications at Families USA, an organization that advocates for health care affordability and accessibility, shares the same sentiment.

“Having access to comprehensive, high quality and affordable health insurance coverage allows all people to live a healthy life where they can reach their full potential. When students have the peace of mind that quality health insurance coverage provides, they can focus on their education, rather than worrying that one medical emergency could mean financial ruin,” Hemlin said. “Young people and students should explore all health coverage options available to them, including those offered by their universities, and take advantage of the opportunity to find quality, affordable health care while they’re in school.”