While all Berkeley students have access to services at UHS-Tang Center, students with SHIP pay 10% of any fees at the time of service and UHS bills SHIP for the remaining 90%. The Tang Center Pharmacy also offers discounted medications to SHIP students, including free generic drugs.

UHS will file claims only for SHIP members. If you have another plan, you must pay UHS fees for services, file a claim with your plan, and wait for reimbursement.

Many HMO and PPO insurance plans will not cover fees for services provided at UHS. For example, a student without SHIP has a sports injury and comes to UHS. There will be an office visit co-pay, plus possible additional fees for an x-ray and any supplies, such as a splint or sling. Many HMO and PPO plans will not pay for the x-ray and supply charges because UHS is a non-network provider for all HMO and PPO plans.

Many HMO and PPO plans require you to use a service provider within their network. Check to see if your plan's network includes providers in the Berkeley area and that those providers are accepting new patients (many may not). The nearest Kaiser facility is 7 miles from campus, in downtown Oakland.

Many HMO and PPO plans provide worldwide coverage only for emergencies. When students move to Berkeley from outside the Bay Area, travel to visit family or friends, or study abroad, routine care may not be covered.

SHIP is a group plan, comparable in benefit levels to group plans provided to employees by employers. Individual plans, purchased directly from an insurance company by people who do not have access to a group plan, often cost more and provide fewer benefits.