Insurance Transition 2024

Insurance Options

After careful evaluation, the University will change our Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) provider from UnitedHealthcare to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, effective for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

This change will provide benefits to our covered students:

  1. Extensive Coverage: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield offers a comprehensive suite of health insurance benefits, including expanded mental health coverage and discounts on wellness services.
  2. Cost Savings: Through our negotiations, we have secured a plan with no change in premium costs.
  3. Improved Access to Care: Anthem's extensive provider network will continue to give you access to high-quality care providers in the local area, across the country, and abroad, ensuring you can receive the care you need, when you need it.

While there are no changes to on-campus services—the HCC remains your primary care provider, we understand that any change in health insurance can be a source of concern, but please be assured that we are working diligently to make this a smooth transition.

We will continue to add details and information to this and our larger website throughout spring and summer 2024, including coverage details, network providers, enrollment process, and transition of care if needed, including for recurring prescriptions. We will add/activate this information as soon as it is available.

Understanding that we do not yet have all details and processes finalized, but are working on them, you can direct additional questions to our Student Health Insurance team at insurance@hcc.du.edu

Current UnitedHealthcare plan coverages continue through:

  • 7/31/2024 for current Law (semester) students
  • 8/31/2024 for all other, quarter students

Coverage under the NEW plan begins the following date.

21 June 2024 Updates

Confirming that annual SHIP premium will not increase; it remains $3,770.

The off-campus provider network is Anthem BlueCard PPO open access network. To check whether your care provider is part of their network, search at www.anthem.com/find-care    

  • As policy hasn't begun, search as a guest.
  • Select Medical Plan or Network
  • Select Colorado
  • Select Medical (Student Health)
  • Select National PPO (Blue Card PPO)

We expect the Anthem enrollment portal to open via myDU on or before August 1, 2024.

  • Covered care will be backdated to your policy effective date: August 1, 2024, for Law/Semester students; September 1, 2024 for Quarter students.
  • Deadline to enroll or waive will be September 6, 2024 for Law/Semester students, and September 27, 2024, for Quarter students.
  • We will send notice once the portal is open.

To review an initial overview of prescription drug coverage, visit www.anthem.com/co/pharmacy-information/drug-list-formulary  and select Colorado. (As this page is written for commercial plans, DU is the "employer.") We will share additional details as the policy effective dates grow closer, including plan-specific details via the Anthem participant website.

  • I am a student signing up for the SHIP for the first time.

    You will be automatically enrolled in and billed for the 2024-25 SHIP. Stay tuned for additional details which will be sent to you, and posted on the HCC website.

    As always, all DU students must carry medical insurance. You will be automatically enrolled in and billed for the DU SHIP unless you complete the online waiver process by posted deadlines --demonstrating you already have coverage meeting certain legal minimum requirements. Check the SHIP waiver page for more details.

  • I am a continuing student who is already on DU SHIP.

    You will be automatically re-enrolled in and billed for the 2024-25 SHIP with the new provider (Anthem).

    • If you have only seen DU HCC providers (no referrals to off-campus care), your care and coverage will continue, uninterrupted. You do not need to do anything.
    • If you need to continue seeing a non-DU (community-based provider, by referral from DU HCC) beyond your coverage expiration date above, please check the Transition Of Care section below.
    • If you are on a prescription that will need refill after your coverage expiration date above, please check the Continuing Prescriptions section below.

    Stay tuned for additional details which will be sent to you, and posted to this website.

  • I have my own medical insurance; I don't want or need SHIP.

    If you have your own insurance (personal or via employer), coverage under parents/spouse, or government (eg Medicaid, military/veteran Tricare, etc), you will need to complete the online SHIP waiver process by posted deadlines, providing evidence that your coverage meets certain legal requirements. Visit the SHIP waiver page for details.

  • Transition Of Care

    If you need to continue seeing a non-DU (community-based provider, by referral from DU HCC) beyond your end of coverage date (see above):

    1. If they are IN Anthem network (check site above), confirm with providers office directly and provide new Anthem information once you're enrolled. (The Anthem enrollment portal will open in myDU in by August 1.)

    2. If they are NOT in Anthem network (check site above), there will be a Transition of Care form to complete ONLY if you are receiving ongoing care or are scheduled to receive ongoing care from a provider that does not participate in Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield's (Anthem's) network. We will post the Form here once the Anthem enrollment portal is open in myDU.

    We will send a notice once the Anthem enrollment portal is open in myDU.

  • Continuing Prescriptions

    If you need to continue a current prescription beyond the end of your coverage date (above):

    1. Request and order available refills if possible before the end of your current, UCHSR plan (dates above).

    2. You'll need to confirm whether and how the medication is covered under the new, Anthem SHIP [LINK COMING].

  • How does this relate to the Health & Counseling Fee (HCF)?

    In addition to requiring medical insurance coverage by all students, the University also assesses a Health & Counseling Fee (HCF) on all undergraduate students and on most incoming graduate students beginning Fall 2024. (Continuing graduate students can opt-in to the HCF for the discounted services it provides.)

    This is separate from the insurance requirement and Student Health Insurance Plan.

    Check our Health & Counseling Fee page for more information.