The University sent an email to affected students Friday, June 9 stating that the Student Health Plan Plus program would end at midnight on June 30, due to a loss in funding from the New York State Department of Health.
The SHP Plus program is a partnership between the University and NYSDOH that combines the standard Student Health Plan with Medicaid. However, unlike the standard SHP, the Plus plan contains no annual fee for students as the premium is fully covered by the NYSDOH. The plan also has no cost-sharing charges or co-payments for services.
The SHP Plus program also covers emergency, preventive and routine dental care, in addition to routine vision care, examinations and prescribed lenses and frames with no copay, unlike the standard SHP.
The cost of the standard SHP is not released yet for the upcoming academic year. However, the Office of Student Health Benefits estimates the cost range will be between $3,756 and $3,864. The website states that final rates will be posted on or before June 10, pending approval from New York State.
Last school year, the cost of the standard SHP for returning students was $3,612.
The NYSDOH has been the source of funding for SHP Plus for nearly a decade, according to an announcement on the Office of Student Health Benefits website.
“[The NYSDOH] has decided to discontinue their partnership with Cornell University and they will not offer SHP Plus coverage to Cornell students for the 2023-2024 academic year,” the message reads. “We appreciate that this change may have a great impact on your health care options while you are a student at Cornell. Our office is committed to helping students obtain the best coverage possible and we are here to help.”
The office is hosting three Health Insurance Q&A sessions on Zoom on Tuesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 14 for affected students to ask questions.
Editor’s Note: For a more recent update, view our June 16 article.