In June, Yale Health Plan emailed all graduate students asking them to decide whether to waive (cancel) automatic enrollment in the Yale Health Plan's Prescription Plus and Hospitalization/Specialty Care Plans. The email is copied below, in blocktext.

Last year we wrote a brief guide to the costs and benfits associated with Yale Health Plan's Prescription Plus, which students must pay out of pocket. Hospitalization/Specialty Care is a free benefit, provided to PhD students, but not to masters degree students.

GSA has been advocating for a change to the structure of Prescription Plus, to either increase the benefits included, or to reduce its costs, especially given the difficulty we've faced in our long-time advocacy for dental and vision benefits for students. If you have thoughts on healthcare, please contact GSA's Healthcare Committee Chair julie.button@yale.edu.

Dear Student:

Our records indicate that you will be attending Yale University in the fall. Please note the following important health insurance information and requirements for the 2009/2010 academic year.

If you are registered as a Yale degree candidate student, enrolled half-time or more and paying at least half tuition:

• You receive primary care services at no charge at Yale University Health Services through Yale Health Plan (YHP) Basic.
• You are automatically enrolled in and charged premiums for YHP Hospitalization/Specialty Care coverage and YHP Prescription Plus coverage.
• You are required by the University to have adequate health insurance (regardless of whether you will be studying on campus).

You may decline enrollment in YHP Hospitalization/Specialty Care coverage and/or YHP Prescription Plus coverage by submitting a waiver form online at https://yhpstudentwaiver.yale.edu/. If you wish to remain enrolled in YHP full coverage, no action is required - please disregard this notice.

Waiver forms must be submitted annually and received by:

• September 15 for the full year or fall term
• January 31 for the spring term