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Supplemental Health Insurance Program (SHIP)

Irene Lospenuso

Irene Lospenuso, Director

Note about SHIP: The most recent SHIP pamphlet lists an incorrect telephone number for Emergency Alert System (America Medical Alert). The correct number is 800-645-3244.

The Supplemental Health Insurance Program (SHIP) is a unique package of benefits developed by the UFT's Retired Teachers Chapter exclusively for its members. It is a supplement to the coverage available from regular health insurance benefits and is activated only after those providers have paid their benefits. Its wide-ranging supplemental benefits include ambulances, hearing aids, customized orthopedic shoes, surgical stockings and private-duty nursing.

Retirees must enroll in SHIP within the first year of retirement.

For a modest yearly fee of $120, SHIP will supplement certain payments provided by your New York City health coverage up to a maximum lifetime benefit of $100,000/$10,000 for pre-existing conditions.

SHIP does not require a medical examination for enrollment.

SHIP is a supplemental program and, as a separate entity, requires those who enroll to apply for benefits only after primary payments have been satisfied and to notify SHIP separately of any changes such as a new address, a divorce or a death. 

Additional information is available by calling the SHIP office at 212-228-9060 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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