Cardinal Care Vision Benefits
Cardinal Care covers one annual eye examination. For students enrolled in Cardinal Care, a referral is no longer required to schedule the annual eye exam. By scheduling the exam with a Health Net PPO provider (
see list of Health Net PPO providers within 3 miles of campus), students enrolled in Cardinal Care will pay the $30.00 copay for 2015-2016, and Cardinal Care will cover the remainder of the annual eye exam fee.
Please note that Health Net has made this policy change retroactive to the start of the 2015-2016 plan year.
Students wishing to see a Health Net PPO provider outside the Palo Alto area can search for an Optometrist or Opthalmologist using the instructions below:
Log on to www.healthnet.com/cardinalcare
Select a location using address, city, county, state. If using address or zip code, be sure to select a mileage radius for the search
Use the drop down menu on Filter by type of Plan/Network and select Stanford Student PPO
Select Continue
Select Doctors on Provider Screen
Select Filter Doctors by Specialty
From there, select Optometrist and/or Opthalmology
Once selection is made, the number of doctors will update and you will see the list of providers.
Once filter is complete, there are options that allow saving, printing, emailing or exporting the information.
Students who have questions regarding this policy change may submit a Help Ticket to the Health Insurance and Referral Office at helpsu.stanford.edu .
To help you explore other options for coverage, Vaden Health Center's Insurance and Referral Office maintains a 
list of local opticians, optometrists, and ophthalmologists who extend discounts to Stanford students.
Cardinal Care Dental Benefits
The Cardinal Care medical benefits through Health Net cover an initial visit to a provider for injury to natural, sound teeth.
Starting with the 2015–16 plan year, Cardinal Care will include dental benefits, administered by Delta Dental of California. Effective September 1, 2015, you may visit any licensed dentist under this plan, but maximum value will be acheived by choosing a Delta Dental PPO dentist. Benefits include
- Diagnostic and preventive services at 100% when care is provided by a Delta Dental PPO dentist.
- Basic services (such as fillings and simple extractions) at 80% when care is provided by a Delta Dental PPO dentist.
- Other basic services (such as endodontics, periodontics, and oral surgery) at 80% when care is provided by a Delta Dental PPO dentist.
A $25 deductible per year applies to basic services and the maximum benefit (when a Delta Dental PPO dentist is used) is $1,000 per calendar year.
Non Delta Dental network care provided by a licensed dentist is also covered, but at a less rich level of benefits: $50 deductible, coverage at 50%, and a maximum benefit of $750 per calendar year.
For further information about Cardinal Care's 2015-2016 dental benefits, please visit the Delta Dental website.
Other Dental Coverage Options
Vaden Health Center also maintains a list of local dentists who have agreed to treat Stanford students at a discount. Links to information about alternative individual dental coverage options are provided below:
Optum HealthAllies
Optum HealthAllies is a dental and vision care discount program offered by HealthAllies Inc. It is not an insurance program, but rather a way to receive significant discounts on a wide array of services. Vaden Health Center endorses this program as an inexpensive and convenient way to receive discounted dental and vision care:
