Health insurance is a must for college students. Most schools require you to have coverage before you can enroll in classes. But not all student health insurance options are created equal.
If you?re heading back to school, or if you?re already there, here?s a summary of your health insurance options and some tips to help you find the right match for your personal needs:
Mom and Dad?s Plan ? Health reform lets you stay on your parents? plan until you turn 26, which is great news for many of today?s students. However, if you?re going to school in another state, coverage under a parent?s plan may not be a good idea.? Many health insurance plans only provide the highest level of coverage when you use their local network of preferred doctors and hospitals. Plus, some family plans exclude coverage for injuries suffered during participation in school sports. If you want to stick with Mom and Dad?s plan, make sure you know what you?re getting.
School-sponsored Plans ? Health reform is changing the equation here too. School-sponsored health insurance plans have been around for a long-time, and though they?re improving, it?s still a mixed bag. Many school plans still place relatively low dollar limits on your coverage, and some may limit you to seeing doctors on campus ? which may not always be an option. Take a look at school-sponsored plans, but read the fine print.
Individual Health Insurance Plans ? Think about purchasing coverage on your own. Until 2014, you can still be declined individual coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions, but there are lots of options available and they can be relatively affordable (Mom and Dad may even help with the premiums). Thanks to health reform, individual plans now provide more robust benefits and access to more preventive care at no out-of-pocket cost. Work with a licensed agent like eHealthInsurance to see what?s available in your area.
Non School-sponsored Student Plans ? These plans may be especially attractive for students who are attending school in a different state or who plan to travel back and forth a lot. Your benefits and coverage levels typically won?t change when you travel from one state to another (international coverage may even be available), and you may have the option to pay up-front for year-round coverage rather than pay month-to-month.
Short-term Plans ? Some students turn to short-term health insurance plans when they expect to have another form of coverage (through parents or employers, for example) within six months or so. Many short-term plans will let you renew for a second six-month period too. Keep in mind that while short-term plans provide a valuable back-stop to unexpected health insurance bills, they?re not designed to provide robust preventive care or prescription drug coverage, or to cover pre-existing medical conditions.
To research your health insurance options in the private market, visit eHealthInsurance.com.
Image by Flickr user CollegeDegrees360
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Source: http://blog.ehealthinsurance.com/2012/08/health-insurance-options-for-college-students/
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