How to Find Affordable Student Health Insurance For College Students

By ChristinaJ | 2 Comments | Rating: 0 | |

College students plan for a lot of things when they go off to school. Unfortunately health insurance isn't always one of them. However, leaving it up to chance can be disastrous if a serious injury or illness occurs. It's better to plan for health care before you need it, so here are some tips on finding affordable student health insurance for college students.

• If the student is under the age of 25 and is enrolled in full time college classes, then chances are good that they still qualify for their parent's health insurance plan. Students should confirm their eligibility as the cutoff age can vary. College students who live away from home should carry a copy of their parent's insurance card. The downside is that most college health centers don't accept outside health insurance so you have to file the paperwork manually.
• Consider a campus offered student health insurance plan. These are very affordable and are accepted by the school's student health center. The downside is that student health insurance plans usually don't cover chronic or serious long term illnesses so if you have a pre-existing condition, these plans may not be for you.
• Get an individual student health insurance plan. If the student cannot be on a parent's insurance plan and has illnesses that aren't covered by the college health insurance plan, then they can purchase individual student health insurance plans through any of the major private insurance companies. The cost of these student health insurance plans is low for college age people and the benefit is that they can keep it after they graduate. Get quotes from several insurance companies as rates can vary widely. A good place to start is by searching online at websites such as ehealthinsurance.com or essurance.com. These sites ask a few simple questions and will then present you with multiple insurance companies and options.
• When choosing individual student health insurance plans, pick one with a high deductible as these are the most affordable student health insurance plans available. The higher the deductible is, the lower the monthly premiums are. This means that student health insurance plans won't pay much until the high deductible is met, however this is perfect for college students. Although many college students will balk at having to pay for a doctor's visit out of pocket, the high deductible plans will pay off for them in the long run. This is because college students are relatively healthy and usually don't have chronic health conditions. So the money saved in monthly premiums will offset any out of pocket expenses for doctor's visits.

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Comments

Dec 19, 2009 11:05pm

kp3028
Many companies are now extending the age limit that a college age student can remain on their parents coverage.

Mar 23, 2010 1:29pm

kp3028
With the new health care plan, it should make it easier for dependent children ro remain on their parents plans. Most college provided plans are not as inclusive as their parents plan.