<p>OK, so we researched which way was better, staying with our insurance for my D or getting the University one. We decided that we were far better off with our own. I went to do the waiver just now and it has a minimum acceptable insurance level they can use to do a waiver. Our insurance does not include prescription coverage and they say they require it. My D takes no medication and she is under a parent/child policy so that if she was dropped from that policy I would still pay the same monthly rate as I have another child. Forcing me to take their health insurance would mean we would have to spend an extra $1,500 a year for her to have prescription coverage when she takes no medicines. This is crazyness! Can they really do this? Can I talk them out of it?</p>
<p>They can’t force you to take their insurance but likewise, you can’t force them to allow your D to attend. The bottom line is that they can require it if it’s part of the conditions of attendance. </p>
<p>Even though your D doesn’t take any meds right now the insurance is just that - insurance in case she might someday. You can’t predict when someone’s going to need to take meds.</p>
<p>Check with your insurance company to see about adding the drug coverage - it might be much cheaper than having to take the college’s because of this point not allowing you to opt out.</p>
<p>Our kids’ schools also had minimum requirements for family health coverage in order to waive the university plan. You were REQUIRED to meet all of their minimum coverage requirements or you could not waive the university plan. </p>
<p>So…short answer…yes, they can require you to take their insurance if yours doesn’t meet their specifications.</p>
<p>My S’s school was the same, required their insurance if ours did not have identical coverage. We have an HMO and it was different in a lot of respects. Since he ended up dealing with a number of health issues, ranging from Mono to podiatrists, it was just as well. The HMO is its own hassle.</p>
<p>This is really depressing news. Our finances are shot and our income has plumetted this year as my husband is self-employed. We are borrowing against our home equity each month just to pay the bills. We can not afford this!!!</p>
<p>It’s insurance…and yes, it does cost. BUT if your daughter NEEDs this coverage, you’ll be glad she has it.</p>
<p>SVMMom, last year when my son was a rising freshman we found out our insurance was not considered comparable to the school’s insurance. They had a form you could fill out to request an increase in financial aid to cover the cost of the college’s plan. Not sure whether your D is receiving other FA aid, but if so you might inquire about assistance with the additional cost.</p>
<p>We are declining the University’s insurance ($1000) which was just built into the tuition- not an itemized expense. They said they will deduct off the tuition. I think they were really nice to H when he inquired about it. Our plan was better since the schools maxed at $100,000 in hospitalization.
The student can still use the medical center for typical visits.</p>
<p>SVMMom - Could you get one of those prescription only type plans for her and call it a day? I think they’re pretty cheap…and if that’s what it takes to have “comparable coverage”, probably worth it!</p>
<p>We are self-employed and have a policy that has a high deductable but after that covers 80% and has a max out of pocket of $6,500 a year with unlimited benefits for unlimited years. That means if there is something catastrophic we only have to pay $6,500 a year and they will cover any and all expenses after that for however much it costs. We have had this policy for 5 years and NOT ONCE has anyone in our family of 4 had to have a prescription for anything! If I had a policy that covered prescriptions it costs about $1,400 per month and mine is only $600 a month. She is receiving financial aid and maybe they will cover it .</p>
<p>WashU requires you to buy their insurance - no way out of it. It is really annoying.</p>
<p>SVM - No, I meant adding only a separate prescription plan which would not change her healthcare coverage. Something like this:
[Discount</a> Prescription Drug Card Plan on FDA Approved Drugs with below Wholesale Prices and 30-Day Money Back Guarantee from 60,000 Local Pharmacies in U.S.](<a href=“http://www.rxdrugcard.com/]Discount”>http://www.rxdrugcard.com/)</p>
<p>Would that work?</p>
<p>We had our health insurance for almost 30 years. NO ONE ever had been to an emergency room. Did that mean we didn’t NEED that coverage?? Well…nope…a couple of years ago one family member not only used the emergency room coverage but also used Lifestar (helicopter) to get there. </p>
<p>It’s insurance…you have it IN CASE you need it. </p>
<p>I agree, check into the cost of getting prescription plan that MEETS THE COLLEGE’s requirements. If it’s more than the cost of the college insurance, then get the college insurance. </p>
<p>And DO inquire with finaid about this cost…it’s possible they will make an adjustment.</p>
<p>My D’s school just added a mandatory university health coverage that I think is redundant, since we have insurance.
I see it as another rise in tuition besides the 4% tuition hike.</p>
<p>^most colleges have an “opt out of health insurance” waiver. Check the college’s website. I have 2 kids attending different colleges and we were able to opt out of the college’s medical insurance cost at both colleges. All we had to do was fill out a form and include their current medical insurance information.</p>
<p>I believe, it can if student has no other coverage. I am not familiar with legal aspect of it.</p>
<p>We were also able to “waive” our kids’ school plans but in both cases our family coverage exceeded their requirements. Otherwise we would NOT have been able to do so.</p>
<p>At McGill in Montreal, Canada, international students have to take the health care
plan, because all Canadian students are covered by the government provided universal care. The cost to international students to use the Canadian plan was only $700 per year.</p>
<p>By the way, most Canadians fuss about their health care–but very few of them would change to a private plan. Those snowbirds who buy supplemental Blue Cross for Florida winter stays are always amazed at the cost.</p>
<p>My d’s college allows the waiver, but requires us to pay over $400 to cover the school’s health center, which doesn’t want to process all the different insurers that students use. It is a non-waivable fee.</p>
<p>It’s just like all the other non-waivable fees - I can’t say “My kid doesn’t like sports and won’t set foot in the gym, so can I waive the sports activity fee?” The answer is no.</p>
<p>They can make you pay whatever they want you to pay.</p>
<p>while most colleges do have an opt-out feature IFF you already have coverage that is comparable, not all do. WashU, for example, pops on every year on cc since they require ALL students to purchase their plan, regardless of what coverage they might have at home. (Consider it a form of “spreading the wealth around”.) :)</p>
<p>Another college I know of requires that students pay into the local college health clinic (“free” immunizations & counseling, etc.), even if they have already full PPO coverage. The cost of that coverage is $900 per year. While an on campus clinic is a great resource, I often wonder how often it becomes a drunk tank on Friday and Saturday nights.</p>
<p>As Chedva notes, students have the option to not attend if the fees are too high.</p>