<p>We are a member of Kaiser Permanente which does not have any location in Alabama… She would be covered in an emergency by Kaiser, but not for regular routine visits in Alabama. Is anybody else in that situation and has experience with HMO type plans? Will we be required to by the full health insurance plan that the school may offer? I could not find any answers on the Bama website. If so, how much would that additional insurance be? Anybody knows?
My oldest son attended a private university in DC which wanted $1,800/semester to have the school health insurance…Luckily, we were able to avoid it with him.
Any help would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>* She would be covered in an emergency by Kaiser, but not for regular routine visits in Alabama. Is*</p>
<p>she won’t be required to buy insurance. As for “routine visits,” she should schedule those during the summer and during breaks while she’s home. For emergencies, it sounds like Kaiser would pay. If your D gets sick, is that considered “an emergency”? If so, then it doesn’t sound like there would be an issue. </p>
<p>Either way, if getting treated for a minor (non emergency) issue (like the flu) won’t be covered by Kaiser, it sounds like it may be cheaper just to pay outright then pay for extra insurance.</p>
<p>I guess I need to call Kaiser and find out how they would handle minor “emergencies” like flu etc…
It seems crazy buying the total insurance package again… we definitely would schedule her regular physical/vaccinations etc. appointments during breaks when she is home.</p>
<p>To the best of my knowledge, an OOS HMO with only emergency coverage in Alabama is considered enough insurance to meet any of UA’s requirements, though it looks like health insurance is optional for domestic students according to UA’s website [Student</a> Health Center Student Health Insurance Information & Forms](<a href=“http://shc.ua.edu/about-shc/forms/]Student”>Forms – Student Health Center | The University of Alabama). </p>
<p>While you have likely already looked into this, it might be more beneficial to switch to a PPO or larger HMO during your employer’s open enrollment period. Blue Cross-Blue Shied is by far the most popular and widely accepted private health insurance in Alabama and being in California, many employers will offer plans through Anthem BCBS.</p>
<p>Alternatively, it might be possible to get health insurance without going through the school. For example, Costco sells personal health insurance through Aetna.</p>
<p>Hi… bumping this thread as I am facing the same situation and wonder how other parents/students are faring at UA that have Kaiser and from California… incoming freshman DS and I spoke with his Kaiser Doc recently at a well check/immunization visit. Doc explained it can get nasty if an emergency turns into something ongoing (he has one student in this situation) … say - physical therapy, or extended hospital stay. Kaiser would want the student home so Doc recommended buying other insurance. What have other families done? DS can go to the UA health care center for minor illnesses or mental health issues, right? What are the costs associated with the UA insurance (didn’t see it anywhere) and costs associated with visiting the UA clinic? </p>
<p>I can’t help you with the cost of insurance but I can give you an example of the cost of visiting the clinic. We have a high deductible plan, so we pay out of pocket whatever the UA clinic charges. My D has only been once, when she had a sinus infection, and the charge was around $50 (I don’t recall the exact amount). It showed up on her student bill. Just an FYI, she didn’t tell me she’d gone to student health so I wasn’t watching for the charge, and they don’t send you any notification that it’s there. I just happened to be looking for something else and noticed it. </p>
<p>Thanks, beth’s mom - and for the tip to stay on top of the student bill. </p>
<p>Finally found pricing for the UA insurance in the pamphlet link … $1,200 annually or approx. $450 per semester, not including summer. </p>
<p>I looked into this carefully since we have an HMO here in CA which would only cover DS for emergency care out of network. If you have insurance through your employer a PPO may work to cover your child in AL but I would check the physicians listed in the provider directory and also call to verify that they accept the plan you choose. We wanted to keep our HMO coverage since it has a $0 deductible and has worked very well for us, so our insurance broker found a basic bronze PPO for DS which has a strong provider network. This plan has a relatively low monthly fee and no lifetime maximum but a high deductible so we plan to schedule routine care back here in CA when DS visits. Our thoughts were that we didn’t mind paying for routine doctor appointments for the flu etc but we wanted to be protected against a disaster situation where DS had an accident and his medical bills got into six figure territory. I did inquire about UA’s medical insurance but the information on the website for last year shows a benefit cap of $500,000 which our broker thought was low for a worst case scenario. This may change since I understand that under ACA college plans are not longer allowed to have a cap but when I emailed UA medical center nobody seemed to know the details of the plan for 2014-2015. One thing I would highly recommend is to make sure your child is covered wherever he/she might want to go. You don’t want to find out that there is no coverage for example in GA if your child decides to carpool to a Crimson Tide away game in Atlanta and (heaven forbid) there is a car crash. I probably sound like a nervous Nelly but I saw first hand with a relative how hospital bills can mount up. Luckily this person was well insured but the situation was a real eye opener.</p>
<p>One more thing. Be extremely wary if you are planning to buy insurance through the Obamacare (ACA) exchange, our broker warned us that the networks are very narrow even for PPO plans.</p>
<p>Thank you for your detailed reply, AlbionGirl. And no, you don’t sound like a nervous Nelly. I have been thinking much of what you expressed and also feeling the need to protect on the upside in case of a disastrous situation. </p>
<p>If your medical insurance covers emergencies, what leads you to believe that your plan would not cover your student “disasters”? An emergency (disaster) is an emergency and if he were admitted to a hospital based on that emergency, then the emergency coverage should come into play. What would happen if you were traveling ( domestically not internationally) and there was a " disaster"? You should contact your insurance carrier and get some clarification in writing.</p>
<p>Complete all routine stuff at your primary care physician during breaks and summer. Consider paying out of pocket for a sick visit to student health services.</p>
<p>Flu shots are given free to students on campus.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be cheaper for her to just go to a local clinic (some in stores now) for more minor things that require an antibiotic that to pay some ridiculous amount for insurance to go to a doctor’s office? She can do yearly visits with the regular doc when she is home, can’t she? Hospital visits would be emergencies, wouldn’t they? I know I don’t darken the door of an ER unless I’m about ready to drop. </p>
<p>And yes, the “narrow coverage” deal is going to hurt everyone. I heard a guy on the radio say that he had to drive 100 miles to the nearest doctor of the type he needed that would accept the ACA coverage. Watch for that, if you are considering it. </p>
<p>Checking with your plan as to what exactly they cover under an emergency situation is an excellent idea. The extra coverage we’re getting for DS is for the type of scenario mentioned by 77Choco above. </p>
<p>" Doc explained it can get nasty if an emergency turns into something ongoing (he has one student in this situation) … say - physical therapy, or extended hospital stay. Kaiser would want the student home so Doc recommended buying other insurance."</p>
<p>If your child is in a hospital bed it may not be feasible to transport him/her 2000 miles home to benefit from the family insurance network. The idea of wrangling with the hospital and insurance company in this situation is sufficiently terrible that, for us at least, it’s worth the extra expense.</p>
<p>True, I suppose that an ongoing situation could be a potential issue, like breaking a bone and follow up visits. </p>
<p>AlbionGirl… Exactly. What about those 4 days in the hospital bed necessary after the emergency but patient is stable? Potentially not covered by Kaiser - the wrangling begins. Would make the $1,100/year Blue Cross coverage seem dirt cheap. </p>
<p>AlbionGirl - copying and pasting here from your health care thread, which I’ve re-located, in case it will be helpful to others. It’s all about the level of risk one is willing to take. </p>
<p>We are from California and our DD is a freshman at UA. Which insurance do you have? We have Kaiser and spent copious amounts of time on the phone with them to try and figure this out. She is fully covered if she goes to the ER or Urgent Care and she can also go to the student health center and if we pay and then send the bill to Kaiser for reimbursement. It took us many phone calls to get this info and luckily we haven’t had to try it yet. Our primary care doctor understands the situation and has prescribed medications after an email or phone conversation which can be sent by mail. Our DD hasn’t been sick to the degree that she needed to be seen ASAP.
If you have Kaiser, be persistent and ask for a supervisor for clarification. Get the full name and extension number of whomever you talk to.</p>
<p>SEA<em>tideSEA</em>tide Posts: 3,496Registered User Senior Member
January 16
It’s worth noting that BCBS is by far the most popular insurance company in Alabama and most doctors in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham will accept it. A quirk of the BCBS system is that while you may be insured by a certain BCBS licensee, your claim is processed by the BCBS licensee nearest the doctor or other provider. Thus, if a provider says they accept BCBS of Alabama, they likely accept other BCBS plans as well.</p>
<p>While I did not see a medical provider in Alabama, I had a BCBS PPO that the BCBS representatives at Get on Board Day referred to as “excellent insurance,” which gave me wonderful piece of mind and allowed me to choose my own doctor with no referrals. In addition, the ACA allows people to be covered on their parents’ plan until they turn 26. If your student plans on working somewhere other than your home area after graduation and may want to take a job which doesn’t offer health insurance, a PPO may be a great idea for your family.</p>
<p>Since many employers have separate providers for prescription and mental health services, check to see if they have a provider in the local area. For example, there was a time when the UA SHC pharmacy didn’t accept Medco prescription insurance even though Medco was the prescription insurance company for UA’s student health insurance. As mental health issues tend to appear around college age, it’s a good idea to have insurance which covers providers in the local area. If needed, students are allowed to see medical professionals at the University Medical Center next to the SHC which is commonly used by UA faculty and staff.
Flag Like Helpful
AlbionGirlAlbionGirl Posts: 216Registered User Junior Member
January 17
Thanks for your advice everyone. I will certainly look into the possibility of a guest network. Whatever happens I definitely want any arrangements nailed down in writing. Hearing about the poor student who was hit by a truck in Tuscaloosa last year made me realize how important it was to have good coverage. If the worst were to happen I would not want to be wrangling with an insurance company especially from such a distance away. </p>
<p>I can confirm that University Health Services is deemed by BCBS of Illinois PPO as “In-Network” for my employer provided plan. </p>
<p>DD has used Crimson Urgent Care when the wait at Student Health is too long. It is also part of the BCBS PPO network, so we have the same level of coverage as if she went to Student Health.</p>
<p>DD’s only complaint about Student Health, is that when that bug is going around, every other student will have it too and the wait will be several hours. </p>
<p>FYI - I’m surprised that neither CVS nor Walgreen’s have one of their MinuteClinic / Healthcare Clinics in their Tuscaloosa stores. If neither of these companies is opening a clinic in a college town it must be a state licensing thing. Here in the Chicago area, one of the two pharmacy giants has a clinic in almost every decent-sized suburb. </p>
<p>Thanks, ChicagoBear. </p>