I’m a current student at Cornell. I’m hoping some other current students will be able to help me out with this – I’m a freshman and had no choice but to enroll in SHIP this academic year because the insurance I used to have in NYC apparently didn’t apply in Ithaca. This is also kind of annoying because SHIP has copays and isn’t really meant to be used in NYC, which is where I live. Can anyone (who maybe is from NYC?) recommend me some health insurance plans that might be cheaper than SHIP? (which is a little over two thousand?)
Check with Blue Cross Blue Shield – not sure what their New York Companies are (Empire?). My kid has a BCBS plan that has nationwide coverage through the BCBS network. We paid less than $2,000 for her last year (about $1,500), but we are in a different and probably less expensive market. We are paying closer to $2,000 this year, but that is because we picked a more expensive plan (she had some stupid incidents resulting in quite a bit of health care usage last year, and it made me nervous enough to go with a plan with better coverage this year). But you may be able to find a plan that meets the SHIP requirements, is cheaper, and provides equivalent coverage in Ithica and NYC.
Aetna student insurance (SHIP) provides in-network doctors/hospitals across the US. You can find in-network doctors through this link: http://www.aetna.com/docfind/jsp/rdIndex.jsp?site_id=studenthealth&langpref=en
Your current doctor may not be part of the network. You have the option of finding a new doctor in the network or pay out of network for your current doctor.
My nephews from CA have this coverage and they are able to use it when they go home.
They also cover you when you go abroad. This insurance is very inexpensive. Many parents opt for this instead of having their kids on their plan.