help! college wants me to pay for expensive student health insurance

Parents Forum
1

<p>I haven't been active on CC for a few years but I'm facing a dilemma and I was hoping there would be some helpful parents left on this board. </p>

<p>I'm a resident of New York facing some health insurance woes. I am a full time student and a dependent student for financial aid/taxes. I think I've gone through my options but I'm not sure. </p>

<p>Recently my mother lost her job (May). My health insurance was through her employment and will now be expiring at the end of June. Insurance through my father's work is way too expensive for my household. Prior to being on my parents' plan, I had Child Health Plus. CHP is basically a public insurance option for low-income kids. I lost that when I turned 19. </p>

<p>For residents over the age of 19, there is another public insurance plan called Family Health Plus. I've tried to apply for this as a single adult but since I'm under 21, my parents' income is taken into account. Currently we are $3.93 over the income limit for a household of 3. I am a full time student and my mother recently hired by a temp agency. Prior to this the income was only set by my father's wages. </p>

<p>My parents tried to apply for FHP for the entire family but we encountered the same issue.</p>

<p>Since I am under 21, I don't think I can apply for medicaid because of the income limitations. Any attempts to contact my local department of social services have failed. Healthy New York is not an option because it is too expensive and doesn't cover the things I MUST have covered. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, my college requires health insurance. Since I cannot waive the student insurance there's an extra $700 on my semester's bill. The last date this can be waived by is September 8. I really need this money because it was meant to cover books, travel expenses, personal expenses, etc. I believe this will wipe out my entire refund amount for the YEAR (so no refund in either the fall or the spring). </p>

<p>My parents cannot apply for a loan and I'm at my limit for the year. I will have some wages from the summer but I was absolutely counting on having refund checks the next two semesters.</p>

<p>Any suggestions? I'm kind of panicking because I have no insurance for the foreseeable future and I absolutely must have this fee waived.</p>

2

<p>It sounds like you are fortunate to have low-cost health insurance coverage available to you through your college.<br>
You are also aware now that you will need to earn $1400 more this summer than you had originally budgeted…that is plenty of time for you to work to earn the money to cover this necessary expense.</p>

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<p>Do you have a car? Do you pay for auto insurance? If so, I’d guess that could be $100/month. If you don’t absolutely need the transportation, cut that. Or maybe you don’t live on campus and must commute and can’t car pool or take public transportation. So do you have a cell phone? Or pay for cable TV? Those could be $100/month each, etc. Point is, there may be expenses you can cut. Without knowing your life, it is not possible to suggest where. It sounds like you can’t increase your income or get additional funding (look for low $ scholarships), so cutting expenses is the only option. It <em>should</em> be obvious that you can probably buy private health insurance yourself instead of relying on an employer or your college to provide it. Check out Anthem AKA Blue Cross, Golden Rule, etc. (I don’t know what is available in NY.) Group policies from professional associations may also be an inexpensive option. All you probably need is major medical coverage, and unlike auto insurance, being college age is a big plus (assuming good health) not a huge minus. If you buy your own at less cost, the college will waive theirs if you do it soon enough.
Yes, $700/semester sounds expensive, but without knowing the coverage details it is hard to dispute. Even so, it is only $116/month which really is not that awful assuming good coverage, etc. Cut out fast food or buying lunch and that could pay for it. I have no idea how economical you are… are you surviving on pasta and cereal or do you splurge on Starbucks coffee several times a week, etc? You may have expenses already cut to the bone, or you may be someone who hasn’t truly faced life’s hard realities. Either way, I am sympathetic so please take no offense to any of the above. If you only need $116 more per month, if you are time efficient you can probably get it: mow lawns on the weekends, shovel snow, do supermarket promo work, etc. Where there is a will… there’s a way. Good luck.</p>

4

<p>No car. I already rely on rides or public transportation. I don’t have a fancy cell phone. It’s the cheapest plan I can find anywhere and it serves as my only phone while I’m at school. Plus I’m on a contract so it would cost more to end it now and I’d be without a phone at all.</p>

<p>I’m already picking up extra hours at work. Unfortunately they can’t give me anymore and I haven’t been able to find additional employment. I’ve had this problem past summers. I’ve tried tutoring/babysitting in the past without success. I also have an internship so I feel stretched already. Transportation is also sometimes an issue because the busline is very unreliable and no car as previously stated. </p>

<p>I don’t go out really so there isn’t an entertainment section of my budget to cut. This summer I was already focused on saving as much as I could. I don’t pay for any luxury items really. </p>

<p>I haven’t looked into private insurance really because I thought there would be income requirements. Unfortunately the college insurance doesn’t seem to cover much except some prescriptions. I don’t think it covers off-site care. I will look up the companies mentioned, thank you. </p>

<p>I will try to find some more hours for work and perhaps the private insurance if I can find anything that will provide the coverage I need. thank you for the suggestions.</p>

5

<p>I believe that it is a New York state law that every student enrolled as a full time student in a college in NY MUST have health insurance. So, the college can NOT legally waive this fee unless you prove that you have coverage. </p>

<p>So, if you can’t come up with other coverage, there is no way to avoid this fee. It is, BTW, a great deal. I don’t know what college you attend, but my understanding is that for routine medical problems, you are required to visit an on-site office and then referred out if you need to be. I would be surprised if ALL the insurance pays for is some prescriptions.</p>

6

<p>As noted, the fee will not be waived unless you can prove that you have alternate insurance; the college’s hands are tied. </p>

<p>Your best bet is to sit down with your college’s financial aid folks and talk to them about options. There may be other fees they can waive, but they cannot waive this one.</p>

7

<p>Check Golden Rule. We don’t live in NY but we insisted that our kids purchase insurance after they graduated until their employer coverage kicked in… and it was dirt cheap. I don’t know if you smoke- but their rates are very, very low for non-smokers (if they write policies in NY) and will satisfy your schools requirement that you be covered.</p>

<p>Agree with the suggestion to sit down with your college’s financial aid counselors. This will not be the first time they’ve dealt with this.</p>

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<p>Check with your school’s financial aid office. Some schools will offer additional aid to cover the cost of health insurance if you need to take it.</p>

9

<p>Yes, the college financial aid office may also have some extra loans (or longer term payment plants) they can use for people in difficult situations. For example, some other student with a Perkins loan may drop out and free up some more loan money for you.</p>

<p>$1400 for health insurance for a school year is not that bad a deal. Just be aware that it may leave you uncovered during the summer.</p>

10

<p>What are you and your parents doing about health insurance for you? Are you thinking of just taking the chance that nothing will happen to you medically? If so, the college does not want to be part of this. If you cannot afford the insurance, you don’t go to college. Take a gap year. Get a job with Starbucks, Staples, or somewhere that offers insurance and get it. Then you can bring that insurance with you and compare the cost of the school insurance. </p>

<p>The university does not want you without health insurance. It has become a requirement because of liabilities they have gotten stuck with when kids have health problems while at college. You can’t waive away someone’s responsibility for you when an injury or illness occurs and they don’t want to be stuck with a huge tab. So you need to get insurance. You are on the wrong track here, It is not the fee and insurance you need to have waived. You need to get more money to pay for it. You need the insurance to go to college.</p>

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<p>Golden Rule (and others like it) offer Major Medical (i.e. catastrophic coverage) but a high deductible, and no frills- no prescription coverage, etc. For a healthy young person who could get hit by a bus (thus needing hospital care) but not likely to need a lot of hands-on medical care for the next few years it’s a great deal. Thus you would pay out of pocket if you need to see a doctor for a cold-- but your cost for the insurance is much lower than the college plan.</p>

<p>I don’t think you want to go without insurance. Your college does not want you enrolled without insurance nor should they. You can check rates online for different plans and see how your own policy might look (the costs are just estimates until you’ve been reviewed and approved by their underwriting department. Smokers cost more. )</p>

12

<p>Let me save the OP some time. Golden Rule and other companies like it don’t issue policies in NY State. ( I looked into it when my kid had a gap for a couple of months between the end of law school and the beginning of a job. At least at that time, none of these policies were available in NY state. I did just check Golden Rule, and it doesn’t write policies in NY.)</p>

<p>I live in NY City, have good but not great medical coverage and pay more each month that the charges the OP quotes for a semester. That insurance is not “expensive.” It’s an incredible bargain by NY City standards.</p>

<p>I have a good friend who has been unemployed so long COBRA has expired. She’s done a lot of investigation and Healthy New York was the cheapest thing she could find.</p>

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<p>I agree that the cost for the college provided health care doesn’t sound like a bad option actually. But I understand that changes your budget considerably. If that turns out to be the most affordable health plan you can find I would look at other ways of meeting your expenses for the year such as working during the school year and talking to the school about whether there is a payment plan, if meeting the lump sum at the beginning of term will be a problem.</p>

<p>One option my son was able to take advantage of to help meet his college costs was the food stamp program. He qualified because he was a work study student living in an apartment.</p>

<p>[Universities</a> encourage students to enroll in food stamp program | The Daily Caller](<a href=“Universities encourage students to enroll in food stamp program | The Daily Caller”>Universities encourage students to enroll in food stamp program | The Daily Caller)</p>

14

<p>Hi OP,</p>

<p>You need health insurance.</p>

<p>Here’s why:</p>

<p>1) State requirement in New York (for college students)</p>

<p>2) College requirement</p>

<p>3) Perhaps the most important point You don’t want your future to be determined by your potential huge medical debt - and you want to be able to make decisions about your health.</p>

<p>I think a lot of young people think “What? I don’t need health insurance, I’m healthy.” In my opinion this is one of the most stupid and risky decisions a young person (or any person) can make.*</p>

<p>I have family members who work in different contexts in the medical profession. One is a physician, the other works for a non-profit in healthcare management (not for an insurance company). Both of them have several stories of young people “wingin’ it” who now are faced with substantial medical debt. I think a lot of young people assume that if they get sick they’ll realize it slowly and can get insurance at that point – or just think they won’t get sick or have an emergency at all. That’s not the case! One true example: Young man - age 23 - went to the emergency room with sudden leg pain – it ended up that his leg was actually fractured due to a rapidly growing sarcoma (>$100,000 medical bills for all of the months of treatment, chemo, etc.) Things totally out of your control - and even out of your own doing - can happen at any time.</p>

<p>All of that said, I looked into the going rate for a non-smoking, full-time student 20-year-old male from Rochester, New York (I assume you’re male, but if you’re a woman, it’d likely be fairly similar). </p>

<p>Most of the plans available I found were $170-$450/month. </p>

<p>HOWEVER I three potential solutions for you. </p>

<p>-The American College Student Association offers a college-student health plan that runs, for a 20-year-old non-smoker in New York, $852/year (12 months). This would be cheaper for you than your school’s plan AND it looks like it’d cover you in the summer if you’re returning to school in the fall (which your school’s plan may not). They partner with many colleges already but I wasn’t sure which school you attend so I selected “School Not Listed.” The plan is underwritten by United Healthcare. You can learn more at [Student</a> Health Plans](<a href=“http://www.acsa.com/insurance-quote.aspx]Student”>http://www.acsa.com/insurance-quote.aspx) or <a href=“https://www.uhcsr.com/ACSA[/url]”>https://www.uhcsr.com/ACSA&lt;/a&gt;. I have no experience with ACSA but did find this an interesting option for people looking to insure college students.</p>

<p>-ValuMed is a special plan offered by BCBS of Western New York for 19+ single people who earn up to 233% of the Poverty Line. Premiums are ~$150/month. Check out <a href=“Health Insurance Plans | Excellus BlueCross BlueShield”>Health Insurance Plans | Excellus BlueCross BlueShield;

<p>-Based upon my review of the materials, you may still qualify for Healthy New York, and/or other even less expensive programs, depending on how you file your taxes. Do you file as a dependent? If not, contact an enrollment representative by phone (or in person) to discuss the situation. If you do not file as a dependent, it doesn’t matter what your parents’ financial circumstances are. This is not like college, where you are defacto considered financially dependent until 24/military service/marriage/dependent of your own. For NY state health insurance purposes, if you file as an independent you can qualify without regard to parents/roommates/friends/whatever income or eligibility.</p>

<p>*People who are essentially “uninsurable” due to pre-existing medical problems and are refused access to the High-Risk Pool insurance program in their state (or if one doesn’t exist) get a “bye” in my book. Young people (<35) rarely fall into this category.</p>

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<p>I am in a similar situation, and a New York resident. When my father lost his job, my three younger siblings qualified for Child Health Plus, but I was too old. We ended up on COBRA for two months which was far too expensive, but we did qualify for Family Health Plus . There doesn’t seem to be any reason why you wouldn’t qualify for some program. The cheap student insurance is for schools to cover their asses and for students who’s parents can afford it. If you have a pre-existing medical condition this is a whole different ball game. I tried to sign up for Student insurance (my father had some severance pay he was willing to spend because of the amount of risk not being insured could have caused me) and found that the yearly prescription plan would cover me for a single month, and my most expensive medication would not be covered. (750+ a month) There are cheap options, especially for healthy young people. Google is your friend.</p>

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<p>D’s school insurance costs $1,900 per year and they charge it ALL in the fall quarter. :eek:</p>

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<p>I have spent the last two days, at least 6 hours each day, trying to figure out the best way to get health insurance for my family. Like the poster, we are slightly above income limits for our state subsidized insurance. My husband had a stroke a couple of years ago. Earlier this week we were happy that he qualified for continued disability benefits, but then a day later I realized that this income (not high, just not low enough for the state) disqualifies us from the cheaper state insurance. In fact, the insurance costs that we will have w/the more expensive options, which are the only ones available to us, will pretty much wipe out the disability benefits for the rest of the year.</p>

<p>The health insurance issues are overwhelming for anyone who has lost a job, and their family, and I am sorry to hear so many others are in the same boat.</p>

<p>One thing about the college insurance policies that I learned today is that student payments for the health insurance plan support the in-house health and psychological services on campus. That made me feel better.</p>

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<p>It’s not automatically included in COA at most schools, however at least some will grant an increased COA to cover it if you explicitly request it.</p>

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<p>We are in the identical position. We live in NYS, my son just turned 19 and is too old for Child Health Plus (was that ever a good thing while it lasted)/ Anyway, NYS offers next to no choice, so we opted for the university’s insurance. The university’s insurance office gave us a form to fill out for financial aid and said that financial aid was likely to pick up half the cost fo the insurance. The financial aid office should be your first step. Good luck to you.</p>

20

<p>I do know that my daughter had insurance with her school and it covered a couple incidents that required ER vist and a hospital overnights as well as the inhouse visits when you need antibiotics. Concussion by giant slip n slide on the college green–stuff like that happens all the time.</p>

<p>So be aware of what is covered so you can comparison shop.</p>