<p>You should not go without insurance. My H was recently the victim in a pedestrian hit and run accident. The medical bills our insurance paid were over $50,000 – and he’s going to be OK with a lot of PT, time, and some permanent damage to his knee. It could have been a lot more expensive if we did not have insurance, and it could have been a lot worse. The scumbag who hit him did not have auto insurance.</p>
<p>Although I would strongly support a law requiring NY college students to have health insurance, I don’t think we have such a law (except for international students). If I am mistaken, can someone point me to that law? I believe this is a college decision/requirement, not state law. This is likely irrelevant to the OP’s dilemma, but I wouldn’t want us to state this as fact if it is not.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what “refund” OP is talking about getting in each semester. Can anyone elucidate?</p>
<p>I would check with the financial aid office–I know that some schools have an “emergency loan” fund that could help. If you used $300 of your money and could get a $400 emergency loan, that could get you over the hump and give you some time to get into the new loan cycle, find a part time job, whatever it takes.</p>
<p>I think the “refund” means that his/her financial aid covers more than the college’s direct costs, so the bursar’s office will give him/her a “refund” of the extra to be used for books and incidentals.</p>
<p>Thank you, Mathmomvt.</p>
<p>To the OP: have you researched what private health insurance plans are available to you? To just cover you, since you are young and healthy, you can probably find a policy for around $600 for the year. My son had something like that during the gap years when he finished college and was no longer eligible to be on our plan and the COBRA cost to continuing his coverage was high.</p>
<p>OP here. Wow, thank you for all the responses!</p>
<p>I was told by my father yesterday that they will be purchasing insurance through his place of employment. I thought we were avoiding that route because it was very costly but apparently that is the best option that they found. It looks like my health insurance problem will be solved for at least the next few years if everything goes well.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the suggestions. If this ever occurs again, I will be sure to reread this thread. </p>
<p>I’m sorry to those that were upset by my post. I wasn’t thrilled about not having insurance, but not going to school for me isn’t the best option either because I will have loans to repay and any time off would shorten/end my grace period. I hadn’t meant to spark such a debate but thank you the input all the same.</p>
<p>And to answer some of the questions, I had looked into insurance through Blue Cross (Excellus/Anthem in other states). It would have been 1,200/ month according to the representative I spoke to. Unfortunately, Healthy NY was not a great option either because I would not be able to have coverage at home and at school (different counties, with different coverage). </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>You want to have insurance, at all costs. Glad you got a plan that works for you.</p>
<p>I thought I was perfectly healthy and when I aged out of my mother’s dependent coverage in September 2009, I skirted the rules and didn’t sign up for the student health plan at my school.</p>
<p>Three months later, I ended up with a pulmonary embolism and spent three days in the ICU. If they hadn’t allowed me to retroactively sign up for the plan, I would basically have had to declare bankruptcy and dared them to stick me, a broke, zero-income college student, with the $75,000 bill. As it is, I’m still paying off the copays, 17 months later.</p>
<p>Until we join every other civilized country on Earth in having a single-payer system, it’s absolutely critical.</p>
<p>jasmom: As an international student I can tell you that HI is a requirement for us. It’s included with the I-20 and school packet information. You either have the option of buying it through the school or going private.</p>
<p>Can’t say I’m familiar with domestic students requiring mandatory HI though. Could be an NY thing only.</p>
<p>Yep, jsanche, required for international students, as you are, no doubt, painfully aware.</p>
<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE
As the thread has devolved into a political discussionof the wisdom or not of universal health care (posts deleted), it has now been closed.</p>