<p>Thanks, all! Now I have a grip on what considerations we need to make. </p>
<p>My insurance broker’s office generally charges a fee in addition to the policy for about $50-100 per policy. It’s well worth it for us because she checks to be sure the policies are with companies she can work well with in case we ever need to make claims. She also makes sure there are not gaps in our policies and coverages.</p>
<p>It really isn’t all that complicated. Start with your current carrier and the U your kid will attend. Good luck! We had a friend who said since he had a HMO policy that covered their D, she didn’t need to buy the U’s policy. Sadly, she needed ER and surgery–she was rushed to the nearest hospital which was NOT in the HMO and they had BIG bills for a long time. After that, he bought the U’s insurance for his kids for the rest of their years at their Us. It was a good thing, as one of his other kids broke a bone or two.</p>
<p>Neither of my 2 older kids’ colleges had any requirements that you prove you had insurance or join their plan. We have an HMO that would only cover emergency room visits, but both schools had university clinics the kids could go to for minor illness/injury for small fee. My kids are rarely sick though, so S visited his clinic once in 3 years, and D went twice in 4 years - once for strep throat, once to get immunizations for study abroad. They were both within a 4 hour drive and I figured I could always go get them if they needed serious care. Younger D is thousands of miles away, so I bought her college’s plan, which will cover her nationally for a full year for $1800. Seemed like a good deal to me.</p>
<p>HImom’s story of the HMO surprised me - emergency room visits anywhere in the country are covered on our plan, but I bought separate health insurance for kids studying abroad.</p>
<p>I found out when I phoned our insurance company that emergencies are defined by them to include urgent care clinic visits as well as hospital emergency rooms. It’s more convenient for lesser ‘emergencies’ and the copay is lower. In our case, the urgent care clinic is closer, just 2 blocks away and has extended weekend hours. So when weighing options, check to see exactly what is covered away from network. Also, they verified that they pay whatever the out of network urgent care or emergency room charges, not some predetermined UCR amount with us paying the balance.</p>
<p>Will ask about and investigate all these factors. Who knew?! Good thing this is not a last-minute project. Many thanks. </p>
<p>Insurance is a contract–be SURE you contact your insurer so you KNOW what IS and IS NOT covered. It helps to ask for a printed copy and read through it, especially as it applies to your “kid” who may be over 18 and not living a home as to what IS and IS NOT covered and at what % rate. Assumptions can be very expensive.</p>
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<p>If I were you, I would just call your “local BCBS” if your kid is not covered and you are looking for a decent nationwide plan. We got a plan last year for D2 with a monthly premium of $130/month and a $1,900 deductible. It is a sort of hybrid - HMO with the clinics and hospitals we use anyway while she is in-state, and the Blue Cross national network when she is out of state (all considered in-network). We happen to have purchased it on our state exchange last year, but you can get the same plan by phoning our BCBS. Call yours and see what they can offer. Doubt you will find better nationwide “in-network” coverage than they offer.</p>