How much does college health insurance cost?

Some schools have dropped their plan and expect the student to apply through the marketplace. It is considered a qualifying event and therefore does not have to be done by February 15.
I know the CUNYs have.

But question regarding the exchanges…the college kid is not a resident of the other state…so can the college kid GET ACA coverage for a state which he/she is not a resident of?

Also, a college kid who is someone else’s dependent I don’t think is able to get insurance on the exchange as an independent adult, because they are not that at all even if they had enough income. Mine have income but probably not quite enough and Medicaid is really not a very good option if you are wanting a doctor’s appointment in many areas.

It’s a complicated mess, especially for rising freshmen (most of whom will be under 19, and many of whom do not know where they’ll be going). They would only qualify for Medicaid within their home states, and the Marketplace will put many 17-19 year-olds into Medicaid where it’s been expanded. I tried to crunch my family numbers as carefully as I could to avoid it, but my younger son was still placed into Medicaid last year. It was useless to us, and so I had to buy him an unsubsidized individual plan, with National Access. It was expensive, but not outrageously so when compared with some other options. Since he turns 19 this year, he can be covered within a family plan. The offerings vary from state to state. I heartily recommend a National Access plan for those who can swing it financially. It provides a lot of peace of mind. Platinum plans are exorbitantly expensive, but they allow your kid to see a doctor or seek emergency care without fear of onerous co-pays and deductibles. There is only one company offering National Access in my state (NJ) Marketplace. I don’t know about other states.

My kid is going to be 27. She has an individual plan purchased NOT through the exchange. Salary was too high this year. But next year, her in me will be very much reduced. And for 2016 it will be zip. She will be moving to another state to attend school, and this whole health insurance thing is difficult. I don’t believe she will qualify in her new state as she isn’t a resident there…yet. Her school offers a plan for $4000 a year that they recommend. I’ll have to look at that, I guess. Her current Anthem plan will be out of network no matter where she goes.

Re: Post#11. That was my immediate thought when I read compmom’s post. Many moons ago, I studied in France and Germany and was covered under the French and German health plans when I was there. France as an undergrad and Germany as a grad student. My parents didn’t cover me under a separate plan either time.

NHS also covers students in England regardless of citizenship status.

Post #24, she might not be a resident for tuition purposes, but it doesn’t take much to become a resident for state purposes. You can (and usually must) get a driver’s license without 30-60 days, you can apply for all kinds of services, get a library card, vote. You are a resident. I don’t know of a waiting period to buy health insurance other than the open registration period (wouldn’t be required for medicaid).

Most I know of are on the order of a hundred dollars per semester, but it only covers student health visits and hospital visits. Nothing remotely like specialists.

I know both my and my spouse’s insurance can cover our kids while they are in college, and luckily both are part of the nationwide BCBS network. If anyone has BCBS, it is worthwhile to double-check if they do have any coverage in other states, or have different rules for dependents living outside the radius.

We had this problem back when, we lived more than 50 miles from the plant and they just made us work with the local BCBS even though at the time, we technically did not have OOS coverage.

If some one moves to a different state, isn’t that a qualifying circumstance that would exempt them from having to wait for the open enrollment period?

There are student health fees which cover most things at the campus health center and then there is full on health insurance. Just the health center fees run about $600-$1,200 a year and the full health insurance (including student health fees) can be over $4,000 a year.

One more little wrinkle for students getting insurance, which would more likely apply to grad students: A student with a low income (but over 100%/138% of the poverty line) can buy insurance on the exchanges. They will be eligible for subsidies provided they are not claimed as a dependent on their parents’ tax return.

My 26 year old is not on my taxes! But this year, her income is too high for subsidy. Next year (2015) it will be low enough. The following year 2016, it will likely be $0.

Guess we will get her the full plan offered through her school…since her individual plan won’t cover her there.