<p>I waived Rutgers Health Insurance the last 2 years without a problem (for my son, who will be a Junior this year. </p>
<p>This year, they are asking different, more specific questions. I answered 'no' to #7. "My current plan provides Prescription Drug coverage up to $100,000 annually." I got an automated response saying my waiver was tentatively denied. </p>
<p>Is anyone else having a similar problem? They only provide an email address for questions.</p>
<p>Are you sure you have a cap on prescription drugs?</p>
<p>I may have misinterpreted the question. I do not have a prescription plan, but maybe they mean emergency/inpatient care? I’m going to try to speak with someone today.</p>
<p>There may be legal changes about what coverage a student is required have - where I work, we can choose between a basic plan or a “buy up” plan, which has higher monthly premiums. I had to purchase the higher “buy up” plan to meet the required coverage at my daughter’s school. I did the math and it was less expensive to do that than purchase the health insurance, plus everyone in our family receives a slightly higher benefit. </p>
<p>But if I hadn’t, and answered “no” to the question about deductibles, I don’t think we would have been able to qualify for the waiver.</p>
<p>My supervisor’s step-daughter was a school teacher in a neighboring school district. The school’s health insurance did not include any prescription drug coverage. The step-daughter developed cancer. The school was having fund-raisers so she could afford some of the drugs she needed for her cancer treatment. It’s possible if you do not have prescription coverage you might not qualify for a waiver.</p>
<p>I don’t think they are asking for a specific “prescription plan” vs yes, I have coverage in my medical plan for prescriptions. If your medical insurance covered medications in some way, call admissions and get that corrected.</p>
<p>I just spoke to someone. She said the questions ‘were new’. She asked me if I could drop my son on my plan and instead pay for the Rutgers plan. I said no, I’m on a family plan so it wouldn’t change my payments, which are ~ $1500 per month for good coverage.</p>
<p>It really doesn’t make sense to force people to buy a policy with a prescription plan through the school when it is typically an option on other plans. Most 20 year olds are not going to be on extensive medication. I don’t want to pay another $750 a year so my son can have prescription coverage.</p>
<p>If I were to add prescription coverage on my plan (which I can’t because it’s past the annual renewal period) it would be about $400 per month extra, so $4800 extra.</p>
<p>She is calling me back after she talks to someone.</p>
<p>“The school’s health insurance did not include any prescription drug coverage. The step-daughter developed cancer. The school was having fund-raisers so she could afford some of the drugs she needed for her cancer treatment.”</p>
<p>I can see your point, but what has that got to do with attending Rutgers or any other school? Couldn’t this happen to anyone without prescription coverage? Why isn’t everyone required to purchase it? Not arguing with you btw, I’m just annoyed.</p>
<p>Also I thought health plans had to be ‘similar, but not exact’. It’s insane that I’m paying 18k per year for a plan that doesn’t meet Rutgers standards, yet my husband, who is a doctor, is treating loads of people for free. Something is not right.</p>
<p>rualum, we faced the same dilemma at one of my kids’ colleges. When we reached a standoff, I engaged the campus ombudsman to help. We worked out a solution. Feel free to PM me if you reach that point!</p>
<p>The same thing is happening at a bunch of schools. I suspect it’s because of changes in their contracts with health insurers like Aetna.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. It seems like the whole thing needs to be modified. They can sell the added coverage as a reason to buy their plan, but I don’t think that my plan should have to match theirs exactly. </p>
<p>I am having no problems with other S2’s school. I’ve googled around and it seems that different schools vary widely in what they view as ‘comparable coverage’.</p>
<p>This is currently on the Rutgers website: </p>
<p>“Will prescription drugs be covered on this plan?
Yes, prescription drugs are covered with maximum benefit of $5000.00. The co-pay varies depending on the type and cost of the medication. Rutgers Health Center Pharmacy is one of many participating providers.”</p>
<p>So they want me to pay $750 for 5k of prescription coverage. </p>
<p>“What insurance plan is acceptable?”
Your plan should provide benefits similar to the University-sponsored Student Health Insurance Plan. For example:
• Provide benefits in New Jersey
• Have Providers in the campus area
• Cover Mental Health conditions
• Cover Prescription Drugs
• Provide Wellness Visit benefits</p>
<p>It also states: N.J.S.A. 18A:62-15 requires that every person enrolled as a full-time student in a public or private institution of higher education maintain health insurance coverage which provides basic hospital benefits at a minimum. Under this law the student must provide evidence of health insurance coverage at least annually. </p>
<p>[FAQs</a> re Hard Waiver - Mandatory Health Insurance: Hard Waiver System - - Rutgers University Health Services](<a href=“Looking for Something at Student Health? – Student Health”>Looking for Something at Student Health? – Student Health)</p>
<p>rualum, yes, anyone without prescription drug coverage can potentially have a huge expense. But our state doesn’t require/mandate that school districts offer health insurance to employees that includes prescription drug coverage. </p>
<p>If your plan doesn’t cover prescription drugs, and New Jersey requires full-time college students to have coverage that includes prescription drugs, then I would think you would be required to purchase coverage, since you wouldn’t qualify for the waiver. </p>
<p>Is it $750 for the entire year for the student plan? That would still be less expensive than $400 a month extra for family coverage.</p>
<p>In my case, I could purchase health insurance for my D through her school for $1500 for the year, or pay more for health insurance coverage at work to meet her school’s state’s minimum requirements (she’s in MA). Since the difference for the buy-up plan was well under $125 a month, it made more sense to increase my coverage for the entire family.</p>
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<p>My supervisor’s step-daughter (the teacher with no prescription coverage) was only in her 20’s when she developed cancer. I agree it’s not likely a young person will need extensive medications, but unfortunately it can happen.</p>
<p>“Is it $750 for the entire year for the student plan? That would still be less expensive than $400 a month extra for family coverage.”</p>
<p>This is my point: I <em>already have</em> family coverage. However, I don’t choose to purchase RX coverage @ $400 per month. Because of Obamacare, they are assigning levels of care for college students that must be matched by your own policy, or you pay.</p>
<p>So basically, I would have to pay $750 to cover this ‘gap’ in RX coverage. Essentially, I am paying for services twice since we are currently covered under a family plan.</p>
<p>As an added insult, this policy isn’t even mandated yet. It is still in the planning to be instituted stage, however, some institutions have decided to go ahead and institute this policy before it is law.</p>
<p>With outside assistance, my insurance fee was waived, but if it does become law, all college students nationwide will be required to adhere to all of the items in the list, some of which include being covered for varsity sports (accidental injuries) in other countries and having at least 100k of prescription coverage.</p>
<p>Again, if it is so crucial that people need that level of RX coverage, everyone should be liable for it, not just college students. It is illogical to set a standard of coverage at the highest level for college students and make families who already have great insurance pay twice to be able to insure this very select group of people, and, in some cases, having to purchase additional insurance because one qualification has not been met.</p>
<p>“But our state doesn’t require/mandate that school districts offer health insurance to employees that includes prescription drug coverage.”</p>
<p>Yes, so why should college students be required to purchase it?</p>
<p>“Since the difference for the buy-up plan was well under $125 a month, it made more sense to increase my coverage for the entire family.”</p>
<p>And that is very lucky <em>for you</em>. However our plan is purchased through a small group, and RX buy up coverage <em>for me</em> would be $4800. I already have great coverage, just no RX coverage. I shouldn’t be forced to pay it for my family, or for my college student, unless everyone has to.</p>
<p>What happens if you answer a questions incorrectly - and get the insurance waiver - and then later find out you are missing part of the coverage the school required?</p>
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<p>We don’t currently have national mandates about health insurance - that’s what the whole HealthCare/Obamacare debate is about. So yes, the state I live in (which is not NJ or MA) DOESN’T require the neighboring school district to provide prescription benefits for its teachers. But that doesn’t mean the state of NJ doesn’t have the right to require students attending college full-time in their state to have prescription coverage.</p>
<p>My work-provided insurance plan DOES provide prescription coverage. In the same city and state, even though both of us are/were public employees, we have different employers, and the teacher doesn’t have prescription coverage in her insurance plan. Not fair that I have and and she doesn’t. Not fair that I have it and you don’t. </p>
<p>You don’t want to spend $4800 to add prescription coverage for your family so your child meets the requirement of NJ/Rutgers. So why don’t you spend $750 to meet the requirement instead by purchasing the offered plan for your student? </p>
<p>I’m sure there are people who have employer-provided insurance where they DON’T have to pay a huge premium each month, who have enough coverage that they meet the requirement of both NJ and MA for full-time college student coverage in their state without having to purchase more coverage. That’s not fair, either. </p>
<p>Why do you think it’s not fair unless EVERYONE has to do it?</p>
<p>My reading of the Rutgers insurance cost is that it is $578 per year for a full time domestic student, which doesn’t seem outrageous.</p>
<p>[First</a> Student - Partnering in Good Health](<a href=“http://www.firststudent.com/schools/RutgersTheStateUniversityofNewJerseyNewBrunswickCampus/enrollment.htm]First”>http://www.firststudent.com/schools/RutgersTheStateUniversityofNewJerseyNewBrunswickCampus/enrollment.htm)</p>
<p>[First</a> Student - Partnering in Good Health](<a href=“http://www.firststudent.com/schools/RutgersTheStateUniversityofNewJerseyNewarkCampus/enrollment.htm#20122013schoolyear]First”>http://www.firststudent.com/schools/RutgersTheStateUniversityofNewJerseyNewarkCampus/enrollment.htm#20122013schoolyear)</p>
<p>dadx3 that looks like it’s $373 for the fall term and $578 for spring/summer. That’s $951. Where are you seeing $578 for the whole year? </p>
<p>And btw, it’s outrageous to me, because the government should not tell me that I need to purchase additional health coverage for my dependent student just because he is in college. And yes, these rules are based on the new Obamacare provisions, according to the person I spoke to. They are currently not implemented, but some colleges have chosen to base their premiums on the proposed changes now instead of when they actually take effect.</p>
<p>college query I was told that the new policy changes were based on the Obamacare provisions and that these changes should be national next year if everything goes according to plan. </p>
<p>“You don’t want to spend $4800 to add prescription coverage for your family so your child meets the requirement of NJ/Rutgers. So why don’t you spend $750 to meet the requirement instead by purchasing the offered plan for your student?”</p>
<p>That is correct. I don’t spend nearly that much on prescriptions. Why should I have to pay $750 when I already have a valid health care plan in place for my family and I choose to self-pay for prescriptions?</p>
<p>“Why do you think it’s not fair unless EVERYONE has to do it?”</p>
<p>um…because it’s not?</p>
<p>What if they said everyone over 40 years old should carry a higher level of coverage because they were more prone to get ill? Is that fair? Would people stand for it? </p>
<p>Why do you think it’s fair that the government should tell me that I have to insure my child at a higher level than the rest of my family only because he is in college? </p>
<p>Do you walk around town throwing money at passersby? I don’t get it.</p>
<p>Right now our access to health insurance is at the whim of our employer. I have a certain level of insurance through my employer as a benefit. Another person who has a different employer may not have the same benefit. The system is already not fair. </p>
<p>Is it fair that my car insurance charges more for my teenage son? He’s a good driver and has never had a ticket. Is it fair that the state requires me to have insurance in order to drive? Maybe I don’t feel like throwing money at them. </p>
<p>I have life insurance and they raised my rates when I reached a certain age threshold. That’s not fair either. After all, the teacher in her 20s is the one who got cancer and died, not me. </p>
<p>I think you should PM TXArtemis and get tips for negotiating with a campus ombudsman to resolve the issue of being tentatively denied a waiver. I agree with you there is plenty that is unfair in this world.</p>
<p>^ Did you have any other information to contribute to this thread? It is insensitive to ridicule others for their different experiences and position statements regarding health insurance. It has been an issue of some contention in our country for years!</p>