Not sure if this is the right group to post this in. Can anyone explain how medical insurance works when you are at college. I am a US citizen but live overseas so do not have any US Health insurance through my parents. Do I have to take out a separate policy? If so any idea how much that would cost
I believe all schools require you to either prove you have sufficient coverage that is valid at the school’s location or buy their coverage. I’m sure costs vary.
Some googling and searching will often bring up prices at particular colleges. At the schools where my D applied one year ago, premiums for a full year of coverage ran from about $1100 to $2000.
Many universities also have a student health insurance service, which acts as a drop-in clinic for common student issues. The fees are usually included in your tuition as a mandatory fee.
Our kids’ U required all students to buy student health insurance AND pay a fee so they could use the student health center as needed. IF the student was covered already by a medical plan, proof of a similarly good plan that covered the student needed to be submitted for the student to opt out of the university insurance plan. As I recall it was about $2000 for the calendar year, Aug to the following Aug and provided decent coverage.
I believe most Us operate similarly.
You need to ask at YOUR college. You will probably need to purchase the school plan since you cannot show evidence that your parent plan will cover you where your college is located.
Contact the college. They will tell you.
I was assuming the OP does not yet have a college and was asking proactively. I certainly researched this issue as part of the selection and application process for my D.
I guess it seemed obvious to me that if OP is already enrolled somewhere she would either already have information about health insurance or would ask about it.
Expect to pay about $2000 per year…more or less.
Few years ago, DS’s private school was about $2500/yr. DD’s current rate is about $3600/yr. It’s about the same cost as a very basic ACA coverage but the school plan is much much better.
Do check with your college (or potential colleges). Some states (like Massachusetts) dictate the insurance requirements for college students.
Thank you for your replies. Have not chosen a college yet and have not received any acceptance packages yet (just email updates/portal changes). But to know it is about 2-3k per year is helpful.
I think it is a good thing to plan on buying the school’s policy, and planning the $2-3k price, but some schools aren’t as picky. Both of my kids go to schools where it is easy to waive the school’s offering. At both they just ask if you want it or not. For one daughter who goes to school just across the state line, we waive it. She uses the school health center for little things, and returns home for any big thing (our insurance works instate only, except for an emergency). For the other, who is in school 2000 miles away, she buys the school’s policy. Hasn’t used it (for which we are grateful) but it’s there if she needs it. It’s not that expensive, I think about $1300 per year.
The colleges my kids attended required you either had health insurance or bought theirs. However, either way, you could use the college’s clinic. If you had your own, the clinic would bill you. Not sure whether they were considered “in plan” or not, which would affect how much I would have to pay. Was grateful that neither kid had to use the clinic.
My D’s first two years in college, I had to buy the school plan because my insurance was very limited, even though we were in the same state as my plan had no providers in the area where her school was located. After that, my coverage changed and I was able to opt her out and then my son as well. The clinic was included in the fees and the only charge I ever paid was $5 for a flu shot, which I dispensed with by getting it for them when they came home for Thanksgiving.