Normally, one of the farthest thoughts from a college student's mind is procuring health insurance. Why is this? In many cases, a student attending college is between the ages of 18-25. He or she is likely healthy and lacking extra funds to put towards health care. Therefore, rather than spend the extra money for the health care premiums, it is put towards other necessary and unnecessary items.
In reality, it is extremely important for a student to obtain health care. A simple broken arm or leg, without insurance, could result in mounting medical bills that set the student back more than he or she realizes. Keeping this necessity in mind, it is also essential that affordable health care be available to college students. Often living on a tight budget as it is, students require a basic coverage that allows he or she to feel secure without draining already nonexistent financial resources.
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The most ideal scenario would be for the student to, if at all possible, remain on his or her parent's health care plan. Many plans will continue to cover a student between the ages of nineteen and twenty three as long as he or she remains in college for a certain number of credit hours (usually full time) each semester.
Often times, colleges and universities offer (and sometimes mandate) a basic health plan to students who attend that particular school. "Basic" is the applicable word here - although these plans are affordable for students, the coverage is often very limited. Students are also frequently required to see physicians and medical facilities on campus. In order to broaden the scope of medical care to doctors and facilities off-campus, a private health insurance plan may be needed.
A search of the internet will uncover a variety of resources and information to point a student in the right direction as they attempt to secure affordable health care.
Helpful sites include:
eStudentInsurance.com - compiles a range of various health plans that have comprehensive benefits, backed by solid underwriters.
UHCSR.com - an informative resource for students looking for health insurance quotes from UnitedHealthCare.
StudentsHealthInsurance.com - also provides health insurance quotes and FAQs for students.
StudentSelect.com - offers personalized quotes for students, and coverage highlights from Assurant Health.
The reality is that there are countless web sites that offer students the ability to review and compare plans, as well as receive multiple quotes by filling out just one application. Affordable health care is available, and the internet makes it even easier to obtain the coverage that is right for the individual student.
Why Students Need Affordable Health Care, and How to Find It