As a college student, as a young adult, it’s easier to catch developing illnesses and conditions right now, before they become a major problem, than it is to wait until it gets more serious. Couple this with the wide range of affordable health programs and services available to students and it’s clear that getting health insurance right now is much smarter than waiting. Here are three of the most important points to keep in mind when shopping for student health insurance coverage.
Shop Around (and Around and Around and Around)
Checking out as many options as possible is the best way to start. Don’t just check out a few companies and call it quits. Check out as many companies as possible and see what they have to offer. Chances are, somebody else is always offering insurance for a few dollars less.
Read the Policy Thoroughly
Don’t sign anything until you’ve studied the policy thoroughly. Every last word should be imprinted in your memory or you risk being poorly covered because of a minor loophole you missed. A lot of policies have tricky wording, anyways, so ask for clarification on anything you don’t understand before signing.
Never Pay in Cash
Finally, when making the first payments (and later payments) on your policy, never pay in cash. You need to have it in paper in the form of a check or money order receipt to show that you actually did pay. Insurance companies employ humans, who can lose and misplace things, who can keep poor records and so on, so make sure that you have it in your records that you’re all caught up on your insurance payments.
More about college student health insurance – With Resources
Going off to college is a tough thing to experience. Most times, students are leaving behind their friends and family and having to learn a new environment, and must learn to deal with new challenges and tougher curriculum. Add having to worry about health insurance to all of these challenges, and you have a recipe for worry.
Many students fall into a unique category when it comes to Health insurance. They may be too old to be covered by their parents’ plans, and they may not be employed and covered by an insurance policy. According to the Government Accountability Office, as of 2007-2008, over half of colleges nationwide offered insurance for students http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-389. This is not nearly enough for peace of mind. For those uncovered, there are options available, two of which are below.
http://www.estudentinsurance.com/
This site has been providing insurance for students since 1998, and has been serving the online community since 2001. Online quotes are available and you can even apply online. They also offer auto coverage, and cover international students as well.
The site is laid out in a straightforward way, and all of the links are placed conveniently on the front page. There is not a great deal of information outside the basics here.
https://www.uhcsr.com/
This website is laid out conveniently as well, with a clean bright layout. In addition to convenient link placement, they also have links that provide more information under the “highlights” category. In addition to insurance information and quotes, there is a category called “student resources” that provides a wealth of information that includes relevant articles. Placed right above the “student resources” box is a box that allows student to search for their school, and find out what coverage is available from their school. Uhcsr.com goes even further with their design and information by having information for school administrators, information for parents, and a link to find the most appropriate coverage.