Sending your child off to college is one of the most exciting and meaningful moments of a parent’s life. However, with all the excitement comes some uncertainty, such as what your college students health insurance options are if your insurance plan no longer applies out of state.
Some college students may not be able to use their parents’ insurance plan once they are out of state, but that does not mean they need to go without health insurance. Many colleges offer health insurance plans of their own for students to sign up for. Additionally, college students can always check out the insurance marketplace for private plans or to see if they qualify for Obamacare, as well as obtain health insurance through Medicaid.
Will my college students health insurance need to change?
While dependents can stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26, it may be the case that the shared insurance plan your child is on with you will no longer apply once they move outside of your home state. This means that you will need to seek out other health insurance options for when your child goes out of state for college. This is not always the case, and the plan you currently have may be just fine for out-of-state use, but it is definitely something you will need to check on before your child goes off to their freshman year, especially since most colleges in the United States require students to have health insurance.
Colleges uphold certain standards that a student’s health insurance will be required to meet. These requirements may vary depending on the school, but will likely include things like having in-network doctors and facilities within a certain area, coverage for emergencies, recreational activities, maternity care, and so on. By being required to have health insurance, college students benefit by not incurring future medical debt on top of all the other expenses that go into college.
Getting health insurance through their school
Colleges typically provide their own health insurance as a default, the cost of which is added to the total tuition. Colleges uphold certain standards with their insurance, so you can be assured that the insurance they offer will be of a decent quality, and will likely cover pre-existing conditions. Most schools allow students to sign up for their health insurance before the start of each semester. If you would like to use a different plan, you will need to provide the details and proof of your health insurance to the school so they can verify that it meets all of their requirements. If a student’s health insurance plan does not meet the college’s requirements, they will need to enroll in the college’s health insurance plan.
Marketplace health insurance and Medicaid
Perhaps the insurance plan provided by the school does not actually meet a student’s personal needs. If you would rather have a plan outside of what the school offers, you can always look into purchasing plans through the health insurance marketplace. There are a lot of options in the health insurance marketplace, and it can all be a bit daunting, so it is important to know what you are looking for in a plan. What specific healthcare services do you know you will need throughout the year? What features are offered that may sound good but actually are not relevant to you? Perhaps you feel like the most important thing for you is just to be covered just in case of a catastrophe. If you are not exactly sure what sort of health insurance plan would benefit you most, you can always seek out the assistance of an expert. If you are interested in Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act), you will need to make sure you do not miss the open enrollment period.
For students coming from a limited-income family, applying for insurance through Medicaid may be the best option. Medicaid is a program in the United States that helps cover healthcare costs for those who qualify. Qualification is typically based on the applicant’s income and resources. Even if you don’t qualify based on income alone, you may still qualify if you are pregnant, have children, or have a disability. Medicaid is funded by both federal and state governments, but rules and requirements vary from state to state.
Can someone qualify for student health insurance if they are not a full-time student?
This may vary from school to school, but typically, a college will offer their health insurance to all students, even if they are part-time students.
Keep your college student covered
If your child is going to Colorado for college, you may find yourself understandably concerned to find that your shared health insurance plan will not cover them while they are out of state. However, this does not mean they need to go without health insurance while they are at school. Contact Lighthouse Group today to go over your college student’s best health insurance options!
