Student Health Insurance
Student Health Insurance: What’s Covered and What’s Not
Before you try to purchase a student health insurance plan, the very first thing that you should do is read on the medical coverage that it offers. Why? Because student health insurance can differ from one insurance company to another.
It is important that you purchase a plan that will give you the most out of your money. However, for student health insurance plans that are offered directly by the university, you may not have any choice because universities usually have a single insurance provider. In this case, your options are to purchase the plan provided for by the university itself or you can get a separate and private student health insurance plan of your own.
But either way, what you need to check is the coverage of the insurance that you wish to purchase. Also be aware that there are certain benefits that should be automatically covered in a college student health insurance plan. The coverage for student health insurance is also regulated by state rules, which in turn will also differ from one state to another.
College student insurance usually provides the following general services:
• Doctor visitations
• Hospitalization (which includes hospital room fees)
• Free nursing services
• Chemotherapy
• Laboratory services
• Simple surgical procedures – done at the outpatient department
• Some selected prescription drugs
• Ambulance use
Besides the detailed coverage of your student health insurance plan, you can also ask your insurance provider if they provide a specific health service that would apply to your current health situation.
Some conditions that are not covered by a student health insurance policy would be health problems that already exist before the insurance was purchased. Rehabilitation, dental and eye services, cosmetic and maternity services and some specific surgeries (such as weight loss surgeries, transsexual surgeries, etc.) are also excluded from the insurance coverage.
So just to be sure, call them up or read all you can about the coverage of your plan. You can also find all the information you want about what the student health insurance covers online. In addition to what coverage the insurance policy will provide you, some insurance companies have limitations as to how often you can use the offered services in a year and a limitation to the amount of health services that you can access as well. So in order for you to make sure that you can get the most out of your student health insurance, read the coverage and the limitations of the plan for you to be able to decide on the policy that best suits you.
And after you have found and purchased the student health insurance that fits your needs, take advantage of the benefits as best as you can. As the old cliché goes, “prevention is always better than cure”.
Visit your physician as often as your student health insurance plan allows you to; take advantage of free immunizations and laboratory check-ups to help you maintain your health as best as possible. Never compromise your health because your academic success and your whole future may depend on it so be sure to get a student health insurance.
The ABC’s of College Health Insurance
Student health insurance is of the most overlooked part in a college student’s set of priorities. As a student, our academics alone will take almost all of our time. Because of this, student health insurance is often disregarded and its importance undervalued.
But come to think of it, as we go to school, aside from the money for tuition fees, one of the most important investments that we should cater to is our health. When we are healthy, we can focus more on our studies and therefore, perform better in school. Universities nowadays recognize the importance of good health to a student’s life that offering college health insurance to students has become a standard procedure during enrollment. They offer students insurance as part of the over-all tuition fee. For students who already have their own personal health insurance, what they need to do is present legal documentation of the insurance to remove the additional health insurance charge in your school fees.
Universities usually offer health insurance based on the facilities that they have available inside the campus, and some also makes use of other health facilities near the university’s vicinity. One benefit of using your very own health insurance aside from the health facilities offered by the school is that it allows you to make use of health facilities and services outside the campus.
Either way, students are ensured that whatever the college health insurance offers, they are able to give the appropriate health services once a student needs it. Student health insurance would usually cover the usual vaccinations, doctor’s consultation and routine check-ups. If ever you wish to purchase your own health insurance instead and forgo the one that was offered by the university, make sure that the requirements offered by the insurance meets the one offered by the school. If not, you will automatically be enrolled in the college’s health insurance and you will end up paying for both.
For foreign students who have international student health insurance, universities usually credit insurance that were made inside the country and are owned by a company inside the U.S only.
A student health insurance usually has lower standards and requirements as compared to other types of insurance plans. Usually, student health insurance plans would require students to have a minimum number of credits enrolled in the university for them to take advantage of the benefits. Again, each university would differ form the other so check the rules and policies of the student health insurance first to see if you pass the minimum requirements or not.
So never take health insurance for granted most especially in your student life. Ensure your good performance in school by staying in the best shape as possible. Purchase student health insurance and most importantly, take advantage of it. Some students do purchase one without hassles, but after they start their first day of classes, they totally forget that it was even there! So aside from buying a student health insurance plan, be sure to take advantage of it. Make use of regular check-ups that are covered by the health insurance plan.
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