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Starting college is a big step in a person's life and for many students
it signals a major change in their lives: not having health insurance.
While some health insurance plans will continue to cover college students,
those plans won't last forever and, at some point, students will be
faced with some tough choices.
Statistics
About College Student Health Insurance
A study
funded by the Heinz Family Philanthropies and the Chickering Group
in 2002 found that 30% of college students don't have any type
of health insurance. That's more than 4 million students who have
to pay for all of their health care needs out-of-pocket.
The same
study also discovered that those students without health insurance
were also less likely to finish college than those who were covered
by policies. Sadly, the reason is often that students have to drop
out of school in order to work and pay off their medical bills.
More commonly, a simple illness that could quickly and easily be
treated with antibiotics may cause an uninsured student on a limited
budget to miss several days of classes and fall behind in schoolwork
simply because he or she could not afford to visit the doctor or
pay for a prescription.
College
Student Health Insurance Options
For students who do not have health care coverage, there are several options. First, students need to contact their college about available health care coverage. Many colleges and universities work with health care providers to offer affordable packages to students. In many cases, the premiums can be covered simply by taking out a few extra hundred dollars in student loans.
Another option is to contact the local emergency room and ask about income-based clinics in the area. Many cities have health care facilities designed for individuals without health care. The cost for services at these facilities are based on your income. Students usually pay nothing or only the minimum amount. Some of these facilities provide yearly check-ups, birth control, and prescriptions for these reduced fees.
References and Links
For more ideas on how to locate college student health insurance,
read "Getting
Health Insurance" at APA Online. College students in California
may want to read "California
Medical Insurance" as well.
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