It’s easy to feel invincible when you’re young – but just about every college student needs to seek medical care at some point. Whether it’s a case of strep throat or a broken arm, you’ll want to be prepared when it happens.
There are a number of healthcare coverage options available to college students. We’ll walk you through the most popular strategies, and help you decide which one is most appropriate for your situation.
How to get health coverage
There are many ways for college students to get access to quality healthcare. Read below for the various options and how to find the best one.
College health plans
Many colleges offer their own health insurance plans for students, often with lower prices than what students will find elsewhere. The college may have an enrollment period, during which time you can sign up for one of these plans.
College health plans vary from school to school, and they may only give you access to on-site services. If you need a specialist, figure out if the college health plan will cover the cost. If not, you may need to buy traditional coverage. Visit this website to see if your school offers a health plan.
Unfortunately, not all schools offer health plans for undergraduate students. In fact, many schools reserve their health plan for international students and graduate students in a health-related field, like medicine, dentistry, nursing and more.
Parent’s health insurance
For many students, the easiest solution is to get health insurance through their parents, even if they’re going to be living in a different state.
Depending on your parent’s insurance plan, you may owe a co-pay when you visit a doctor. The co-pay will usually range from $15 to $25 for a primary care doctor, but may be higher for specialists, hospital visits, imaging services and more.
Healthcare Marketplace
Students who don’t have access to a parent’s health insurance or a college health plan may buy their own coverage through the Healthcare Marketplace. Established by the Affordable Care Act, the Healthcare Marketplace lets anyone purchase health insurance.
You may qualify for a subsidy that lowers your monthly premium, but this partially depends on your parent’s income. You can only apply for marketplace coverage during the open enrollment period, which is usually between November 1 and December 15. If you’ve missed that window, you may also qualify for special enrollment periods.
Employer coverage
If you work a part-time or full-time job, you may be eligible for insurance through the employer. Some major chains like Starbucks, Amazon, Whole Foods and Walmart offer insurance to part-time employees.
Talk to your boss and see if you’re eligible for health insurance. If you’re not, consider finding an employer that does offer coverage. There may be a waiting period before your coverage kicks in, which can range from 30 days to 180 days.
How to save on health care
Healthcare in America is notoriously expensive, and college students on a budget need to find ways to pay less for health care. Here are the best strategies:
Visit the campus health center
If you don’t have health insurance, you may be able to access discounted coverage through the campus health center. Most students already pay for this privilege with a mandatory student health fee.
The campus health center may also provide free or inexpensive counseling sessions, free Covid and flu shots and discounted pap smears and physicals.
Use in-network providers
If you have health insurance, you will pay less if you can stick with a doctor or hospital in your network. Before you make an appointment, look up the doctor on the insurance company’s provider network. If they’re not listed, then they’re not covered.
Double check the bill
Some research has found that up to 80% of medical bills have errors which can cause patients to pay more than they should. Before you pay a bill, review it carefully and ensure that you’re only paying for services you actually received.
Also, if you think you were charged for procedures that should be covered, call the insurance company and ask them to double-check the claim. Make sure to follow up about this in a couple of weeks to ensure that the error has been fixed.
Set up a payment plan
If you get a healthcare bill you can’t afford, call the provider and explain the situation. Ask if they have a patient assistance program for low-income consumers. You will have to apply for this program and may have to submit proof of income to show that you can’t afford the full amount.
In some cases, the hospital may completely waive the fee or offer a significant discount. Otherwise, they may be able to put you on a payment plan.
Research prescriptions
Before you fill a prescription at the nearest pharmacy, make sure you’re not paying more than you should. One of the best places to start is Cost Plus Drugs, a mail-order pharmacy service owned by billionaire Mark Cuban.
Cost Plus Drugs charges much less than traditional insurance companies, and you don’t need insurance to purchase prescriptions through the site. Just upload a copy of your prescription, choose the right medication and click buy.
If the medication you need isn’t available on that site, you can use coupon services like GoodRx to compare costs among national providers. For example, you may discover that your prescription is cheaper at Walgreens than CVS.
If your parents are Costco members, ask them to make you a member. Costco has very low prices on prescriptions.