Andrea Pendergast and MCTWhen college students leave home they have to deal with the issue of health insurance. Does the family plan cover the student after they turn 18? How much does it cover? If it doesn’t cover the student, what happens next?
Thirty percent of males ages 18 to 24, and 14 percent of females 18 to 24 in Wisconsin do not have health insurance, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Richard Thune, a director at the Eau Claire County Health Department, said the number of uninsured individuals in Eau Claire County is about 8,300.
Some students can be covered under their parents’ insurance plan.
“I’m still under my family plan, so I’ve never really thought about it,” freshman Jessica Tyler said.
This can happen for many students. Depending on the plan and the provider, many insurance plans cover a student, as long as they remain in school and under a certain age. Some plans also require that the student remain in school full time. If a student drops below half-time they can be dropped.
“Once you turn 25, you can no longer be on it,” Tyler said of her plan. “And you have to be a full-time student. If you stop going, you can’t get back on it. You have to go right away or you are off the insurance.”
If a student can’t receive coverage from his or her family’s plan, or the family does not have health insurance, Student Senate offers a plan through the school.
“It’s a good plan for the number of students who don’t qualify (for their parents’ health plans), or their parents don’t have it on their own,” student Senate President Ray French said.
The 2007-2008 plan costs $765 for each student, under 30 years old. For students over 30, the plan is $996. A pamphlet describing what the plan covers, and a list of what amount the insurance will pay up to, is available at the Student Senate office in Davies Center.
“I was always brought up to think that everyone has to have health insurance,” French said. “This is a relatively cheap way to have health insurance. It is the lowest in the UW System.”
For students who don’t want to use the student insurance offered by Student Senate, there is also the option of going through the American College Student Association (ACSA). This association offers insurance to students who are not qualified under their parents’ plan, or if their parents don’t have insurance, much like the Student Senate plan, according to the ACSA Web site.
Students can choose from two different options, a high option plan, or a low option plan. The high option plan offers up to $50,000 in benefits, while the low option only offers up to $25,000.
The Eau Claire County Health Department also offers information on different options for uninsured individuals.
“I would encourage people to explore our Web site for different services that we offer,” Thune said.
“We offer a certain number of services based on income,” he said. Uninsured individuals can find information on the Family Planning Program on the Web site.
“We have a lot of women that access it; we don’t see a lot of men,” Thune said. “We also offer adult immunizations.”
Students can visit the Chippewa Valley Free Health Clinic in order to receive free or reduced pricing health care.Thune also encouraged uninsured students to call hospitals such as Luther Midelfort or Sacred Heart to ask them about charity programs.
Research different health plans available to students at these Web sites:
