When your child reaches the age of 18 and graduates high school, there can be much joy in his accomplishment. But much sadness as well if they are headed out of town or state for college. Before your child heads out to begin higher learning you should already have a health insurance strategy in place.
For many moms and dads who have group health coverage through their employer, the insurer may agree to continue health coverage for a child as long as he or she remains a dependent, sometimes up to age 24. That means if you are paying for the college tuition, you get to keep them on your plan. But look closely at whether continuation on your health plan may be the best strategy.
Issues to Contemplate
There may be numerous issues for a child who lives out of state and out of the network of health providers on a PPO or HMO plan. Some PPO’s will reimburse less for out-of-network physicians, or not reimburse at all. And HMO companies will require a referral from an in-house physician to be treated by out-of-network providers. If you carefully read your plan and determine that out-of-network treatment is not cost effective, you may want to consider joining a college health plan.
College and University Student Health Plans
Most larger colleges and universities offer health plans for their students. Usually it is subsidized by tuition, thus costing parents less out-of-pocket for a student premium. Benefits differ from school to school, and it is always best to check out what the coverage includes. Plans may include a co-pay for office visits and lab work, and coverage usually includes basic preventative care, routine exams, urgent care, mental health, pregnancy, newborn and infant care, as well as routine AIDS and STD screening and testing. Some universities offer their own health center right on campus. Others may have a provider agreement with a facility off campus.
With all this in mind, it is best to do the research and find out what option is best for continuing your child’s health care coverage when transitioning to college. Keeping your child healthy and cared for will ultimately help them succeed in their studies.
