DPT Health Insurance While In School?

[PAPERCLIP_DPT]

Hi everyone,

I am writing as an entering student for the upcoming cycle, who also happens to have a chronic condition. How was everyone's experiences with their health insurance while in school? I know this concern probably doesn't come across for the majority of students, but I thought I would reach out since I can't possibly be the only one in this situation. When I was started looking into health insurance offered for graduate students, I noticed adult dental and vision care is always excluded, which is a major concern. The prices of health insurance for graduate students in the majority of my programs I applied to also comes up to about $200-250/mo or $2400-3000/yr, which is a huge increase to what I normally pay with work. In the worse case scenario, I would pay for the health insurance, but without comprehensive medical/dental/vision care, I'm not too sure if it's the best option. Both my undergraduate and work experiences were easy to navigate as the rates were lower and the package was comprehensive, but this next step has been a bit challenging.

If anyone is dealing with a chronic condition while in school or knows someone who did, would you be willing to share your experiences and how you navigated the system and what you did?

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[ACPTWannabe]

Hello,
I don't exactly have a chronic condition, but I am preparing to start school in January and am going into it knowing I'll be needing a third surgery on my knee plus physical therapy (ironic) and follow ups. I have noticed that many programs factor the cost of insurance into their cost of attendance which means they either provide it through the university which is how it is done in undergraduate colleges (at least in NC). This is beneficial because it means that the cost is factored into the amount of financial aid you need to cover the cost of the program. If the university does provide it, you should still be able to shop on the healthcare marketplace for a cheaper plan. If you find a cheaper plan, you would be able to either reduce the amount of aid you need or accept it and use it to cover dental and vision insurance. Both dental and vision insurance is typically reasonably priced. If your university does not include insurance in the estimate cost of attendance (mine doesn't), I'm not sure if that means the university provides coverage or you have to purchase it yourself.
I do know from navigating the marketplace the last two years that with the healthcare subsidies it is possible to get health coverage for between $135-175. Unfortunately due to the policies of the current administration, these premiums are expected to go up once again. You can then add vision and dental insurance for an additional $30-60 per month. These is fairly cheap and will only continue to cost more the older we get. Honestly, the prices you quoted and you have been extraordinary fortunate to find an employer that offers rates any better than that. I know if I had purchased the plan from my work it would have been $250 per month for coverage and had a $5000 deductible versus the plan I got that is cheaper than than with a lower deductible.

I hope some of these manages to be helpful instead of just a useless rant.

 

[PAPERCLIP_DPT]

Hello,
I don't exactly have a chronic condition, but I am preparing to start school in January and am going into it knowing I'll be needing a third surgery on my knee plus physical therapy (ironic) and follow ups. I have noticed that many programs factor the cost of insurance into their cost of attendance which means they either provide it through the university which is how it is done in undergraduate colleges (at least in NC). This is beneficial because it means that the cost is factored into the amount of financial aid you need to cover the cost of the program. If the university does provide it, you should still be able to shop on the healthcare marketplace for a cheaper plan. If you find a cheaper plan, you would be able to either reduce the amount of aid you need or accept it and use it to cover dental and vision insurance. Both dental and vision insurance is typically reasonably priced. If your university does not include insurance in the estimate cost of attendance (mine doesn't), I'm not sure if that means the university provides coverage or you have to purchase it yourself.
I do know from navigating the marketplace the last two years that with the healthcare subsidies it is possible to get health coverage for between $135-175. Unfortunately due to the policies of the current administration, these premiums are expected to go up once again. You can then add vision and dental insurance for an additional $30-60 per month. These is fairly cheap and will only continue to cost more the older we get. Honestly, the prices you quoted and you have been extraordinary fortunate to find an employer that offers rates any better than that. I know if I had purchased the plan from my work it would have been $250 per month for coverage and had a $5000 deductible versus the plan I got that is cheaper than than with a lower deductible.

I hope some of these manages to be helpful instead of just a useless rant.

Are you sourcing vision and dental insurance from separate companies or was it an option and you simply added it onto your same medical plan? I have called a few of the health insurance companies that are partnered with the universities and they have all told me that adding vision and dental even if I wanted to pay extra is not possible, since there is no option set in the university's health insurance policy to accommodate for this.

 

[ACPTWannabe]

Are you sourcing vision and dental insurance from separate companies or was it an option and you simply added it onto your same medical plan? I have called a few of the health insurance companies that are partnered with the universities and they have all told me that adding vision and dental even if I wanted to pay extra is not possible, since there is no option set in the university's health insurance policy to accommodate for this.

I'm quoting it from the health insuarance marketplace and what I pay for vision and dental through work which if the school does not provide insurance is where you will need to purchase your plan from. The marketplace has options to add vision and dental insurance to your healthcare plan, but it is still a separate plan. Vision and dental are never included in regular healthcare plans. I suggest going to healthcare.gov and looking at the information on the site.

 

[ACPTWannabe]

Or contact the university you are going to and see what they provide in the means of health coverage. I just found out the my university includes just the health coverage in tuition meaning I will have to at least find vision insurance somewhere. I am blind without glasses and contacts.