Health Insurance

[zyprexaoverlord]

So do most med students get their health insurance through the school or through outside carriers?
anyone have suggestions or stories regarding school or other health insurance companies?

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[Droopy Snoopy]

So do most med students get their health insurance through the school or through outside carriers?
anyone have suggestions or stories regarding school or other health insurance companies?

Unless you're covered by a parent or spouse, the school insurance will probably be cheaper than pretty much any private carrier you can find. My school requires us to be covered but allows us to use whoever we want with the school's BCBS group policy as one alternative. Some places though require students to use the school policy, which sucks.

 

[Sartre79]

Not necessarily true. Some private policies can be cheaper than those offered by the school. I've seen some around $70, compared to $140 through the school. It all depends on Market and Health History, but I would speak with an insurance broker and they can get you individual policy quotes. You also have to consider the deductable...the higher the deductable the cheaper the monthly premium, but if something major happens you have to come up with the deductable.

 

[DoctorFunk]

My school is one of those mentioned that forces students to go with the school-sanctioned policy unless you are covered by your spouse's insurance from work. Really sucks because the policy is more expensive than many similar policies I found when searching for my wife's coverage and they charge twice as much for family members other than the student that you want covered by the policy (which is the reason I was forced to find private coverage for my wife!)

YMMV though, as it seems my state has really archaic insurance laws that put the consumer and bargaining entities at a severe disadvantage when dealing with Big Insurance.

Edited to add: My school also won't allow us to take out extra loans to put a spouse or children on this policy. So basically they are saying that it is far too dangerous for students to go without health coverage, but when it comes to spouses or children we're SOL if they get sick. A very consistent, intelligent policy, that.

 

[deleted77919]

My schools plan was pretty expensive, $3,000 for the year. I found cheaper private insurance (a Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO).

 

[bjackrian]

My school's policy also had a very low annual limit for coverage. Fortunately, I'm well covered through my wife's federal government job.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

My school's policy also had a very low annual limit for coverage. Fortunately, I'm well covered through my wife's federal government job.

Ours, too. Unfortunately I don't have a spouse with good insurance. Basically, we pay a ton of money for insurance that has a semi high deductible ($1k per person), no prescription drug coverage and too low of annual and lifetime limits to keep us out of major debt if we get seriously ill. It's pretty much a lose/lose situation.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Oh yeah, one big problem with going for private coverage in most states is that most of the affordable private coverage policies exclude maternity coverage. Not an issue if you're male or post-menopausal, but it is something to think about for the rest of us. Based on that alone, I couldn't find a comparable affordable private insurance plan that beat my school's plan (sad, isn't it?).

Now if you live in a more progressive state, private insurers might not be allowed to exclude maternity, which really does lower the rates for women. Oregon doesn't allow a maternity exclusion, and it looked like I could have found decent private insurance there.

 

[Twitch]

Does the irony strike anyone else? Here we are studying to become doctors and we have one of the worst insurance policies through our schools.

I guess there is always professional courtesy but that only goes so far.

 

[Allerian1004]

For some of us... without being employed the school policy is the only option. I have a chronic illness and would get rejected for private health insurance. Some states like my home state MN have a high risk insurance. If you send them a copy of a rejection letter from a private health insurance you cannot be denied coverage from them. Generally, the deductable is higher $1000 and costs about $200 per month. But, it's better than nothing. Until my schools policy takes over I am paying $350 for Cobra. It's cheaper than falling under the pre-existing clause.

 

[Sartre79]

For some of us... without being employed the school policy is the only option. I have a chronic illness and would get rejected for private health insurance. Some states like my home state MN have a high risk insurance. If you send them a copy of a rejection letter from a private health insurance you cannot be denied coverage from them. Generally, the deductable is higher $1000 and costs about $200 per month. But, it's better than nothing. Until my schools policy takes over I am paying $350 for Cobra. It's cheaper than falling under the pre-existing clause.

allerian:

I too am a MN resident, and am curious as to why you chose MCW over U of MN.

 

[Critical Mass]

allerian:

I too am a MN resident, and am curious as to why you chose MCW over U of MN.

PM

That's not an uncommon choice around here. Ditto for MCW vs. UWisc, but SDN is also an MCW haven--more representation here for that school than any other.

Back to the topic, I'm looking into a BCBS student plan. I paid for my school's plan last year but never used it. Not much point with such a high deductible.

School health insurance is usually tantamount to buying the dealer's warranty on a car.

 

[DoctorFunk]

PM

That's not an uncommon choice around here. Ditto for MCW vs. UWisc, but SDN is also an MCW haven--more representation here for that school than any other.

Aww...you guys noticed!

I like to think our representation on SDN just goes to show that MCW students have too much free time on our hands. That or we're just huge, huge dorks.

To keep this on topic, I'll add that we're dorks with what I consider substandard insurance options.

 

[t33sg1rl]

Personally I'm a big fan of maternity exclusion, mostly because the ability to exclude OB from my policy was a critical factors allowing me to buy a private plan at half the cost of the school plan. If the state had decided to force me to pay for unnecessary OB coverage, the plan would have been far more expensive.

 

[supa76]

anyone have any idea what canadian students do when studying at US schools?

as we get free health coverage (ahem), how does this work when we are off on a student visa in the US for four years?

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Personally I'm a big fan of maternity exclusion, mostly because the ability to exclude OB from my policy was a critical factors allowing me to buy a private plan at half the cost of the school plan. If the state had decided to force me to pay for unnecessary OB coverage, the plan would have been far more expensive.

As a victim of it, I disagree. Since women have the unique burden of getting pregnant, these clauses are discriminatory against us merely on the basis of our biological status. I'm not planning on getting pregnant, but I am a straight sexually active woman (like most of us), so it could happen. My husband doesn't have to pay more for insurance for this, but I do. Somehow I doubt that if men had anything as medically unique that anybody would ever consider excluding it from a plan. Also, those states that don't allow the maternity exclusion have marginally higher insurance rates than states that allow it. However, if you add maternity on to your coverage in a state that allows the maternity exclusion, you wind up paying significantly more.

 

[Ashers]

Aww...you guys noticed!

I like to think our representation on SDN just goes to show that MCW students have too much free time on our hands. That or we're just huge, huge dorks.

To keep this on topic, I'll add that we're dorks with what I consider substandard insurance options.

Our insurance has taken care of me and my chronic disease aka clumsiness/random occurrences.

 

[Sartre79]

As a victim of it, I disagree. Since women have the unique burden of getting pregnant, these clauses are discriminatory against us merely on the basis of our biological status. I'm not planning on getting pregnant, but I am a straight sexually active woman (like most of us), so it could happen. My husband doesn't have to pay more for insurance for this, but I do. Somehow I doubt that if men had anything as medically unique that anybody would ever consider excluding it from a plan. Also, those states that don't allow the maternity exclusion have marginally higher insurance rates than states that allow it. However, if you add maternity on to your coverage in a state that allows the maternity exclusion, you wind up paying significantly more.

Depends on how you look at it. Insurance is risk-based, so why should men be charged more when our risk is zero for pregnancy? Who racks up the medical bills for pregnancy??? The Women. So, insurance has to charge more for a premium since a woman's risk is higher for incurring that cost. Also, if a man had something (as you claim above) that was was specific to them but similar in nature as a preg...you bet insurance companies would charge more. It's not about gender, but about covering expenses and making a profit.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Depends on how you look at it. Insurance is risk-based, so why should men be charged more when our risk is zero for pregnancy? Who racks up the medical bills for pregnancy??? The Women. So, insurance has to charge more for a premium since a woman's risk is higher for incurring that cost. Also, if a man had something (as you claim above) that was was specific to them but similar in nature as a preg...you bet insurance companies would charge more. It's not about gender, but about covering expenses and making a profit.

Doubt it. Otherwise you wouldn't have found insurance companies that paid for viagra and yet didn't pay for bc pills. Hey, maternity is something women have to specifically pay for, but the human race would die off if we didn't do it. I think it's fair to expect everyone to contribute instead of just sticking females with the bill. Also, it takes two to tango -- men are part of the whole pregnancy equation, so maternity is justly the responsibility of both sexes.

Also, the whole premise of insurance is that people pay for other people's expenses. My premiums go to pay for knee surgeries and cancer treatments for my classmates. I'm not bothered that they also go to pay for some of my classmates having babies.

You're not going to convince me that I shouldn't be bothered by paying more for insurance just because I'm female, younger than 50 and straight.

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

You're not going to convince me that I shouldn't be bothered by paying more for insurance just because I'm female, younger than 50 and straight.

Well there was this one 67-year-old lady...
http://gorillamask.net/conanpatton.shtml

 

[OrnotMajestic]

Doubt it. Otherwise you wouldn't have found insurance companies that paid for viagra and yet didn't pay for bc pills. Hey, maternity is something women have to specifically pay for, but the human race would die off if we didn't do it. I think it's fair to expect everyone to contribute instead of just sticking females with the bill. Also, it takes two to tango -- men are part of the whole pregnancy equation, so maternity is justly the responsibility of both sexes.

Also, the whole premise of insurance is that people pay for other people's expenses. My premiums go to pay for knee surgeries and cancer treatments for my classmates. I'm not bothered that they also go to pay for some of my classmates having babies.

You're not going to convince me that I shouldn't be bothered by paying more for insurance just because I'm female, younger than 50 and straight.

It IS bothersome, but it is how insurance works. Single males under the age of 25 pay FAR more for car insurance than females. Why? Because statistically they get in more accidents. Does that mean ALL men are accident prone? No. It pissed me off (till I passed 25) that despite my clean driving record and personal safety concerns, I was still being punished for some hothead 19 year-old in a souped up Honda with his friends hanging out the sunroof. It's not about "fair" but about them making money. Women are 100% more likely to get pregnant than men, so they pay more because they are at an increased risk of costing more. Just because it's biologically based doesn't make it any less of a risk. Insurance is based on risk and profit, NOT on being "fair". It sucks, I know! Like I said, were I you I'd be pissed too that you have to pay more even though you don't plan on becoming pregnant! But as I said, due to your gender you are automatically at a higher risk for maternity costs.

Also, it doesn't matter who is "responsible". As I said, men get in more accidents, doesn't matter if a woman caused it or not. Insurance rates for men skyrocket, regardless of fault. The same applies here. Now if you could opt out by saying you don't have sex, then I would agree with that. BUT, since you ARE sexually active, so therefore you DO run the risk of becoming pregnant (planned or not), you are in a higher risk category.

 

[Sartre79]

Doubt it. Otherwise you wouldn't have found insurance companies that paid for viagra and yet didn't pay for bc pills. Hey, maternity is something women have to specifically pay for, but the human race would die off if we didn't do it. I think it's fair to expect everyone to contribute instead of just sticking females with the bill. Also, it takes two to tango -- men are part of the whole pregnancy equation, so maternity is justly the responsibility of both sexes.

Also, the whole premise of insurance is that people pay for other people's expenses. My premiums go to pay for knee surgeries and cancer treatments for my classmates. I'm not bothered that they also go to pay for some of my classmates having babies.

You're not going to convince me that I shouldn't be bothered by paying more for insurance just because I'm female, younger than 50 and straight.

I currently work for one of the top insurance companies and deal with underwriting everyday. Everyone contributes, but it is also based on actuarial science....you will incur more cost than a male "in the system" b/c of your pregnancy so they are going to charge you more. Fair or not, that is how it works. As far as prescrib drugs, that is another issue. Idealism is not reality.

 

[samenewme]

Our insurance has taken care of me and my chronic disease aka clumsiness/random occurrences.

I love our insurance. It's not cheap, but it's a good HMO with low co-pays and a decent formulary, pretty equivalent to what I had as a state employee (except there I had no co-pay). I'm now getting physical therapy for my shoulder for a $10 co-pay per visit, which on many policies would have come out of my deductible and then after that been paid on a percentage basis, if it was approved at all. It is rather comprehensive insurance, so the premiums are high, but if you need it, it's pretty darn good.