Insurance issues with MSTP or MD/PhD programs

[Dr.Whoever]

We have some problems with how family members of MD/PhD students can get medical or dental insurance at our institution (prohibitive costs, lack of appropriate programs through the same insurer, etc). I was just wondering what other programs do, especially those that fund the majority of their students' education and also pay for insurance, like the MSTPs and many MD/PhD programs. Do any schools offer insurance for dependents? Are there mechanisms to prevent the dependents of students from being un- or under-insured? Are there ways that your school keeps the costs down enough so that students can afford to purchase insurance for their dependents? Do you have appropriate, affordable programs for dental and medical insurance? These kinds of things would be very informative.

Thanks!

 

[cadilakgrl]

You can get dependent health insurance at UCSF but it is pretty expensive. A spouse/domestic partner is $370/mo, child is $320/mo, spouse+child $640/mo. I imagine most schools have some sort of plan you can pay for, but I really doubt they include it for free. It might be possible to take out a loan through the financial aid office to cover health expenses if you can't afford their plan. The website for UCSF's dependent health insurance if you are interested http://saawww.ucsf.edu/health/docs/depPlan.htm