student health insurance

[HiddenTruth]

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I need to get some health insurance--cuz I think my eyes are deteriorating. Apparently, the student health insurace through my school has an "open" eligibility period, which isn't until summer, and you can't enroll before then--so wierd. I have no idea where to even begin looking. Any ideas/suggestions of companies, premiums I should be looking into (I am completely illiterate when it comes to this subject), etc.?

I did a google search and randomly selected this complany just for a price quote, and all the deductables were like 1k, 2k, 5k--what the heck?? Does that mean that I have to pay that much out of my pocket before the insurance kicks in? I'd like something which is more useful for "everyday" doctor visits, rather than for emergency situations, where you have a huge deductable, but extensive coverage. Alrite, someone help me out. Thanks.

 

[care bear]

ok.

keep looking into private insurance, but read the website/ fine print more carefully or if there's a # you can call, use it to get some more explanations.

yes, there is generally going to be a fairly large deductible, depending on the plan, for certain kinds of care. . .hospital stays, etc.

however, you should be able to find an insurance company where you will just pay a small 'copay' for routine office visits, checkups, medications, etc. personally, i am insured with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Blue Cross Blue Shield works this way; most insurance companies i'm familiar with work this way.

hope this helps.

ps. this might be a good topic to become a little more 'literate' on, since you're gonna be a DOCTOR! 😉 ok, enough rubbing salt in the wound. 🙂 🙂 good luck!

 

[Winged Scapula]

I need to get some health insurance--cuz I think my eyes are deteriorating. Apparently, the student health insurace through my school has an "open" eligibility period, which isn't until summer, and you can't enroll before then--so wierd. I have no idea where to even begin looking. Any ideas/suggestions of companies, premiums I should be looking into (I am completely illiterate when it comes to this subject), etc.?

I did a google search and randomly selected this complany just for a price quote, and all the deductables were like 1k, 2k, 5k--what the heck?? Does that mean that I have to pay that much out of my pocket before the insurance kicks in? I'd like something which is more useful for "everyday" doctor visits, rather than for emergency situations, where you have a huge deductable, but extensive coverage. Alrite, someone help me out. Thanks.

Nearly all health insurance providers (ie, your employer, school) will have an open season (usually 1 month each year) when you can apply for or change your coverage, company, etc. Not weird...it will be the same in residency. I'm not sure for the reason, except that it would be a real PITA for the employer to have people changing policies wily-nily.

Private insurance is very expensive and should only be used if there is no other option. They generally have large deductables so that the monthly payment isn't as large. Your school will offer lower cost plans, and may even pay for some of the premium, and can do so because they offer a large a large pool of potential paying customers to the insurance companies.

Unless your eye problem is an emergency, I would wait until summer and take advantage of the school sponsored plans. If it is an emergency then please direct yourself to an emergency department.

Most insurance will have a co-pay and some sort of deductible. The co-pay is out of pocket and generally charged for each office visit, prescription, etc. The amount will vary and may be as little as $5 or more than $50 depending on your policy. The less you pay per month, generally the less coverage you have and the more you have to pay out of pocket. Deductables work the same way as they do for auto insurance. If the cost of treatment is less than the deductable, you are responsible for all of it.

By way of example, I have HighMark Blue Shield coverage. The cost to ME is about $25.00 per month; the hospital pays the rest. My office co-pay is $20 and prescription costs will vary depending on cost of medication. I have vision which runs about $4.00 a month and dental which is like $1.50 a month. Again, the hospital pays the remainder. I pay up to $500 for deductable, anything above that is paid in full. I had emergency surgery a couple of years ago and while the total bill was over $8,000 I only paid $20 for the ER visit.

Be aware that vision coverage is usually a separate policy and may not be covered under a standard health care insurance policy.


Hope this helps.

 

[HiddenTruth]

Nearly all health insurance providers (ie, your employer, school) will have an open season (usually 1 month each year) when you can apply for or change your coverage, company, etc. Not weird...it will be the same in residency. I'm not sure for the reason, except that it would be a real PITA for the employer to have people changing policies wily-nily.

Private insurance is very expensive and should only be used if there is no other option. They generally have large deductables so that the monthly payment isn't as large. Your school will offer lower cost plans, and may even pay for some of the premium, and can do so because they offer a large a large pool of potential paying customers to the insurance companies.

Unless your eye problem is an emergency, I would wait until summer and take advantage of the school sponsored plans. If it is an emergency then please direct yourself to an emergency department.

Most insurance will have a co-pay and some sort of deductible. The co-pay is out of pocket and generally charged for each office visit, prescription, etc. The amount will vary and may be as little as $5 or more than $50 depending on your policy. The less you pay per month, generally the less coverage you have and the more you have to pay out of pocket. Deductables work the same way as they do for auto insurance. If the cost of treatment is less than the deductable, you are responsible for all of it.

By way of example, I have HighMark Blue Shield coverage. The cost to ME is about $25.00 per month; the hospital pays the rest. My office co-pay is $20 and prescription costs will vary depending on cost of medication. I have vision which runs about $4.00 a month and dental which is like $1.50 a month. Again, the hospital pays the remainder. I pay up to $500 for deductable, anything above that is paid in full. I had emergency surgery a couple of years ago and while the total bill was over $8,000 I only paid $20 for the ER visit.

Be aware that vision coverage is usually a separate policy and may not be covered under a standard health care insurance policy.


Hope this helps.

woah thanks a lot--that helps quite a bit. I have a question though re: you personal experience as an ex. So, even though your bills exceeded 8k, did you not have to pay the $500 deductable? Ok, I took it the wrong way, so the deductables are separate from the office co-pay visit, right? And, so I would only have to use the deductable option if I get some kind of procedure or inpt stay, eh?

Wow! You have a pretty money plan--I guess the ones through employers are much more lucrative. Damn private insurance companies! Thanks for your help though--I really appreciate it.

 

[Winged Scapula]

woah thanks a lot--that helps quite a bit. I have a question though re: you personal experience as an ex. So, even though your bills exceeded 8k, did you not have to pay the $500 deductable? Ok, I took it the wrong way, so the deductables are separate from the office co-pay visit, right? And, so I would only have to use the deductable option if I get some kind of procedure or inpt stay, eh?

Wow! You have a pretty money plan--I guess the ones through employers are much more lucrative. Damn private insurance companies! Thanks for your help though--I really appreciate it.

I did not have to pay the deductible since my cost was over $500 after which the plan pays 100% (up to $500 they pay 80%...I think, I'd have to look it up).

Deductables, if your plan has them, are separate from office co-pays. There are loads of different kinds of plans out there...you can get a plan in which you pay the bill and then submit them to the insurance company for resimbursement, you can go with an HMO, a PPO, etc. If you choose to see a provider outside of the network, you will usually pay extra. Most often patients choose this if they have an established relationship with a physician who no longer takes their insurance or is out of network.

I prefer to pay a little more each month to have better coverage - my plan does not require pre-authorization for office visits, nor do I need a PCP referral for specialist visits. Each plan has different options. It is likely your school will give you just a couple of options, so its not too hard to choose.

Private insurance is extremely expensive. It is one of the reasons why small businesses and the self-employed generally don't have it. Without the benefit of hundreds or thousands of employees, the insurance companies can't (or won't) offer competitive prices. I know my own mother went years without helath insurance being self-employed; she simply felt she couldn't afford the thousands of dollars a year in premiums (of course, she somehow could afford a Mercedes. 🙄 ).

Hope this helps.

 

[RU2003]

Go to EHEALTHINSURANCE.COM and go to student plans...Fortis provides a few options with different deductibles...good deals, i have it now.

 

[samenewme]

woah thanks a lot--that helps quite a bit. I have a question though re: you personal experience as an ex. So, even though your bills exceeded 8k, did you not have to pay the $500 deductable? Ok, I took it the wrong way, so the deductables are separate from the office co-pay visit, right? And, so I would only have to use the deductable option if I get some kind of procedure or inpt stay, eh?

Wow! You have a pretty money plan--I guess the ones through employers are much more lucrative. Damn private insurance companies! Thanks for your help though--I really appreciate it.

To be honest, if all you mean by your "eye is deteriorating" is that you think you need an eye exam and some glasses, you might get off a LOT cheaper clipping coupons from the newspaper, going to an optometrist at an eyeglass store, and paying for it out of pocket than buying health insurance with a vision plan. Just don't let them sell you too many cool options on the lenses and be sure to look for the cheapskate frames.

My employer pays more than $700 a month for my group insurance plan, and it doesn't cover vision.

 

[lady bug]

Go to EHEALTHINSURANCE.COM and go to student plans...Fortis provides a few options with different deductibles...good deals, i have it now.

Has this actually worked (kicked in payments) after you've visited a doctor's office? I'm getting a little suspicious on whether or not it is a scam after looking at the website.