This may be a weird question, but...

[The right Path]

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What do students do for health insurance for themselves and family when they are in medical school?

I'm worried about only being able to work per diem if at all during this time and losing my really good benefits. Would my husband have to change to another company- one that offers affordable decent benefits?

Jumping forward to residency, do health, dental etc. insurance come along with that?

You would at least need stellar life insurance. Can you imagine being 200K+ in debt and suddenly getting killed/severely injured in a car accident and then your family is burdened with that debt?

 

[Pemberley]

My school at least does have a family option on its health insurance policy. It's not a great health insurance, but it's at least good enough to keep one's husband from having to change jobs. I suspect most schools have something similar, although that's something to check for sure when you're applying.

 

[voitokas]

I'm pretty sure that all medical schools offer plans for students at good rates. Residencies usually provide insurance, I believe (when you're looking up the residency, they list salary, yes/no housing avail, yes/no insurance provided, etc.), though you'd have to pay to add your family, I'm sure. You could call up Student Affairs at the schools you're interested in to ask them about the student insurance packages. Some schools also require you to buy into disability insurance (definitely a good idea if you have a family!) as well.

 

[EricH]

The quality of the plans vary a lot from school to school. Call the places you are applying and ask them for info. I am sure they will be happy to provide it.

 

[The right Path]

Thanks for all your replies. That's a little reassuring. It is one thing to subscribe to a plan for one individual, but quite another for a whole family.

 

[gman33]

I'm pretty sure that federal student loans are discharged if you die.
Still good to have life insurance.

Health insurance will vary greatly from school to school.
At my school it's fairly expensive, very expensive to add a spouse to the coverage.

 

[DocHomer]

I'm pretty sure that federal student loans are discharged if you die.
Still good to have life insurance.

Health insurance will vary greatly from school to school.
At my school it's fairly expensive, very expensive to add a spouse to the coverage.

Nope. Your estate will be saddled with the burden.

 

[ForrestG]

Nope. Your estate will be saddled with the burden.

That's not what the ed.gov site says. . .Of course I'm no expert since I'm still alive, so if you have another source saying it must be paid, I'd like to see it.

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/disputes.html#Death

Death
A loan can be discharged if the borrower dies or if the borrower of a PLUS loan (whether a student or parent) dies. A PLUS loan made to a parent borrower is also discharged in the event of the death of the student on whose behalf the loan was obtained.

What to Do:

The party that holds the loan must receive an original, certified copy, or a clear, accurate, and complete photocopy of the original or certified copy of the death certificate. The U.S. Department of Education cannot accept a faxed copy. Check a recent demand letter or bill for this loan; if the address to which you are requested to send payment is the National Payment Center in Greenville, TX, you should submit this documentation to:

U.S. Department of Education
P.O. Box 5609
Greenville, Texas 75403-5609

 

[Crelal]

Don't forget to look into state/federal medicaid programs- not always the most appealing option, but will cover a family depending on the income of the household/# of people/ etc.

Be wary of the insurance plans of your school- just had a classmate find out the plan here only covers up to a certain $ amount of prescription meds per year, and after three months they hit that. Now everything will have to be out-of-pocket for their family. Coverage of appointments is only 80%- which sounds good, until you have a preventative visit with a $500 bill- that means you pay $100 for that one appointment for ONE person in your family. And did I mention it costs about $9000/year for a family to be on this plan?

Student loans are forgiven upon death. Check the website.

 

[EricH]

...so a death certificate is all I need to get?

 

[The right Path]

Don't forget to look into state/federal medicaid programs- not always the most appealing option, but will cover a family depending on the income of the household/# of people/ etc.

Be wary of the insurance plans of your school- just had a classmate find out the plan here only covers up to a certain $ amount of prescription meds per year, and after three months they hit that. Now everything will have to be out-of-pocket for their family. Coverage of appointments is only 80%- which sounds good, until you have a preventative visit with a $500 bill- that means you pay $100 for that one appointment for ONE person in your family. And did I mention it costs about $9000/year for a family to be on this plan?

Student loans are forgiven upon death. Check the website.

Good knowledge. *Sigh* It's close to impossible to find affordable private insurance that isn't sheisty. I think a family has to be seriously indigent to qualify for Medi-Cal (medicaid in other states), and then find a respectable practitioner that accepts medi-cal? Ha! I've better start praying I can keep my job, or if I have to move, find one just like it. I hear Starbucks offers decent health coverage........

 

[Catalystik]

Here is a post from a year ago (from the Allopathic medical Student Forum) that discusses a range of possibilities from various schools. While searching for this I saw a thread about AMSA offering health coverage, too. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=578349&highlight=insurance