Turning 26...insurance?

[ak427]

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Hi everyone!

I know this question has been asked here before, but I'm looking for a more current answer. I'm a rising M2 turning 26 in a few days and will be taken off my parent's insurance plan. I'm wondering what people normally do for insurance after that. Do most of you take the school's insurance? Or should I look into Medicaid or a private plan. Also not sure if COVID is affecting insurance policies in any ways. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Naruhodo]

Does your state have an health insurance marketplace (eg. Oops! The page you're looking for is no longer here... If so you can compare plans with the plan offered by your school and see what appeals most.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Medicaid if it's available in your state. Free for students (edit: students with no job/income)

 

[throwaway199]

Medicaid if it's available in your state. Free for students.

This is what I've been doing. And lots of other students I know

 

[Musty Goose]

My school offers insurance but its expensive (imo). I'm relatively healthy and don't need special medications so I'm planning on enrolling in Medicaid.

 

[ak427]

My school insurance is pretty expensive. Question: I am an out of state student at a private school, so if I apply for Medicaid, would I apply in the state where my school is or where my license is/parents live?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

My school insurance is pretty expensive. Question: I am an out of state student at a private school, so if I apply for Medicaid, would I apply in the state where my school is or where my license is/parents live?

You have to apply in the state you go to school at. Medicaid from your home state won't cover expenses from the state your are right now.

 

[GreenDuck12]

My school insurance is pretty expensive. Question: I am an out of state student at a private school, so if I apply for Medicaid, would I apply in the state where my school is or where my license is/parents live?

You are no longer an OOS student - you are a resident of the state you reside in while attending medical school.

 

[Fission Chips]

My schools insurance was $400/month for their high deductible (cheaper) plan. I went with Medicaid and thought it was fine.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

If you don’t want full coverage and have no comorbidities...

There are tons of temporary insurance plans that do not meet the ACA guidelines for insurance but are far cheaper.

I turned 26 eight months before residency would give me insurance. I bought a plan that only covered health care costs directly associated with trauma (car crash, falls, etc.). It was a $6,000 deductible, with no out of pocket costs once reaching the deductible. If I remember correctly, the entire cost was about $450 for the entire 8 months and I just paid it in a lump sum.

However, you really need to read the fine print of the entire plan before signing up. Also, coverage can not extend more than 1 year for many of these plans. They also don’t have pharmacy coverage, or coverage for primary care.

To each their own, but that was all the coverage I needed at the end of medical school. If you find a plan with a 1 year limit, you could potentially jump between plans each year until you graduate.

 

[Naruhodo]

Ummm...given the current state of the world I don't think it's a good time to go without/ with minimal insurance that might not cover hospitalization with COVID-19 just in case.

 

[medschoolzombie]

You are no longer an OOS student - you are a resident of the state you reside in while attending medical school.

But how would that work if your permanent residence and all are still in a different state? I know many of my OOS classmates don’t change DLs or car plates when they moved because it was temporary. Is it only based off of address

 

[DrStephenStrange]

But how would that work if your permanent residence and all are still in a different state? I know many of my OOS classmates don’t change DLs or car plates when they moved because it was temporary. Is it only based off of address

It doesn't matter. Nothing requires you to change those immediately. I didn't change my driver license and car plates till a couple months ago when my plate expired (Had a two year tag before moving for med school). I still got Medicaid from day one (I'm a rising 3rd year student now).

 

[GreenDuck12]

But how would that work if your permanent residence and all are still in a different state? I know many of my OOS classmates don’t change DLs or car plates when they moved because it was temporary. Is it only based off of address

It is considered temporary while you are being claimed as a dependent on your parents taxes. Once you are no longer claimed you lose this ability if you no longer maintain a domicile in a different state. Your classmates choosing to change or not change DLs or license plates is irrelevant. You’re attending a 4 year program as an independent in a state that you will reside in for more than 6+ months of the year.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Also, technically your classmates should have changed their DL and plates when they moved.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Also, technically your classmates should have changed their DL and plates when they moved.

Some people that plan on going back to their home state for residency (or still have ties to their home state) kinda wanna keep their DL and plates (especially if the latter is not expired yet). As a student, you're not required by law to change those when you move because you're considered a temporary resident.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Some people that plan on going back to their home state for residency (or still have ties to their home state) kinda wanna keep their DL and plates (especially if the latter is not expired yet). As a student, you're not required by law to change those when you move because you're considered a temporary resident.

I wouldn’t tempt fate with this too much - some states have requirements that you register in their state after a certain number of years or if you will not be leaving within a certain timeframe.

 

[RangerBob]

Also, technically your classmates should have changed their DL and plates when they moved.

Many (most?) states have exemptions for students. Both the DMV for my home state and my state of medical school said because I was a student and in that state for the purpose of obtaining an education, I did not need a new DL or plates.

I think the bigger issue is why are so many med students going on Medicaid, when their financial aid package includes funding for their program’s own insurance. The only student I knew who used Medicaid was the one with two kids and a pregnant wife who wasn’t working.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Many (most?) states have exemptions for students. Both the DMV for my home state and my state of medical school said because I was a student and in that state for the purpose of obtaining an education, I did not need a new DL or plates.

I think the bigger issue is why are so many med students going on Medicaid, when their financial aid package includes funding for their program’s own insurance. The only student I knew who used Medicaid was the one with two kids and a pregnant wife who wasn’t working.

Regardless of whether you feel medical students should or should not be eligible for Medicaid, they are eligible in many scenarios and can choose to use it. As for whether or not this is wise as a matter of public policy is outside the scope of this discussion. I would suggest starting a new thread for a policy debate.

 

[throwaway1000000]

Some people that plan on going back to their home state for residency (or still have ties to their home state) kinda wanna keep their DL and plates (especially if the latter is not expired yet). As a student, you're not required by law to change those when you move because you're considered a temporary resident.

Stupid question- but once you start residency you have to get a new state driver's license then?
It is not a big deal if I have to-more about laziness in going to the DMV office to get a new license

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Stupid question- but once you start residency you have to get a new state driver's license then?
It is not a big deal if I have to-more about laziness in going to the DMV office to get a new license

I would assume so since you're actually have a job once in residency. I only know about being a student because I asked around about that when I moved for medical school 2 year ago.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Many (most?) states have exemptions for students. Both the DMV for my home state and my state of medical school said because I was a student and in that state for the purpose of obtaining an education, I did not need a new DL or plates.

I think the bigger issue is why are so many med students going on Medicaid, when their financial aid package includes funding for their program’s own insurance. The only student I knew who used Medicaid was the one with two kids and a pregnant wife who wasn’t working.

My school doesn't offer health insurance and it's not included in my financial aid package either (unless I missed it). If I had to pay for private health insurance in my state using my loans, I wouldn't be able to cover other expenses.

Edit: If your school had their own health insurance program for their students, then it makes sense that only those people you referred to had Medicaid. But if you're a medical student and don't have the means to afford other health insurances, there's nothing wrong with going for medicaid. Once a doctor, I will pay the amount I used in medicaid for 4 years many times over. (Actually I haven't used my medicaid in the 2 years since I've had it by the way).

 

[ciestar]

I will say.. if you get denied medicaid because they count your loans as “income” fight it. I regret that I didnt and went uninsured for three years before the ACA was implemented.

I didn’t qualify for medicaid once I started med school and my husband’s insurance plan through work absolutely sucked. We both went on my school’s plan once he turned 26.

 

[RangerBob]

My school doesn't offer health insurance and it's not included in my financial aid package either (unless I missed it). If I had to pay for private health insurance in my state using my loans, I wouldn't be able to cover other expenses.

Edit: If your school had their own health insurance program for their students, then it makes sense that only those people you referred to had Medicaid. But if you're a medical student and don't have the means to afford other health insurances, there's nothing wrong with going for medicaid. Once a doctor, I will pay the amount I used in medicaid for 4 years many times over.

That sucks. I thought a school was required to offer you health insurance. Every school I’ve attended (n=4, so not a huge sample size) offered it and included the cost of it in the cost of attendance so it could be covered by loans. At the time I thought it was expensive, but now that I’m a solo practitioner and paying over $16k/year for family insurance I don’t think it was so expensive anymore.

Maybe now with Obamacare and students being able to stay in their parents plan until 26 that requirement went away, if it ever existed.

Regardless, access to healthcare isn’t something a med student should be worried about. Medicaid is ok if nothing is going wrong, but if you start needing specialist referrals/a more thorough workup/etc then it’s less than ideal. So many docs/clinics don’t even take Medicaid (or there’s a separate/longer waitlist). Psychiatrists (probably the most likely specialist a med student will need to see) are by far the least likely to take Medicaid.

If I were a med school dean, I’d be embarrassed if my students felt they needed Medicaid to get by. A school owes more to their students than that.

 

[NITRAS]

Most states require you change residency/DL/ insurances when you live there more than 50% of the time. Your parents aren’t providing your room and board, they can’t claim you on their taxes. Pretty much all residencies know that your go to schools and they know where your are from.

Medicaid is fine if you qualify. I didn’t, as my wife made enough money to qualify. It’s a benefit to poor people. Medical students are poor people, largely.

I did end up Getting a temp insurance plan with a pregnancy rider when I moved for residency (and my wife moved her job too).