Student Health Insurance

Being a student isn’t easy. You get more books than anyone can read in a month, let alone by next week. One instructor wants 50 double-spaced pages by early next month. Another wants the same for the week after. And you have to find time for a social life.

With all this to juggle, you don’t have much time to think about health insurance. Why not let our agents help?

Get free quotes on student health plans…

* First Name: * Last Name: * Address: * City: * State: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Dist. of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming * Zip: * Phone:      * Email:   Gender* Date of birth*   Height*  Weight* Smoker* Applicant M F / / Ft 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Spouse -- M F / / Ft 4 5 6 7 In 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Children 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Children  -- M F / / Ft 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Children  -- M F / / Ft 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Children  -- M F / / Ft 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Children  -- M F / / Ft 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Children  -- M F / / Ft 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Children  -- M F / / Ft 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Currently Insured? Yes   No Have conditions? Yes   No HIV/AIDS Diabetes Cancer Heart attack High blood pressure Asthma Stroke Depression requiring medication Other major illness

But without health insurance, a small medical issue could turn into a major problem. A serious illness or injury can drain your savings fast — a single day in the hospital can cost over $7,000. And you thought college was expensive! Without coverage, an unexpected illness or accident could derail your college career.

What’s more, many colleges and universities require you to have health insurance while you’re enrolled. And while they’re happy to provide you with a plan and tack it onto your tuition, there’s something they don’t tell you: you could probably find the same amount of coverage for less money.

What Are A Student’s Best Options?

Most people looking to save on health insurance choose from two kinds of plans:

Preferred Provider Organization plans (PPOs) let you get the savings of managed care, while still giving you coverage for services you get “outside the network.” You save more when you stay “in-network,” but the extended coverage gives you more flexibility in choosing a doctor.

Health Maintenance Organization plans (HMOs) are another example of managed care. In an HMO plan, your copay — the amount due at the time you get care — is usually lower. And many HMO plans have no deductible, meaning there’s no amount you have to meet before coverage kicks in. But HMO plans have stricter rules about how which providers you can see. If you go “outside the network” in an HMO plan, you won’t receive any coverage. But HMO's are a good choice if you're not picky about the doctors you see.

The Other Insurance Students Should Know About

If you plan on studying abroad or traveling for a vacation, you may be in for a surprise — many health insurance plans don’t cover you when you’re outside the United States.

A lot of companies offer health insurance designed specifically to cover you while you travel. Another option is to get an international health insurance policy. If you are planning on a long term stay abroad — a full semester or more — you may want to consider this kind of policy.

Not sure what’s best for you? Talk to a health insurance agent. Our free service will match you with agents in your area. They can help you decide what kind of policy will work for you, and find one that fits your budget. When you’re ready to talk with agents, all you have to do is fill out a short form to request your free health quotes.