Sunday, December 28, 2008

Texas Health Insurance For Students

By Jordan FeRoss

For many college students, health insurance in Texas can seem unattainable. Because of the difficulty in getting insurance, students choose to go without it rather than commit to finding a plan they can afford. They also think they are young and invincible and will be healthy forever. But no one knows when or if they will become ill or get injured in the future. And, without insurance, students risk destroying their financial lives with medical debt or worse, not getting the life-saving treatment they need.

Here are some things that college students can do to get health insurance in Texas that is affordable:

If your parents have put you on their health insurance policy, by all means let them keep you on. Trying to tackle it yourself would be a challenge, especially if you don't have the money to do it. Or if you had health insurance in Texas from your employer and no longer work there, you are eligible to purchase COBRA. COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. This insurance kicks in once you are no longer employed with the company.

If a college student purchased health insurance in Texas through their employer, but are not employed there anymore they may be entitled to buy COBRA. COBRA insurance is more expensive, but it is certainly better than going without insurance while going away to college. Especially since some colleges won't even let students attend without insurance to help reduce their liability in the event of an accident on campus.

If your parents' health insurance in Texas won't work for you in the geographic area of your school, you can still choose an HMO with regional coverage to make sure you will get to see in-network doctors. A regional HMO may mean going a bit out of your way to see a doctor who participates in the plan. Some HMO companies will make exceptions for college students and allow them to visit doctors outside their network while they are students but you will need to check if the HMO you are considering will do this to avoid costly out-of-pocket expenses for leaving the network. Even if the HMO lets you leave your network, you may still be penalized with extra fees so read everything carefully.

Another affordable place for students to look for insurance coverage in Texas is through their college or university. Most schools offer health plans to their students and at many schools you must be fully covered by health insurance to attend, especially if you are studying abroad. And, because most colleges and universities work with private insurers, the quality of the care does not decrease just because your plan is through school.

Health insurance in Texas offers various types of policies for college students. The best choice would usually be to get one policy that covers everything. A college students needs are usually pretty basic and they should be able to find a doctor's office near the campus if need be.

For student health insurance in Texas, it's not a good to have more coverage than you need. You'll end up spending more money that you want to.

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