Students are typically more prone to go without health care coverage than those who are older because of their perceived invincibility. However, students often place themselves and their family’s financial security in jeopardy because of this “devil may care” attitude.
Health insurance for students is often quite cheap as one of the largest determining factors in pricing insurance rates is age. Everything else being equal, the older an individual is the more they will pay in monthly premiums. Cost should not be a deterrent for students in finding adequate health insurance coverage. Even on a tight budget there are low cost options for students to investigate.
Here are a few quick steps to take in searching for cheap student health insurance:
1. Look for a temporary health insurance policy.
If a job offer with benefits is on the horizon then a temporary health insurance policy may be a good route until the job is realized. Temporary health care coverage is usually major medical only and does not come with co-pays and other extras; this will help to keep the monthly premiums low.
2. Check with the student’s college or university to see if they offer any health care plans or discounts.
If the school offers a health plan then view the plan with a critical eye and be sure to compare its benefits and coverage to a few other comparable plans from reputable insurance companies.
3. Compare individual health insurance quotes from at least 3 different health insurance companies.
Competition among insurance companies is the key to finding the lowest rates. (Watch out for fly by night insurance companies that you have never heard of and also steer clear of discount health plans which are not true insurance and are tremendously risky, leaving you unprotected for most of the cost of a large medical bill).
