College students, like the rest of us, need medical insurance. However, the typical health care insurance policy marketed as “student health care insurance” has several major deficiencies. These major deficiencies may mean that the health policy offered through your college should be avoided.

Many healthcare insurance policies marketed through colleges have limited benefits. They will often limit the amount they will pay for accidents and sicknesses much more than will a health care insurance plan that may be available directly from Cigna or through one of the other major companies.

You should look out for three types of caps. The first is a per incident limitation. A policy might cap what it will pay for any one accident or illness. The second benefit restriction to watch out for is the limit to what the medical insurance contract will pay in one year. The third benefit limit to be aware of is the lifetime benefit restriction.

The policy sold through your school might have a $20,000 calendar year maximum on benefits. If the student was covered as a dependent on a parent’s contract, they might not have any calendar year restriction on the major benefits. There may be a lifetime restriction of several million dollars and calendar year restrictions on prescriptions, but no separate annual restriction on hospital expenses or physician expenses.

“Student health care Insurance” plans are not all bad. The policy may be adequate unless you have a major expense. However, they are often purchased by people who are unaware of their flaws. They will typically make the assumption that these health insurance policies are cheap because they are getting a group discount. They are less expensive for two main reasons. University students are young and usually have fewer claims. They offer less in benefits.

Being aware of the flaws of healthcare insurance contracts marketed to students is only half the battle. You should also be able to compare the benefits offered from other sources because not all of these plans are robust and benefit rich either.

There are several things to look out for when shopping for medical insurance. Health care insurance plans with annual limits on their hospital and doctor benefits should be avoided. Contracts with restrictions on what they will pay per accident or per sickness should also be avoided. Medical insurance plans that pay only for accidents offer far too little protection. These should also be avoided. Health care insurance contracts that pay only in the hospital or severely limit what they pay in the medical doctors’ office should also be avoided.

You will find a section in the back of a policy’s outline of coverage or brochure that will list many of the limits of the policy. This section is usually entitled something like “Exclusions and Limitations.” The exclusions and limitations may be in two separate sections of the document.

You should read this section carefully. All plans will have some limitations or exclusions, however some have more benefit limits than others.

Most policies that are marketed today have network lists of doctors and hospitals. If you go to a doctor or hospital that is not on their list, you will find yourself getting a lower level of reimbursement than you would otherwise or getting no reimbursement at all. Be sure to make sure that the network includes medical doctors and hospitals that are convenient to you when you are home and also when you are at school.

Many people will automatically purchase the medical insurance contract sold by their school, but these are usually limited benefit plans. Be sure to understand what any policy you are considering purchasing covers and doesn’t cover before you purchase. You will probably get much better coverage as a dependent on a parent’s policy or from a policy you can purchase directly from a major insurer than you can get from a plan marketed as “student health care insurance.”

Author Bio: You can call 866-944-0951 or click student health insurancefor rates and information. You can also find Renters insurance for Dorms on Alston Balkcom’s website.

Category: Advice
Keywords: student medical insurance,health care,student insurance