Know Your Community College’s Health Insurance Plan

by Senior Editor

health ins pic

A lot of students in community college are not aware that they may be able to get health insurance through their school. This piece of critical information may be a game changer to many students who sacrifice certain necessities in order to pay for their education. Health insurance is among these necessities which some student surpass in exchange for college credits.

Why You Should Be Aware

If you are going to school, you may have decided to risk going without health insurance so you can put more money towards education. It seems worth it in the long run because you'll have the chance to get a better job with a degree or certificate later on. You know that this is risky but you may not understand to what degree. For example, your plans for a future career may depend on your physical well-being. If you want to become a health professional, police officer, firefighter, or a member of many other fields of work, you will not be able to qualify for a job if your health is significantly compromised by illness or injury.

Legally, there is a new factor in play. Under the new health care reform, all Americans are required to have health insurance by the beginning of 2014. Anyone who goes without health insurance will have to pay a fine when they file taxes at the end of the year. This could take a bite out of any refund that you were expecting.

What This Insurance Covers

You might have overlooked the opportunity to get health insurance through your school just because you assumed that the benefits would be insignificant. This is not necessarily true. Depending on where you go to school, the potential benefits may be both significant and relatively inexpensive.

You also have to look at these benefits based on your own commitment to school. If you apply as a full-time student, you will most likely qualify. These benefits will typically come at a lower cost because with the heavy schedule that comes with a college education, you're not expected to have enough time to work and make much money. In different areas, part-time students may also be able to qualify. Look closely at how our school classifies students before you consider applying for health insurance.

Coverage will differ from school to school. As an example, consider what the Community College League of California offers to cover for its qualifying students. These benefits are guaranteed to offer competitive rates when compared to similar plans offered to the public at large.

• Hospital Costs

This includes room and board, which can be a huge factor in any medical bill. Room rents usually go for several thousand dollars per night. With health insurance, you can avoid many of those costs.

• Intensive Care

This includes costs that come after your emergency has been handled. Sometimes, it is not enough to get some treatment in the emergency room. For instance, a car accident might put you in intensive care for days or weeks. Costs quickly surge into the hundreds of thousands.

Surgery

This league of schools and insurers cover outpatient surgery.

Doctor's Office

You can get scheduled visits to physicians' offices paid for with this coverage.

• Emergencies

Services such as ambulance rides and ER care are covered as well.

• Pregnancy Costs

Many students are worried about how an unintended pregnancy might affect their schooling. With the right health insurance, your wish to balance school and pregnancy become a bit more realistic. A plan that covers room and board at the hospital, for instance, will obviously reduce your hospital bills for this event in your life.

A community college can be more than an institution to get college credits. It can also provide a measure of health and safety while you study.

Author Bio

Sarah Daren is a writer who creates informative articles relating to the field of health. In this article, she offers advice to community college students in regards to their health insurance, and aims to encourage further study through ADU diagnostic medical sonography programs .

This post was written by Senior Editor

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