Parents -- Include Student Health Insurance on the Way to College

If your son or daughter is headed to a college or university this year, you may want to consider what would happen if he or she gets sick or injured while they're there? Who would pay the medical bills or buy perscription medicines?

Most colleges or university may provide a very minimum amount of medical coverage to full-time enrolled students, but routine illnesses, hopitialization and sudden ailments can happen to anyone at any time, and big medical bills could impact all of your plans for your son or daughter's educational pursuit.

It's important to make sure your child has medical insurance coverage, especially now with the passage of new health insurance laws that require parents to keep children covered well past their 21st birthday.

Here are a few options to consider:

Keep Your Child on Your Health Insurance -- If you carry your children on your insurance, let them stay on it as long as you can. With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, beginning in September 2010, your dependent children must be allowed to stay on your health plan up to age 26 unless your young adult is eligible for employer health coverage.

Make sure you and your child know the coverage provisions of insurance options such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs) or preferred provider organizations (PPOs). In the case of a medical emergency, a parent's health plan is required to cover services from any provider or facility (such as an emergency room) that provides immediate care.

See if Student Health Insurance is Offered at Your Child's College/University -- Many colleges and universities offer low-cost health plans for their students through contracts with private health insurance companies. Check with Student Health Services or the admissions office to see if your school does, and if so, what sort of coverage you can get.

Some colleges and universities may require some type of comprehensive health care coverage as a condition of enrollment. The college or university may offer several types of student health policies ranging from a simple accident policy to one that covers major medical needs. It is probably a good idea for you to purchase a comprehensive medical policy or to discuss what insurance options are available; generally a school-endorsed plan is relatively low-cost.

Jackson State University does provide parents with the option of purchasing a student health insurance policy; contact the JSU University Health Center (www.jsums.edu/studentlife) for additional details.

Health Insurance Through Medicaid -- If your family's income is low, your family is beset by high medical bills, or you have a disability, you may qualify for Medicaid. To find out if you are eligible, check with your state agency.

Find a Community Health Center -- If you or your child currently have no insurance but need treatment, try looking for a federally-qualified community health center (FQHC) near their college or university. Community health centers can be found in most cities and many rural areas of the country. These health care facilities provide care to people without health insurance and have sliding fee scales based on income. Community health centers provide checkups, treatment of illness, prenatal care, immunizations and care for your children, and treatment of mental health and substance abuse problems.