Sunday, December 28, 2008

Getting Texas Health Insurance For College 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.

Fortunately there are a few ways for college students to get affordable health insurance in Texas:

Your parents are a great resource for getting the insurance you need because you can legally remain covered by their health insurance in Texas until you are 25 years old. And students with mental or physical disabilities can remain on their parents insurance indefinitely. Because there are no out-of-pocket expenses for you, this a great route to take to get covered by health insurance in Texas. The only things you must do to continue coverage under your parents' plan is maintain your status as a full-time student and met the age eligibility. If you are leaving your home state to attend school, you will want to review the state and local laws where your school is located, especially if you will need to find in-network doctors for your care.

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.

HMO health insurance in Texas is set up by regions. If there is not a doctor's office or other medical facility near you , you may have to go out of the way to see you doctor. There are some HMO health insurance carriers that are in certain networks that allow for people that live outside of the area to not be penalized for that. You should also ask about going to a medical facility that is outside of the network. You usually pay more, but in an emergency, HMO health insurance is required by law to handle things such as medical emergencies.

Quite a few colleges and universities have their health insurance plans in Texas. On top of that, it may be necessary to have complete health coverage, especially if the student will be attending school out of the country on an exchange program. Many colleges and universities have student health insurance plans in Texas. Usually, theses colleges utilize insurance carriers from the private sector.

For health insurance in Texas, there are different kinds of health insurance policies available for students. The best choice for them would be to have a single medical policy that goes across the board. If you are a student, you won't need a lot of options. However, if some of the options you need are not there, please ask the health insurance carrier.

For most students, the best best for protection against serious illness or injury is being added (or remaining) on your parents' health insurance in Texas. - 15275

About the Author: