About College Student Health Insurance Plans

For those that have no health insurance, a college student health plan is better than nothing. The downside to using a college student health plan is that most of the time they do not cover the basic necessities that a health plan should. This can be a problem when it comes to everyday health needs.

• Many colleges do not offer health plans to students. This is because they have a student health center that any student can visit at any time as long as their tuition is paid. This means that you can see the campus doctor or a registered nurse practitioner, as most campuses have, for any basic medical needs such as a cold, needing blood drawn or family planning services. If you are in need of services such as x-rays or a specialist, you will have to get a referral, as most campus health centers do not do that.


• Many college student health plans only offer injury and sickness insurance. The insurance will cover a college student as well as their spouse and dependents provided they have any. In order to receive this type of insurance, you have to be enrolled in school for a specific number of credits. Each school is different as to the amount of credits that you have to be enrolled in. With an injury and sickness plan, you must be pre-approved to be admitted to the hospital if you need to go. Any pre-existing condition is not eligible to be treated under this plan. Some of the things this plan offers include childbirth, x-rays, inpatient treatment, psychotherapy, drugs used in the hospital, and surgery. Other things like prescriptions and an assistant surgeon if needed are not covered and have to be paid out of pocket as an additional expense.