About Student Athlete Health Insurance

If you are the proud parent of a student athlete, you need to know about student health insurance. The sports your child participates in can often lead to accidents and visits to the doctor and rehabilitation center. Depending how severe the injury is, bills can really pile up. You want to be sure you have adequate insurance coverage.

While students are covered by their parent’s health plans, there may be exclusions of injuries caused by participation in varsity sports. Some policies will require a special rider or endorsement to cover your child’s athletic medical care, others will not. 

In order for students to participate in interscholastic sports, many school districts require medical and hospital insurance with limits determined by the school. Every student takes a risk when they go on the playing field or court. This can range from a sprained ankle, torn ligaments, broken bones or even internal injuries. 

Schools will offer health insurance polices for their uninsured students if they are not covered by a parent or guardian’s policy. Make sure the school coverage does not exclude athletic endeavors. If your child plays in an organized or church league, check with the league sponsors and find out if they have league medical insurance that covers the players. Do not assume the league has coverage. You don’t want to be surprised if something happens. 

If your child is an intercollegiate athletic, The NCAA offers two insurance programs for their student athletes, a Catastrophic Injury Insurance Program and an Exceptional Student –Athlete Disability Insurance Program. These are in excess of any other insurance the student may have. 

Sports play an important part in the educational experience for many students. Just as having the right equipment and training is a necessity, so is having student athlete health insurance.