Graduate students- insurance question

[smmokan]

I'm heading back to grad school full time this August, so I'll need to pay for health insurance. How do the full-time grads typically take care of this? The school I'm going to (CU) has their own program you can purchase, which is $875/semester (basically about $220/mo)- it seems decent.

However, looking on ehealthinsurance.com, it looks like I can get a plan with a $0 deductible and 20% coinsurance for about $135/mo, and if I'm willing to up it to $2000 deductible, I can drop the cost to $85/mo. Would it be smart to get my own insurance and waive the school's option? I'm thinking yes. (plus, I'll need insurance for ~45 days this summer when I'm not working, so I can get this during that time as well) Thoughts/experiences?

[dk_alaskan]

I have the school insurance and it has paid itself off. A question you might want to ask yourself is, if something happens to me, will i be able to pay out of pocket until i meet the $2000 deductible. Last time i was stitched up, 30 of them cost me about a grand. Luckily, I have a $150 co-pay. there is no way i could have paid $1000 out of pocket.

[Griz]

Its been a couple years, but I had a good deal going with Fortis on temporary health insurance (co-pays and low deductable). These days though, I would look into an HSA. I like the idea of self insuring on the minor stuff to save premium. Its just me.

[smmokan]

I have the school insurance and it has paid itself off. A question you might want to ask yourself is, if something happens to me, will i be able to pay out of pocket until i meet the $2000 deductible. Last time i was stitched up, 30 of them cost me about a grand. Luckily, I have a $150 co-pay. there is no way i could have paid $1000 out of pocket.

Yep, that's what I was thinking- that its worth going with the $0 deductible plan for a little extra a month.

[Brock Landers]

Get the 0 dollar deductible. You get insurance so you dont have to pay large amounts up front. 100,000 for a back operation, god forbid, is a lot of money...1000 for stitches is still a lot of money- either way with a 0 dollar deductible you dont pay (and 220 a month is pretty good). also see if you can get an internship that has at least some sort of health benefits, if you can fit in an internship versus no job or bartending etc.

[smmokan]

I keep looking at diff plans with the new suggestions, and it looks like a Kaiser $0 ded / $0 coinsurance plan is only $145/month. Looks good.

[Froman]

STAY AWAY FROM KAISER!!

Seriously - stay far away. Example - say you blow out your ACL. First you have to see your primary care physician, which is quick. They then need to refer you to the ortho department, where you see a PA - six to eight week wait for that appointment. The PA refers you to the ortho surgeon and gives you the script for an MRI. MRI - two week wait, then you need to see the ortho surgeon, another six to eight weeks, then you need surgery, another six to eight week wait. Then post surgery, you want PT, well thats going to cost extra. I speak from experience, using Kaiser at Rock Creek in Boulder County (off 287). Theres another guy on the board that blew out his knee - they gave him six months worth of Vicoden until his operation.

Cheap insurance is great, until you have to use it.

Right now I'm on the CU plan - I think its called the Buff Gold plan. So far I haven't used it except to verify my immunizations, and that was free.

edit for spellin

[dk_alaskan]

STAY AWAY FROM KAISER!!

This is VERY true. Kaiser has been in upheaval the last 3-4 years. They are constantly changing their HMO plans w/little notice, they try to write in all kinds of hidden ways to get out of paying and if you buy into the kaiser HMO plans, for the most part, you are stuck having to use the Kaiser system. if you go on a ski trip anywhere outside of the kaiser network, you may have to swallow the cost if you get injured.

[smmokan]

Interesting about Kaiser.

[dk_alaskan]

if you stick with the school plan, you may be able to incorporate it into your tuition. If you are able to do this and using loans to pay for school, you won't have to pay out of pocket for the plan right away.

On another note, as someone mentioned earlier, if you can get a TA/grad assistantship, you are most likely entitled to the same health insurance that the rest of the faculty and staff have.

[cj001f]

$1000 out of pocket? That's what a credit card is for.

Do you really have $1080 worth of medical care a year smokkan? Unless you want an HMO, which really aren't that bad.

[atomicboy]

STAY AWAY FROM KAISER!!

Seriously - stay far away. Example -

This info is golden. I had Kaiser through my old employer a few years ago at $1 a month. I thought to myself this is great full coverage with no deductable for a bone a month. Long story short I blew my triangle (Acl, MCL, meniscus) had it repaired no problem on parents med plan. Fastforward four years, playing a little beach vball dive and feel something in the knee. I am like goddamit. I go to Kaiser after a few days to see the latest med graduate they have and explain what is going on. I tell the dr I think I have a torn meniscus. Dr feels my knee and says it doesn't look swollen at which point I say it has had constant ice on it for days. Dr tells me I probably pulled an upper calf muscle and it will heal on its own. I ask for an MRI which is declined. I leave and go to a different office and get the same thing.

I wait a couple of months for open enrollment and change to the top of the line PPO for $50 a month. I research an experienced knee ortho. Go down to the ortho he says it is probably a torn meniscus but to be sure lets get an MRI. Assistant calls and returns to ask me if I am available tomorrow night for the MRI. Get MRI, it is the meniscus, surgery four days later, still good as new.

I would rather do surgery on myself than deal with Kaiser again.

Stay away from Kaiser

[bc]

$875/semester (basically about $220/mo

FWIW, most student health plans cover the full year (12 months) if you are enrolled both semesters, so your $875/semester is most likely $145/mo.

[dk_alaskan]

FWIW, most student health plans cover the full year (12 months) if you are enrolled both semesters, so your $875/semester is most likely $145/mo.

$875 sounds about right per semester. Thats close to what i pay per semester. Most schools from my experience don't do the 12 mo. plans unless you pay for both semesters up front (which i suggest doing to make sure you have insurance for a full year. If something does happen and you have to take a semester off, you will still be insured).

Grad students/students older than 24 usually pay double the undergrad/under 24 years old amount. The rational i have recieved several times when i asked about this is that undergrads/students under 24 usually are still on their parents plan.

[Froman]

FWIW, most student health plans cover the full year (12 months) if you are enrolled both semesters, so your $875/semester is most likely $145/mo.

At CU, I think the spring semester payment covers you through summer, and the fall semester payment covers through winter break.

[Van_skier]

On another note, as someone mentioned earlier, if you can get a TA/grad assistantship, you are most likely entitled to the same health insurance that the rest of the faculty and staff have.

Things are quite different in Canada in terms of health care and health insurance, but we do pay extra for extended health care (dental, vision, physio etc...).
As a full time grad student I pay extra for my extended health care that is offered through the university. However, as part of the TA contract, at the end of semester, I receive a rebate cheque that covers over half of the cost of the insurance. So basically, I pay the same as regular students, but I get a cheque as part of my TA union benefits.
TAs don't get the same insurance as faculty or staff at UBC since TAs have a separate union.
I guess each university has different insurance plans and benefits for TAs, but I'd say it's something that would be worth looking into...

[deliberate]

Yeah, Canada is awesome. I am in the same boat, TA at canadian university. Just got a note last week about a union meeting to discuss this rebate, it is the first time I have heard about it.

USA Health insurance almost seems like a regressive tax that hurts the most financially strapped, or they don't have any and get fucked in the end anyway. Good luck with that.

[Danno]

Get the CU health insurance. It is cheap, pretty sure it covers the whole year, and can be rolled into your loan.

Plus, Wardenburg is a pretty good medical facility. You can pretty much do walk in care anytime. I broke my leg my 3rd year of law school and am damn glad I had it. Don't fuck around with something else to save a few pennies, sometimes the simplest option is the best option.

my 2 cents.

[Danno]

Get the CU health insurance. It is cheap, pretty sure it covers the whole year, and can be rolled into your loan.

Plus, Wardenburg is a pretty good medical facility. You can pretty much do walk in care anytime. I broke my leg my 3rd year of law school and am damn glad I had it. Don't fuck around with something else to save a few pennies, sometimes the simplest option is the best option.

my 2 cents.

quoting myself for emphasis. Don't fuck around with this; health insurance plans fuck with you. CU doesn't. You go to Wardenburg, it's covered. Quite simple.

[dk_alaskan]

quoting myself for emphasis. Don't fuck around with this; health insurance plans fuck with you. CU doesn't. You go to Wardenburg, it's covered. Quite simple.

2nd'd. IF something goes wrong with the CU plan, it is in CU's favor to address the problem and help you, the student out. Do you think other insurance co's that are independent of CU will help if issues come up?

[maniloff]

When I've had to get my own health insurance, I've gone with high-deductible plans and typically paid about 60 bucks a month. However, I've always able to scrounge up a grand (cash on hand, plastic, loans from friends, extra shifts, selling plasma) and had low baseline medical expenses.

Also, the price difference was bigger for me. $1750 / year for CU versus 85*12 = $1020 / year for the 2K plan doesn't really save you anything if you actually use your health insurance.

The point about the CU plan being based out of their facility seems like a really good one. That's one of the reasons I'll be going on my school's insurance when I start this fall.

[smmokan]

Thanks Danno. It'll be an easier decision if the semester fee covers the winter breaks and summer.

[Danno]

Thanks Danno. It'll be an easier decision if the semester fee covers the winter breaks and summer.

It used to. I broke my leg in late March of my last year, and continued getting health care into the summer. Don't know if they changed that. Also, if you're getting loans, the ability to fold it into your student loans at student loan rates is hudge.

[LaBelle23]

We had a family friend about 8 years back on CU insurance who got screwed. Make sure you check into the max coverage for injuries and what happens if you get hurt when you can't be seen in the Boulder/Denver area. Our friend had a traumatic brain injury from a ski wreck and had to pay big $$$ out of pocket. I think they had a $100K max or something which doesn't go too far when your dealing with brain surgery and rehab for that kind of injury. FYI for a TAship, CU offered to pay 1/2 of my health ins if I did it through them.

[smmokan]

Thanks, LaBelle. By the way, nice write up on Safe Harbor.