As a student, having health insurance is very important. But it can be hard to secure because you may not be working full time and you may not be able to afford the high premiums that independent individuals pay for insurance. It is possible to get health insurance as a student, but it could take some legwork and research. Don't assume that as a student you don't have access to things like health insurance and health care. You do and you should take advantage of it.
Instructions
1. Check with your parents. If you are under a certain age, you may be eligible to be carried under your parents' insurance. If this applies, you can stop here. If this doesn't apply, move on to the next step.
2. Visit the health services department at your school. Many schools have a health services department where students can have access to "free" health care. It's not technically free because you pay for it with your student fees but those fees are paid regardless of whether you use the health care services or not. You might as well get the full benefit of the fees that you are paying. While this isn't actual insurance, it is access to medical care and an on-campus doctor.
3. Look for government programs. If you can't get health care through your parent's insurance or your school's health center, the next step would be to look for assistance from the government. There are programs available for low-income people to get health insurance. As a student, you are possibly in the low-income category, especially if you are independent or not working full-time. Try visiting the local work force development office in your city and see if it has any programs where you can get health insurance at a reduced cost.
4. Create a side email account. You may need to provide your email address to different entities while you are doing research and this will help stop your personal email box from being flooded by advertisements. Sometimes when you sign up for information about things like health insurance, it puts your email address on a list and you start getting solicitations and ads. This shouldn't stop you from getting the information, so a separate email account will help you manage that.
5. Do a Google search. There are different websites out there that will help you find affordable health insurance as a student. Make sure you do a thorough review of the website and don't sign up for anything before you read all agreements and fine print. If you can receive information or be contacted via email, use your newly created email address.
6. Check with the major health care providers like Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Health Care. Some of these companies have programs designed for students. Review the links given below to start.
7. If you've gone through all of the steps above and are still unable to find low-cost health insurance, you can always take advantage of the publicly offered health services. While it isn't insurance, it is access to free or low-cost health care through city-run health clinics. Look for clinics in your city and visit one to get an idea of the services that it offers for adults. Some of them have limited services and others are more full-service.
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