Teagan Kennedy
There is a lot to worry about when you turn 18. You are preparing for the next chapter in your life. Many of us are going to be worried about a hundred different things at this time. You are applying to colleges, getting scholarships, figuring loans and FASFA. Some of us are going to be finding a job, or even moving into an apartment. After high school graduation, students make so many adjustments they often forget to get some aspects figured out. The last thing that we often think about is health insurance. Many of us push it off or choose not to address it, but it is a conversation that needs to be had. There are a lot of different options, but I am going to outline some of the most common choices available.
The first step is starting a conversation with your parents. It is important that you know about their plan, and if they are allowing you to stay on their plan. One of the most assumed and common options are to stay on your parent's insurance plan until you are 26 years old. This would ensure you don’t get into a sticky situation without time to figure details out. If you are planning on going to college out of state research the insurance that you have and see if you are still going to have access to the insurance. Staying on your parent's insurance plan might be the best option for you, it could provide you the best coverage while being the cheapest plan. That being said, not everyone is going to have the luxury of staying on their parent's plan for that long. What do you do then?There are two common options. If you are at a university full time, explore the student health care options that they offer. If you are going to school out of state, this is should be the first option that you look into. Typically, connecting with the school admissions officer is the first step you should take to gather information about your university's health care plan. Checking in with your university will provide you with the next best option without having to pay a fortune for coverage.
If either of these previous options do not apply to you, do not worry, there is yet another option. You can go under a catastrophic plan. This plan is available to healthy people under the age of 30. This plan is designed for people that do not have a ton of money, but still will provide coverage. It is a low premium plan, with a high deductible, meant to provide coverage if something catastrophic were to happen, hence the name. This is the least amount of coverage available through this plan.
There are many different options that you can choose, some are going to apply to you, some are not going to work with your situation. Talking to your parents is the first step that you should take. Knowing what you have to do is going to give you the power to start analyzing your options.
Works Cited
Chatzky, Jean. “What Millennials Should Know About Picking the Best Health Insurance.” The Balance, The Balance, 21 Mar. 2019, www.thebalance.com/millennial-health-insurance-costs-4125587.Csreinicke. “It Might Be Time to Take Adult Kids off the Family Health Plan.” CNBC, CNBC, 10 July 2018, www.cnbc.com/2018/07/10/it-might-be-time-to-take-your-adult-kids-off-the-family-health-plan.html.
“Millennial's Guide to Buying Health Insurance.” EHealth Insurance Resource Center, 13 Sept. 2019, www.ehealthinsurance.com/resources/individual-and-family/millennials-guide-buying-health-insurance.
Health insurance is an easy issue to forget about since there are a lot of more pressing matters on students' minds when they leave for college, such as student loans, textbooks, food, and the like. It's still very important that students have that conversation with their parents and universities to sort out the best healthcare plan for them. I wonder how many students go without healthcare because they don't know what's available or just haven't thought about it before?
ReplyDeleteThis is a well written post about insurance and addresses the topics that must be talked about. After reading that I should sit down and talk with my parents about insurance after high school scared me. I still have yet to have that conversation with my parents. I also still have yet to sit down and create a budget plan with my dad for college. All this and more is stressing me out for what is gonna come in college. I know that everyone is ready for the freedom, but life will hit you like a pile of bricks if you don't come into the world of freedom with a plan.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually something I was worried about with going off to college. Health insurance and all the other insurances out there- i.e. home, car, life etc. I think this is a great thing to address and be aware of because accidents and illnesses do happen and I agree that young adults do tend to put these things on the back burner of life. Also because we tend to think we are invincible we tend to have an attitude that we don't quite need that health insurance yet. Overall a great topic discuss.
ReplyDeleteI like all the different options that is given in the post. I think my parents will allow me to stay on their program until I am out of college with a job. If this changes then I think the catastrophic plan will be the best fit for me because I am healthy and don't have any issues, so this will be my plan b in case anything happens.
ReplyDeleteI was not aware that going out of state might cause you to not have access to your parent's insurance. I agree that this topic is not talked about as often as it should, since many 18 year olds do not worry about their health. It is nice that you could stay on your parent's plan until you are 26, but since that might not work for everyone, I like that you added a lot of different options. On the next college tour I go on, I will be sure to ask about their health care plan.
ReplyDeleteI like how you acknowledge the different things kids are worrying about more than figuring out their health insurance plan. I like how you transitioned in to how important it is to make sure you have health insurance figured out and different ways you can go about making sure you have health insurance.
ReplyDeleteHealth insurance is a major concern everyone should have and everyone should rightfully be worried if they have a plan. However, not many know their options when it comes to getting health insurance and it can show with poor decision making. It's good to know that you have less to worry about until you're 26.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit surreal to think that in just a few years, this is something that will directly impact and effect out lives on a daily basis. Out parents medical plan may no longer cover us and we need to make sure we have the support we need. This is something that I think should be covered more in our ACP classes rather than just academic planning. Your medical plan is arguably much more important that college.
ReplyDeleteSince I am turning 18 soon, this is something that I didn't really realize that I have to start thinking about. It's crazy how one day we are just an average high school student and the next day we become legal adults and we suddenly have all these new responsibilities and things to think about. I do see that the thoughts of health insurance flies under the radar at first due to college stressors, but I agree that this is important to think about and in the long run is a vital decision regarding your future bank account.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good thing to talk about because no one really thinks of insurance after you are gone from highschool. Everyone always just talks about how you have to go to college and get a job, they do not talk about how when you are applying for these jobs, what is the health insurance like? How will it benefit you? I think this topic is very overlooked and awareness and information about health insurance should be put into the public so kids in highschool can start thinking about it with their future.
ReplyDeleteThis is some good information about healthcare. It’s not something I think about a lot, but I am sure that I’m going to stay with my parents healthcare plan until I no longer can. If I wasn’t able to, this would really come in handy, as I didn’t even know that universities have some sort of healthcare plan for those who need it. How much does it cover usually? Or is it something that changes entirely depending on the school that offers it? That would be some info that need some extra research, if it’s to be a viable option. Also, with the catastrophe insurance, will it cover doctor’s appointments or just catastrophic events? Will it cover medicine if needed? If it doesn’t, it might not be a great health insurance plan.
ReplyDeleteThis made me realize that health insurance is something to think about. Catastrophic plans are very interesting. It is a high risk, high reward type of insurance. Anyone who may have trouble paying for health insurance should consider a catastrophic plan. However, one must consider if they want to run the risk of insurance not paying for something that isn't catastrophe. Your average, run-of-the-mill, garden variety health problems likely don't break the bank. But what if you have to get a special test done, or what if you break a bone? Does catastrophe insurance cover that? These are all things that someone needs to consider before deciding what insurance that they want.
ReplyDeleteThis brought up a lot of questions that I didn't realize I should be asking now. This is a good reminder for most of us of the very important thing we should be considering as we leave home: our own health. I really appreciate how this post did not just talk about the plans for the typical high school graduate but outlined other options as well, for those who are going to have a harder time covering themselves in college. The catastrophic plan was very interesting to hear about, as I'm sure that's something most people don't know about. How much does that actually cover? What do those plans count as a catastrophe?
ReplyDeleteI haven't given much thought to this aspect of my future. Health Insurance is a very important factor that I should begin to consider. Having a conversation with my parents is one way to start get the ball rolling. Although they will probably allow me to stay on it for a few years after I turn 18, I still need to consider my other options. Some people want to be totally independent from their parents after high school. The catastrophic plan would be a great place to start due to the low cost. Although it seems like you may not get as much coverage compared to if you were on your parents plan, it can help a person get use to paying for themselves, without having to rely to heavily on their parents.
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ReplyDeleteI have not really discussed this with my parents yet however it sure seems like a good idea to sooner rather than later. Personally, I would like to stay on my parents plan just until I learn the speed at which life goes, then I will most likely transfer plans and find one I can afford. I know that you can be on your parents plan until 26 but I wonder what the average age is? Personally, I think that many people stay the full length because health insurance can be very expensive.
ReplyDeleteHealth insurance is something I had yet to even think about until I read this blog post. This is a subject that needs to be talked about with parents as it's important to always have health insurance in case of a disaster. I wasn't aware of the plethora of options for health insurance, I am hoping I will be able to stay on my parent's plan until I turn 26, but if that's not the case I will need to talk to my University about this. This is a topic that should be addressed in society and especially during teenage years to open options to those who don't have the luxury of staying on their parent's plan. I learned a lot through this blog post and realize I need to have a conversation about insurance and finances with my parents.
ReplyDeleteI guess when looking into colleges and expenses, I never really thought about health insurance because just like you said in the blog that it has been something that we haven't ever had to worry about so it doesn't come second nature to us. The blog gave me a good insight on not only how to get on your own insurance but where to look for it, too. I didn't know there was a health insurance just for people under 30 that didn't have much money so that was interesting to read about.
ReplyDeleteI have thought about this a little as I have heard my cousin talking about how she is going to have to go off of her parents health insurance soon (she will soon turn 26). It is something that I think at our age we all need to consider more because it will be relevant in our lives sooner than we think. I think it's great that you listed multiple options in which you can take this next step into the future. I personally think that the catastrophic plan may be a good start when I am young and healthy, as I probably will not need to rely on insurance as heavily as when I am older and have family. I thought that your post was really informative on giving options. I am still curious about a few things, like how much does each plan cost? But this post has got my mind thinking more about it and has encouraged me to possibly start a conversation with my parents.
ReplyDeleteI haven't really thought about health insurance because I rely on my parents for that and I feel that's a very common thing with most high school and college students. This article gave me a perspective on different types of insurance that may be beneficial to me later on. I didn't realize that many universities offered some sort of health insurance to their students. Obviously staying on your parents health insurance until 26 would be the most ideal but I think looking into my universities insurance wouldn't be a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about healthcare and insurance because there are so many other aspects of adulthood that I was fixated on. I'm glad to know that I can stay on my parents plan for a while and not stress about that when I turn 18. Its also good to know some of my low cost options for the future.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that myself and my other peers reading this are only around the ages of 16-18, it would be very uncommon for us to discuss our future health insurance plan with anyone nevertheless our parents. Despite how important health insurance is, this is rarely talked about to us students. With no discredit to your article, I feel that you would believe that there should be more done to raise awareness about these options so pieces of work like this don't have to be read and instead could be common knowledge. Do you believe that we could allocate more academic time to informing students about such information and other related inquiries such as FAFSA or student loans? Great job on the article B.T.W!
ReplyDeleteTeagan, you brought up some very, very good points about healthcare and the costs associated with it. Healthcare and insurance is not something that I typically think about a lot, but as of late it has been on my mind a lot more recently, as a friend of mine's parents threatened to take their eighteen year old son off of their health insurance. I think that all of us who are insured and do not currently have to pay for insurance are extremely, extremely lucky, and should attempt to create an understanding of what exactly healthcare completely entails before we are scrambling to insure ourselves.
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