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Health Coverage Eligibility for Students

Going without health care coverage can be a scary thing for a student -- specially a minor. Fortunately there are several coverage options available to a student as she grows up, finishes high school and goes on to college. Some health insurance options are subsidized by the state, which allows low monthly premiums as long as certain income criteria are met.

  1. Parental Insurance Plans

    • Passed Sept. 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act states all students may remain on parental insurance policies up to the age of 26. This law replaces insurance company policies which previously dropped students from parent insurance plans when they graduated from college at age 22 or 23. This law can be particularly useful for students who take longer than four years to complete an undergraduate degree or who wish to pursue graduate school immediately following an undergraduate degree.

    University Health Insurance

    • Many universities across the country allow students to buy into a university health insurance plan as a perk of attending the school. The premium for this plan is billed per semester and may be added to the student's tuition costs. According to Distance Education's website, as of Jan. 1, 2011 all health insurance plans including university-run policies are required to show an 80 to 85 percent medical loss ratio. This means at least 80 percent of the money spent for health care must actually go towards patient care. This allows students and other policy holders to get a fair return on benefits for the premium paid.

    Medical Assistance Programs

    • Students who cannot be claimed as a dependent by a parent or guardian may be eligible for a state-run medical assistance program. These programs are offered free of charge or at a substantially reduced rate to those whose income falls close to or below the poverty line. A student who may be claimed as a dependent is required to disclose his parent's combined annual income which may place him out of eligibility for a state assistance program.

    Medicaid and CHIP

    • Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are state programs to provide medical coverage for minors when parents cannot afford health insurance. Medicaid is designed for the lowest income families while the CHIP program services those children whose parents make over the financial limit for Medicaid eligibility but still not enough to afford care. Students may be covered under these policies until turning 18

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