As a college student, the last thing I used to think about was health insurance. But when I lost my Medicaid insurance on my 19th birthday, it suddenly became an extremely important issue to me. I’m not the only uninsured student either.
According to a study by the Current Population Survey (CPS) part of the census bureau site, My Insurance Expert, 20 percent of college students aged 18 to 23 did not have any health insurance in 2008. That’s approximately 1.7 million uninsured college students in the United States.
Things haven’t changed much since then. With a bad economy and low-paying jobs, poor college students like me often think that some health insurance plans are priced too high when the coverage may not even be needed.
Research shows that      Medicaid, which my parents have paid for me for years, ends at age 18, often leaves college-aged adults without insurance at age 19 and no longer able to rely on their parents’ support.
The options from here are limited for students who work part-time making minimum wage. An adult with low-income can try to get Medicaid for adults, which many people are not eligible for.
“Medicaid provides health coverage to 11 million        non-elderly low-income      parents, other caretaker relatives, pregnant women and other non-disabled adults,” states the Medicaid website about insurance for non-disabled adults.
Clearly, this type of insurance is geared more towards parents and caretakers than young college students.
The next option I looked into was student insurance provided through the university. Southeastern offers student insurance provided by the private company American College Student Association (ACSA). ACSA has three health care plans, which can be purchased either quarterly, semi-annually, every nine months or every year.
In order to receive insurance through the university, you must meet a few basic requirements. The problem for me comes in at the price. Even the most basic insurance plans through ACSA can cost nearly $100 per month.
According to the study by the CPS, a sad reality is that many students who chose to live without health care insurance end up dropping out of college to work and pay off medical bills.
Since so many universities, especially Southeastern, strive for all students to graduate, I think it is arguable the university should offer a cheaper insurance alternative for those adult students who work part-time making less than a certain amount of money per year and whose parents either no longer help their children pay for anything, or cannot afford to pay for their adult child’s health insurance.
In order to try to change the percent of uninsured college students in America, students must talk to the Human Resources department at their university about the current costs of student health insurance compared to what would be affordable costs. Also, students should complain to state representatives about this important issue and propose cheaper health insurance alternatives to be offered to those who cannot afford the currently offered insurance rates.
To find out more on eligibility, go to Medicaid.gov.