Information about health insurance
The number of college age students without health insurance is increasing nationally and here at IU South Bend. From surveys done at the Health and Wellness Center at least 40% of our students do not have health insurance. Medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in America and gaining access to health care if you are uninsured is getting more difficult.
Many college age students assume that because they are young they don’t need health insurance and that they can’t afford it. Most young adults are as healthy as they will ever be in their lifetime BUT in the case of a motor vehicle accident (which is the most common cause of hospitalization for 18-26 year olds) medical costs can range from $5,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Studies show that people without health insurance often will not seek out the preventative services they need because of lack of insurance.
For these reasons Health and Wellness highly recommends that you consider purchasing either the IU Health Insurance OR consider applying for the Health Indiana Plan. The IU insurance is a basic policy which costs $391quarterly for a year’s worth of coverage. This averages out to be about $130 dollars per month (the same as the average cost of a doctor’s appointment).
The Healthy Indiana Plan is a state sponsored program that most college students qualify for. The monthly premium the student pays is dependent on the size of the household and amount of income. For a student who is single the range of monthly payment can range from 17-85 dollars.
You can find more information on both of these insurance programs by looking at the web sites below. You can also pick up written information at Health and Wellness. Our staff can also help you make decisions regarding health insurance.
www.HIP.IN.gov
http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/benefits/students.html
