Review Your Insurance Policies Before Your Student Child Goes Off to College
It’s that time again. In fact, I sent my son off to college just last week. It’s an emotional and hectic time. Not only should you remember to pack just about everything, you should also consider your changing insurance needs. The (NAIC) offers these tips to help you review and update your insurance policies to cover your college student.
Health Insurance - Most health insurance policies cover dependents who are full-time students until the age of 23. Generally, a student must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours per semester (six or nine credit hours in the summer) to be considered a full-time student. Individual policies differ, so check with your health insurer or benefits administrator about how the policy defines a full-time student and the maximum age of coverage.
Know Your Policy - Before leaving home, make sure your student has a copy of the relevant insurance cards and knows about obtaining referrals and approvals (if necessary) before seeking treatment. If you are insured by a health maintenance organization (HMO), check to see if your student will be outside the HMO service area while away at school. If this occurs, the student likely will have coverage for emergency care, but might have to travel to a physician or hospital within the HMO service area for routine care. If your insurer is part of a preferred provider organization (PPO), your insurer may pay benefits at out-of-network levels if you are outside your network. Check your plan provisions or speak with your insurer to find out what level of benefits are provided by your policy.
Your child does not need a to make sure you’re adequately covered.
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