Health Plans for Students Staying on Parents’ Insurance

Students who plan to stay on their parents' plan should contact their insurer (their insurance card should have a helpline listed) and verify that they will have coverage for all types of medical care (not just emergency or unforeseen care) where they will be going to school. Many plans will not provide coverage for non-emergency medical care that an insured receives outside of certain territorial areas. Whether a plan covers non-emergency medical care in the area where the school is located is often one of the criteria that schools look at when determining whether it meets their insurance requirements.

Even if their parents' plan covers non-emergency medical care in the area where their school is located, students will still need to make sure that the provider(s) they go to accept their particular insurance plan prior to receiving treatment. The easiest ways to do this are either through their health insurer's website or by asking a provider prior to receiving care. Students should know that they generally do not have to worry about whether a provider accepts their insurance when in an emergency care situation.