Health insurance help!

[cyborg213]

Hi everyone! 

I will be joining a PhD program (fully funded + stipend) next fall and I have a question about health insurance... My offer doesn't cover health insurance but the school requires me to have one once I start the program. How much do international students typically pay for health insurance in the US? Do schools usually have specific health programs for graduate students which are cheaper? I've been trying to search for this information online but got even more confused about how this whole thing works... I also wrote to my university and they gave me a (surprisingly) vague answer. If I have to pay more that $2,000 a year for health insurance, well, that makes my stipend almost unlivable... any suggestions? 

 

[feralgrad]

Many schools offer discounted health plans for both employees and students (I know PhD students may be considered employees, but not always). Try calling your school's human resources department, and don't hang up until your satisfied with their answers. If they're being vague, then they aren't doing their job. It may be uncomfortable, but you'll need to learn to advocate for yourself in order to navigate the American healthcare system (and keep in mind that as long as you're polite, people will usually want to help).

I also found this article online that has a lot of helpful information, including some recommended providers if your school can't cover you. However, it is a sponsored article, so I'd recommend shopping around outside of what they recommend. Also, if you need to get insurance quotes, keep in mind that companies will ask for contact info in order to give you a quote. This is so their marketing team can pester you, which is annoying but harmless.

[cyborg213]

24 minutes ago, feralgrad said:

If they're being vague, then they aren't doing their job. It may be uncomfortable, but you'll need to learn to advocate for yourself in order to navigate the American healthcare system (and keep in mind that as long as you're polite, people will usually want to help).

Thank you so much! Very funny and helpful article (I do wanna be like Ross), and great advice. I will definitely insist with my school to get as much information as possible...

If anyone else have experiences / advice on this issue I'd be happy to hear!