Student health insurance

[washndry]

Right now I'm looking at two schools, George Washington and Syracuse. One thing I've noticed while going through a comparison is that while GW offers students health insurance at a very good rate (about 1700/yr) Syracuse does not offer students health insurance at all. There's a nominal health services fee, which covers use of the on-campus facilities, but for someone that requires regular prescriptions and likely specialist visits, this isn't sufficient, not even counting a real emergency requiring a hospital. Problem is, health insurance for an individual is absurdly expensive in NY, and would cost me about 1600 a month.

Anyone have any ideas about covering health costs while in school, or perhaps someone knows how the new health care legislation might be helpful here? Depressing as it seems, with little/no income, can I apply for Medicaid (this seems wrong to me on some level)? Do I just need to hope I can find a part time job that give health benefits? As for my current situation, I'm covered by COBRA from my previous employer, but it runs out very soon.

Edited April 10, 2010 by washndry

[8521679]

Most schools require that students have medical insurance, if anything to mitigate the liability of having uninsured students running around. I did my undergrad work in New York, and my impression is that it was the law there for students to be insured. I honestly think it's utterly unthinkable that a graduate program wouldn't offer a health plan. They know perfectly well that you'll have no money and that an individual plan would be utterly out of your range. It strikes me not only as odd that Syracuse lacks a graduate health insurance plan, but in fact it seems downright unethical and incompetent. That's not the kind of school you want, I think. Are you certain there's nothing available through the university?

[washndry]

Most schools require that students have medical insurance, if anything to mitigate the liability of having uninsured students running around. I did my undergrad work in New York, and my impression is that it was the law there for students to be insured. I honestly think it's utterly unthinkable that a graduate program wouldn't offer a health plan. They know perfectly well that you'll have no money and that an individual plan would be utterly out of your range. It strikes me not only as odd that Syracuse lacks a graduate health insurance plan, but in fact it seems downright unethical and incompetent. That's not the kind of school you want, I think. Are you certain there's nothing available through the university?

I'd be more than happy to be corrected about this, but the only thing I found aside from the standard student medical fee I mentioned was a plan for staff and students employed by the university. If it is something that should be expected, I think I'll try to contact them on Monday.

[pea-jay]

Most schools require that students have medical insurance, if anything to mitigate the liability of having uninsured students running around. I did my undergrad work in New York, and my impression is that it was the law there for students to be insured. I honestly think it's utterly unthinkable that a graduate program wouldn't offer a health plan. They know perfectly well that you'll have no money and that an individual plan would be utterly out of your range. It strikes me not only as odd that Syracuse lacks a graduate health insurance plan, but in fact it seems downright unethical and incompetent. That's not the kind of school you want, I think. Are you certain there's nothing available through the university?

I second this. The two NY schools i applied to had the same approaches you are talking about

NYU had a full plan that you can only opt out of if you can prove coverage elsewhere.

Baruch(CUNY)offered nothing other than the health center fee. But at Baruch you still have the option of purchasing coverage at rates cheaper than what you were looking at

[BKLYN-MS]

Syracuse offers an aetna health plan... more info can be found at http://www.haylor.com/default.asp?page=studentpages/collegestudents.htm

[washndry]

Syracuse offers an aetna health plan... more info can be found at http://www.haylor.co...egestudents.htm

Excellent, thank you!