Health plans ensure student security

By Libby Mueller, Senior Staff Writer

For all full-time Oxford students, Miami University requires health insurance coverage. Because students can either be covered by their family plan or by the student health insurance offered by Miami, many may not know how to find an insurance plan after college.

If students are covered by a family plan, they must complete a waiver before the last Friday of August of the current school year. Miami offers insurance through American International Group (AIG). If a student opts for coverage by Miami, they simply pay the extra health insurance charges added to their bursar bill. About 10 percent of Miami students elect this option for healthcare.

The deductible for the student health plan, or amount of money an insurance holder must pay before the company will pay for medical services, is $200 per year.

The average deductible for individual health insurance plans in 2013 for people ages 18-24 was $3,258 per year according to the 2013 eHealth Insurance Cost and Benefits report, over 15 times the deductible Miami students pay for student coverage. However, an individual health insurance plan may offer more benefits not covered by the Miami insurance policy, such as dental coverage. The student insurance plan Miami offers covers all essential health benefits outlined in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including hospitalizations, surgery, emergency care, prescriptions, maternity and newborn care, laboratory services and chronic disease management services among others. The student policy will pay for 80 percent of eligible expenses.

Senior Connor Dickey said he elected for coverage under Miami's student policy.

"I use the Miami healthcare plan because my parents' healthcare policy got messed up and they didn't have insurance for a while," Dickey said. "I Googled healthcare plans and how to pick your healthcare and from what I found out, the one that Miami was offering wasn't that bad so I opted into it."

According to Dickey, he rarely incurs medical expenses, so he was not sure how Miami's deductible compared to other health insurance policies.

"I'm getting charged a flat rate, but I didn't really look into what [different] deductibles would be because I rarely go to the doctor," Dickey said.

Dickey said he hopes to do freelance work after college, so finding a health insurance policy he can afford might be difficult.

"Hopefully, I'll get a job with a benefits package, although I want to do freelance stuff so I wouldn't really be offered a benefits package," Dickey said. "So, I don't know. Ideally, I'll probably find the cheapest possible option. I have done some of the research, so I'll look back to that. It wouldn't be about finding it, it would be about affording it."

Senior Caroline Leeker waived the Miami student health insurance plan. She is covered instead under her family's policy. However, she said after college, she does not know how to choose the best healthcare plan for her.

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"I'm on my parents' healthcare coverage," Leeker said. "I denied the Miami one. After college, I'll probably go to my own because it's part of the benefits package for the job offer I'm planning on accepting. My biggest concern is expenses because I know you can choose from a variety of plans and I don't know what will be best or what's most cost-effective."

In order to ultimately select her health insurance policy, Leeker said she plans to use a variety of sources.

"I'll probably read about them, work with HR to determine which one and look to my parents for advice," Leeker said.

Junior Justin Cohen said he also is covered by his family's health insurance plan.

"I'm on my family's plan," Cohen said. "That's what I've always been on and it's the cheapest option for me."

Cohen said he plans to stay on his family's health insurance policy until age 26, which is permitted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

"I can stay on my parents' plan until I'm 26, so I'll probably do that to save money," Cohen said. "Then I'll try to get something in the low or medium range in terms of cost because I'll be pretty young, so I'm sure there won't be too many things I need to worry about."

Cohen said he does feel well equipped to find health coverage after college.

"With the Internet, there's so much information out there that as long as I put in some research and some time, I should be able to find a good plan," Cohen said.