Lite
If you are a student, you may want to learn about the different options for health insurance. There are several options available to you, depending on where you go to school. You can look into the plans offered by the college or university you are attending, or you can opt for a self-insured health plan.
Marist College
Unlike many schools of higher learning, Marist College requires its full-time undergraduates to purchase student health insurance. The school’s health office is dedicated to helping students and their families on the path to better health.
Among other things, the student health office offers a myriad of programs, services and activities to promote healthy living, wellness and stress reduction. As an added bonus, the college offers scholarships, awards, and athletic competitions that provide financial support for students.
In addition to its academic programs, the college also boasts an active campus life, ranging from sports to social activities and a student government.
For students who want to make a splash on campus, the college’s student activities olympics provide the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their mettle.
Likewise, the college’s varsity football and basketball teams provide an extra incentive to perform well in their respective leagues. Moreover, the campus offers a multitude of cultural activities and entertainment venues, making Marist the epicenter of a diverse community.
Marist College also features one of the best athletic facilities in the area. In addition to its competitive athletic programs, the college also offers a plethora of programs in the arts and humanities departments. From the college’s signature dance club to its prestigious orchestra, the college provides an immersive experience for its students.
NYU
New York University sponsors a student health insurance program that covers a variety of services including emergency care, prescriptions, physical therapy, specialty care and more. Although the NYU student health insurance program is not free, it does offer some great benefits.
For example, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and the Student Health Center (SHC) offer a variety of health care services. Students can also enroll in student health insurance plans provided by various companies.
During the first quarter of the academic year, registered students automatically enrolled in individual coverage on a UnitedHealthcare plan. They were also given the opportunity to sign up for a comprehensive plan if they wanted to.
However, this was not the case for fully funded graduate students. NYU claimed that the state agency required it to consolidate its health insurance plans. The Department of Financial Services did not agree with this claim, however. Instead, it referred to the Student Health Center website.
One problem with this is that the SHC website offers limited health care benefits. As a result, students may find themselves paying for services they are not eligible for.
Aside from the usual suspects such as the Student Health Center, New York University’s student health insurance program is available to students in other locations outside of Greenwich Village. In fact, the company offers an app that helps users locate health care providers nearby.
Another tidbit is that NYU pays for premiums on behalf of fully-funded graduate students. The cost of this is covered as part of a semester-by-semester payment plan.
While the NYU student health insurance program is not entirely free, it is a great way to protect yourself and your family from high healthcare expenses. You can find more information about the programs on the NYU website.
UR Student Health Insurance Plan (Aetna)
The UR Student Health Insurance Plan (Aetna) is a student health insurance plan offered by the University of Rochester. This plan provides coverage for hospitalization, specialist visits, diagnostic tests, and prescription medications. It also includes x-rays and medical equipment. For the 2021-2022 academic year, the premium for this plan is $2,940.
Aetna is a large national health insurer. Aetna Student Health offers a student health insurance plan that has been designed in collaboration with the Dean’s Office, Student Council, and Enrollment Services.
The UR Student Health Insurance Plan is offered to students who are legally required to have health insurance. Students can choose to enroll in this plan or waive out of it. However, if the student chooses to waive out of the student health insurance plan, the student is responsible for any expenses that are not covered by the student health insurance plan.
In order to enroll in the UR Student Health Insurance Plan, students must first complete the Online Health Insurance Process. Students must complete this process every year they are enrolled at the University. Failure to complete this process can delay access to care during the initial two months of the plan.
If a student is already enrolled in a different health insurance plan and wishes to drop the student health insurance plan, a Waiver of Coverage must be completed and submitted to the HSAC within 30 days of the termination of the existing plan. The Waiver of Coverage must meet the minimum coverage requirements for the plan.
Students can waive out of the Aetna Student Health Plan by providing proof that they have a comparable health insurance plan. If a student’s waiver of coverage is not received by the HSAC by the deadline, the student’s student account will be assessed the prorated amount of the student health insurance premium.
MLR rule requires student health insurance to be aggregated nationally rather than on a State by State basis
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA) includes a provision that addresses procedures for processing prenatal claims when a third party liability is known. This would allow the automated crossover claim process to be utilized. SS 438.6(a) identifies the definition of supplemental payments.
While the BBA does not explicitly address the CMS rate range proposal, it does provide a general overview of the changes the rule would make to the health care payment system. In particular, the rule would permit states to certify rate ranges, but only with certain conditions. It would also allow for mid-year rate adjustments, a move that many commenters deemed a boon to state actuaries.
There were some concerns regarding the accuracy of the rule’s remittance threshold. Some commenters raised the concern that the average MLR remittance threshold would be misleading, as it would ignore the actual costs of each managed care program. However, the average remittance threshold is merely a measure of the administrative load a state’s Medicaid managed care plan faces.
The proposed rule does not make it clear if retroactive changes to the risk-sharing mechanism or capitation rates are permitted. As a result, there is no guarantee that these new mechanisms would be actuarially sound, nor that they would be beneficial to managed care plans or their enrollees. Moreover, if CMS does not strictly enforce these conditions, it may create a precedent for other states to adopt similar practices.
Some commenters argued that the CMS proposal could increase the Federal government’s overall cost of managing Medicaid. Others suggested that the proposal could result in the loss of state oversight over payment rates, and may result in lower payments to managed care plans.
Self-insured student health plans are not required to be compliant with the ACA
A health insurance plan offered by a college, university or other eligible organization must satisfy certain requirements under the Affordable Care Act. These requirements are also applicable to high schools and other organizations that provide student health coverage.
Under the Affordable Care Act, all student health insurance plans must meet minimum essential health benefits requirements. In addition, the plans must meet a new medical loss ratio requirement. This requires that issuers spend at least 80% of premiums on clinical services. They must also spend a certain percentage of premiums on activities that improve health care quality.
As part of the Affordable Care Act, student health insurance plans are no longer allowed to impose pre-existing condition exclusions on enrollees. However, a transition relief may be available to delay the application of this rule for an additional policy year.
Some consumer groups are concerned that the Affordable Care Act’s new rules will harm students and universities. A consumer advocacy group urged HHS to make student health insurance subject to the same rules as other individual market coverage. It also recommended that the rule’s January 1, 2012 date be adopted as the latest date for student coverage to meet the individual market requirements.
Student health insurance coverage is a relatively small market, with approximately 1.2 to 1.5 million students enrolled in insurance policies. Industry sources estimate that about 200,000 students are covered by self-funded student health plans.
Several colleges expressed concern that the ACA would end their ability to offer student health insurance. Two universities argued that they better served their students by offering coverage during the enrollment period rather than limiting access to coverage after they graduated.
