Monthly check in for S:
Everything is smooth and easy. Reviewing class options, preparing for tests, auditions, and of course the general preparation for being a musician.
We have to love this one:
http://musicschoolcentral.com/check-10-best-college-towns-music-majors-2016/5/
That list is puzzling
That list was just one guyâs opinion.
.Best college music town! Woot woot. @GoForth you nailed it. Just be sure not to read any other opinions for the next 4 years. And when your son complainsâŠyou have ammunition to remind him heâs at the BEST!
@GoForth of course a designation like âbest college music townâ is pretty subjective, but as someone who lives a short drive from Denton, I have to say I donât disagree with the author of that article.
Hey, @BassTheatreMom - Mrs. GoForth and I will be in Denton for a week from about the 15th thru the 21st, just in case anything is needed to be signed, transported or arranged. It will be partly vacation time for us, as S will be in his dorm as of the 16th. Are there any places we should check out around the DFW/Denton area (not too much into sporting events BTW)? Of course, we will hang in Denton, too, because it has been voted best college music town.
Sadly the Mexico exhibit at the DMA is over. It was fabulous. The DMA is still a worthwhile museum to visit and the setting is wonderful - Klyde Warren Park is a great place to hang out and grab some great food truck fare. Be sure to check out the Meyerson Symphony Center when you go down there even if you donât see a performance. It is a masterpiece.
The Fort Worth cultural district is also excellent. The Kimbell Art Museum in FW is a must-see - the building itself was designed by Louis Kahn and is a very big deal in the world of architecture.
I recommend downtown McKinney (Money Magâs #1 place to live in U.S.) for a great historic downtown with a wonderful local food scene. Try Harvest or Sugarbacon for dinner, or Patina Green for lunch (Patina Green has the best sandwich in the state according to Food Network Magazine). Tuppâs Brewery is a really fun place to hang out. Emporium Pies for dessert.
Itâs August. Itâs going to be piping hot, so there wonât be a ton of âeventsâ to check out. If you like water, Lake Texoma isnât far and itâs a great lake - you can try out Eisenhower State Park if you want to check it out. It wonât be the insanity that is Lake Lewisville, which is quite close to Denton but soooo crowded.
We will be heading up to the cool elevations of Wyoming that week to view the eclipse.
Good luck with the move in! We still have over a month since NU is on the quarter system.
Forgot to mention the 6th Floor Museum in downtown Dallas. All about the Kennedy assassination - itâs very well done. And, though Iâm no sure how I feel about it, they have an X marked on Elm Street where he was shot. I have a picture of my kids standing on it. Weird, I know, but itâs a thing.
Today was our last scheduled gig before heading off to college. A trio at a block party. Nice weather. Two of the three are heading off to North Texas, and one of the three is heading off to Berklee. Each one of them played (piano, bass, guitar) and sang at least a song - Sinatra, etc. The pianist had to run off at the end of the show for his third gig of the day. The moms are just starting to really sense that departure is near.
Hey, how does that student health insurance work at UNT. My plan wonât work in Texas. Oh, itâs not required for domestic students. But there is a plan available. That plan sounds alright. I guess I better go buy it.
Did something new enter that pile of things that gets packed into the car in a few days?
Thatâs interesting. Iâve had three kids attend three different colleges in three different states (MA, NY, MO) and health insurance was a requirement. Ours was always sufficient so I completed a waiver every year and the premium was deducted from the tuition bill. UNTâs plan for 2 semesters is fairly expensive when I compare it to the private colleges my kids attended.
I seem to recall that UG and now in grad school the insurance was around 1500 a year or so, but my insurance plan covers pretty much all 50 states, so it wasnât a problem. I would recommend having insurance, you never know what may hit.
We are required to purchase the NU plan for S because our plan doesnât meet ACA minimum requirements (weâve had it since 2002). The NU plan is nearly $4000 for the year. 
I will shop for a new family plan during open enrollment to see if we can all get something better with that added budget. And, in the meantime, if the individual market falls apart, at least S will have insurance.
Being self-employed is fantastic most of the time, but in this instance itâs kind of awful.
Right there with ya @BassTheatreMom we are self-employed, too. Our exchange plan is OK, but doesnât meet requirements for local coverage. Iâm happy to enroll S in his college plan and drop him from our current one - about the same cost but much better coverage (no deductibles! and out of network coverage is at about the same levels as our current in network coverage). Sâs school plan costs more like $2300, though. 4K is very steep.
Given the big question marks about the individual market right now, I also am glad S will be covered no matter what.
I work in finance/insurance. Premiums are highly dependent on area. Rates in one part of the country can be very different from others. Iâm surprised that NU would be so high since it is in a dense area with many providers. Rural areas typically will have higher rates reflecting low volume of use. Some states have taken actions to try to stabilize the market through added rebates and re-insurance (MN which has a state surplus). And some have done nothing (due to politics or budget deficits -Iowa). And some premiums for the upcoming year could reflect an âuncertaintyâ surcharge.
SoâŠhard to do a comparison except within a specified area. But regardless the cost (for people fortunate enough to think that way) having good insurance for a college student is important. Stuff happens. I was sure to walk my D past the clinic and tell her thatâs where to go for a cold, flu, rash and mental health support andâŠbirth control. So the first time she got sickâŠshe had NO idea where it was. Oh well, I tried.
Self employed, too. We will probably buy this national UHC student plan for UNT but then later drop S from our IL BCBS plan. S may or may not return home, so the IL plan would be wasteful / duplication.
@GoForth I have BCBS in NC and my son is covered in MA. Not sure why your plan wouldnât cover him in TX. Is it just that you donât have enough coverage to be acceptable?
The same companies offer both local and nationwide plans. We have an employer plan but we had the same plan offered to us this last year, with a local network (cheaper) or a nationwide network. We went with the nationwide network since both of our kids are in college out of state. It saves us a lot over buying two school plans. Now if only we didnât have a $6000 deductible.
BCBS is different state to state and market to market. Here employer and/or individual-family plans can have the nationwide network (usually called Blue card) or a mid-range network of local clinics and hospitals with only out-of-network for all other providers state-wide or nationwide. In the last few years most individual-family plans (for self-employed families) went to narrow networks meaning only ONE local clinic and hospital system in-network and all others out-of-network (OOP). For out-of network services the deductibles in these plans can be $10,000 and OOP $20,000!
Do check emergency coverage on the new plan as it should be nationwide with no out-of-network. You can check urgent care too and any ability for e-visits. Then if you drop him from your family plan and he comes home for a month and needs a visit you can try to avoid OOP payments. Some tims a basic visit isnât too expensive but an emergency should be covered in network for almost all plans (they shouldnât be trying to revive you on the sidewalk to ask you your network).
Right on, @bridgenail.