<p>So, I just got the dreaded news that I will be off my parent’s health insurance when I turn 22 (even though I am still in college). My parents are willing to help me pay for the insurance for a while, and I hope to get a job that includes insurance, but that won’t happen at least until I graduate. My insurance will expire in early January, and I don’t know if I should shop around for an individual policy, take my school’s health insurance, or do something else. There’s no guarantee that I will get a job straight out of college, so I may need a few months of time after graduating in May continuing to be covered.</p>
<p>All of this stuff truthfully confuses me. My parents are helping me figure it out, but I also wanted to hear any advice that anyone has about this situation. Thanks!</p>
<p>I would think that USC’s health insurance might be your best bet. It looks much better than the student insurance offered to my daughter at her state school in New Jersey. </p>
<p>Is your parent’s policy and individual or group. If it is an individual you might be able to convert to your own policy with them without any application. All I know is that we have an individual PPO plan with Blue Vross our agent said that when my D is no longer covered under our plan she can convert to an individual plan without review. This is good for us since she has some health problems.
Also Blue Cross of Ca has a line of plans for young adults.
Another option I have heard is that Starbucks offers health insurance to part time employees.</p>
<p>Compare the costs of our college’s coverage and the Cobra coverage from your parents’ policy and choose the best plan of $$ vs services. Your parents s/b able to find out the costs of the continuing coverage. That insurance company would likely send you a letter once your terminated with contact info but don’t wait till then - find out now.</p>
<p>You’re smart to think about this and be responsible enough to get the coverage.</p>
<p>Check out <a href=“http://www.ehealthinsurance.www%5B/url%5D”>www.ehealthinsurance.www</a>, they are pretty affordable even for people in the 40s and 50s who are healthy. I would go for the high deductible HSA if you are healthy.</p>
<p>We found it to be less expensive to take the school’s insurance than self insure my D. She is in excellent health, but I demanded that she have coverage.</p>
<p>^^ Yes and no matter how healthy one is they can still get hit by a car, injure themselves skiing/skating/walking, etc. Younger people are in the low risk category for diseases but can be in a higher risk category for accidents due to their activity level and sometimes riskier activities.</p>
<p>if you are a Calif resident and your parent’s policy is a group policy, I believe you are eligible for Cal-COBRA which will alllow you to extend your stay on the folks’…</p>
<p>Do a search for California individual insurance. I got my son a catastrophic policy ($2500/year) deductible from Blue Shield for $49/month. For $600/year, it’s cheap peace of mind against a car accident or appendicitis… And he can pay for the few visits he makes with the savings. </p>
<p>(My husband and I have had $1K deductible health insurance for 8 years now. In only two of those years have we spent more than $1000.)</p>