Student insurance policies can be hard to understand, especially for students that have never had to look at an insurance policy before. So, what are your options at Eastern Michigan University?
The university offers an insurance plan for EMU students. This policy is offered each semester or can be purchased at the beginning of the year and covers all semesters, including the summer. The individual semester cost is $585, which adds up to be $1,750 for the year. This plan can be billed directly to your student account and can be paid off with the rest of your tuition or payments by check, money order, and credit or debit card are also accepted.
This plan offers EMU-specific services and the plan is accepted at hospitals if the health center is closed or is ill equipped for a patient’s needs.
If you have this insurance plan, being seen at Snow Health Center would cost $10. For a student that does not have the EMU-provided insurance, being seen at the Health Center would cost $80, even with another insurance provider.
The health center cannot bill private insurance companies. They can provide a receipt, but you still have to pay on the day of the visit.
The student insurance helps to lower the cost of little things, such as lab testing, prescriptions and general check-ups. Students can even bring labs from a private doctor to the EMU health center and have them done there for the cheaper price. With student insurance, generic prescriptions cost $10 and name brand cost $20.
“Students with asthma and diabetes can’t beat those prices,” says Pat Short, senior account specialist.
The student insurance plan is accepted at most hospitals around the world. EMU’s plan covers 80 percent of a visit to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, for example. What the student would have to pay is $100 plus 20 percent of the visit out of pocket. The out-of-pocket costs end when the patient reaches $1,250.00 cumulative payments.
The insurance plan is voluntary, meaning any enrolled student, no matter the age, can choose to buy this plan. The only students required to have the insurance are international students with an F or J visa status.
With the average age of undergraduates being 24 at EMU, most students can still be covered by their parent’s insurance policies.
EMU sophomore Gabriel Gonzalez does just that.
“Since I’m still on my parents’ insurance, it was an extra cost that seemed unnecessary,” Gonzalez said.
An important thing to note about the student insurance is that it has strict enrollment deadlines. The first enrollment deadline is Sept. 30 for the fall semester. Each deadline is the last day of starting semester month, winter being Jan. 31 and summer being May 31. The fall deadline is coming up fast for those interested in the plan.
More specific information about what is and is not cover can be found on the Snow Health Center web page.