The new school year is right around the corner. If you are a college student, then you need to start considering your college student medical insurance options. Many institutes of higher education are requiring new and current students to have some form of medical insurance coverage before they are allowed to attend classes.

fun88.com, has a nice article that reminds college students of their options when it comes to getting health insurance coverage.

Per the above article, the typical college student has three options when it comes to college health insurance coverage:

1. Coverage under their parent’s plan. Assuming they are eligible, and their parents have a medical insurance policy, college students generally can stay covered under this plan. There are certain age restrictions that will apply, and the parent’s plan may have limited out of state coverage.
2. Coverage through the school. Many colleges have some sort of health plan they offer students, ranging from basic health care through an on campus clinic to a full blown health plan allowing you to seek coverage off campus.
3. Purchase a temporary health plan. You can get a temporary, or short term, health plan to cover you while in school. The problem with this is that most temporary plans are (surprise, surprise) just a temporary option that lasts from six months to a year, with the option to renew (typically) one time.

I will add a fourth option that the BillEater.com article didn’t address, which is purchase an individual health plan. This is the same type of plan that someone who is out of college would purchase (assuming they don’t have coverage through an employer). The advantage of an individual health plan is that you can keep this coverage after you graduate, for as long as you wish.

Regardless of how you get it, fun88.com, will most likely be required to have health insurance coverage before you start the new college year. Now is a great time to get your health insurance ducks in a row, eliminating one fairly large issue that you will have to eventually conquer.