Health Insurance in Law School Forum

[cotiger]

For those of us who will be too old to remain on our parents' plans, how does health insurance in law school work? Do you just enroll in Medicaid or Obamacare or whatever because you have no income? I know that schools offer health insurance plans of their own, is there any benefit to that?

I have no idea how this stuff works.

[NonTradHealthLaw]

Most students don't qualify for Medicaid, particularly in states that didn't expand coverage. To explain why requires nearly 100 pages of analysis.

Just sign up for Obamacare. I got decent coverage for ~$70/month with all the stipends.

[cotiger]

Most students don't qualify for Medicaid, particularly in states that didn't expand coverage. To explain why requires nearly 100 pages of analysis.

Just sign up for Obamacare. I got decent coverage for ~$70/month with all the stipends.

Thanks!

[A. Nony Mouse]

Most schools also offer insurance for grad students. Obamacare may be better, but you can compare them.

[FluffMonster]

Searching the marketplace through Obamacare is over as of March.

[goldenboy514]

Searching the marketplace through Obamacare is over as of March.

Can't you qualify if you have a life changing event?
So say if you leave a full time job to go to full time grade school?

A change in your life that can make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period to enroll in health coverage. Examples of qualifying life events are moving to a new state, certain changes in your income, and changes in your family size (for example, if you marry, divorce, or have a baby).

https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/qua ... ife-event/

Sounds general, but definately could see this working in our favor. I tried to inquire about a special enrollment but getting through to "workers" at healthcare.gov was grueling. When I finally did, they literally read me word for word answers off the site.

[Big Dog]

Can't you qualify if you have a life changing event?
So say if you leave a full time job to go to full time grade school?

Correct. A life-event is also turning 26 ("aging off") and getting dropped from your parent's plan.

[cotiger]

Can't you qualify if you have a life changing event?
So say if you leave a full time job to go to full time grade school?

Correct. A life-event is also turning 26 ("aging off") and getting dropped from your parent's plan.

Yep, that'll be what happens a couple of weeks after starting school.

I've created accounts on both the NY and CA state health insurance websites to see what it would look like, and they both tell me I'm eligible for Medicaid. I mean, I'll have zero income and a negative net worth, so it's tough to imagine how I wouldn't be. Regardless, even that $70/mo that NonTrad mentioned sounds a lot better than the $3000+/yr of going through the schools.

Still, it's just something that I never hear about on here, so I was just wondering if it had any downsides compared to buying through the school.

[presidentk1]

There's no downside. I was in the exact same situation as you; too old to stay with my parents, too broke to pay $2000+ for coverage through school (especially since it didn't even include dental, which is probably they only thing I would ever use, statistically speaking, unless you have a medical condition chances are you're never going to use the insurance)

So, I went on the Obamacare site and it said I was eligible for medicaid (they only care about income, which for most students will be $0)
A few weeks later I got my card in the mail, its the exact same Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance that a lot of people use in my state.
The coverage is great, everything is included ...$0 copays, $0 deductible, pretty much $0 out of pocket all together.

There's no benefit to selecting your school's insurance (or any other insurance for that matter) if you are eligible for medicaid.
You get the best coverage for free, as opposed to mediocre coverage at a cost. It's a no brainer tbh...

[goldenboy514]

There's no downside. I was in the exact same situation as you; too old to stay with my parents, too broke to pay $2000+ for coverage through school (especially since it didn't even include dental, which is probably they only thing I would ever use, statistically speaking, unless you have a medical condition chances are you're never going to use the insurance)

So, I went on the Obamacare site and it said I was eligible for medicaid (they only care about income, which for most students will be $0)
A few weeks later I got my card in the mail, its the exact same Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance that a lot of people use in my state.
The coverage is great, everything is included ...$0 copays, $0 deductible, pretty much $0 out of pocket all together.

There's no benefit to selecting your school's insurance (or any other insurance for that matter) if you are eligible for medicaid.
You get the best coverage for free, as opposed to mediocre coverage at a cost. It's a no brainer tbh...

Do I have to wait till I'm making 0 to qualify for Medicaid (currently working)? Or can I apply now in anticipation or making zero next year?

[paglababa]

There's no downside. I was in the exact same situation as you; too old to stay with my parents, too broke to pay $2000+ for coverage through school (especially since it didn't even include dental, which is probably they only thing I would ever use, statistically speaking, unless you have a medical condition chances are you're never going to use the insurance)

So, I went on the Obamacare site and it said I was eligible for medicaid (they only care about income, which for most students will be $0)
A few weeks later I got my card in the mail, its the exact same Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance that a lot of people use in my state.
The coverage is great, everything is included ...$0 copays, $0 deductible, pretty much $0 out of pocket all together.

There's no benefit to selecting your school's insurance (or any other insurance for that matter) if you are eligible for medicaid.
You get the best coverage for free, as opposed to mediocre coverage at a cost. It's a no brainer tbh...

Do I have to wait till I'm making 0 to qualify for Medicaid (currently working)? Or can I apply now in anticipation or making zero next year?

+1

If starting school in fall (and working full time until school starts) when is the best time to apply for medicaid to not have any lapses in coverage?

Also, do savings accounts affect medicaid eligibility or is it simply income level (which will be 0?).

[presidentk1]

I'm sure different states ask for/have different requirements..
but when I filled it out they didn't ask about savings or any other assets

...all they were interested in was how much money I made last year (per my tax return)
and how much money I am currently making ..on a per month basis

so I assume if you are currently receiving paychecks, unless 12 x your monthly checks = <133% of the fed. poverty line ...then you won't qualify for medicaid

I would wait until you aren't receiving a paycheck anymore, and then apply
That way you can honestly say you are making $0 a month ..in which case you'd most likely qualify (obv. nothing is definite)

[sinfiery]

Anyone know if summer Public interest funding counts as income?

ETA: Depends on how it's funded. Mine is through work-study which would not count as income.

I should be eligible for Medicaid from the initial forms because 0 income right? Why are people assuming law students would not be eligible?

[03152016]

i have no health insurance now
was a bad call, i've ended up saving like no money
so i'm definitely getting on a plan this year

trying to decide if i should i sign up for student health insurance now
or wait until open enrollment and go thru the exchanges which would hopefully save me a few bux
my school's basic plan is $2,100

thoughts?

[sinfiery]

i have no health insurance now
was a bad call, i've ended up saving like no money
so i'm definitely getting on a plan this year

trying to decide if i should i sign up for student health insurance now
or wait until open enrollment and go thru the exchanges which would hopefully save me a few bux
my school's basic plan is $2,100

thoughts?

Get on that medicaid if you have $0 income and are a resident of a state that expanded under obamacare.

It's apparently free.

[Yea All Right]

So how do things work if I am a resident of California but going to New York for law school? This process is confusing me. I thought I would just get the health insurance plan provided by my school but apparently I shouldn't?

[FKASunny]

The healthcare plans provided by the school are usually way more expensive than a catastrophic plan. Instead of paying $2600/year for good health insurance you'll never use, it might be a good idea to pay ~$850 for bad insurance you'll never use. (You usually have to buy one because the school requires you to have proof of insurance before letting you opt out of their expensive plan)

And about this Medicaid stuff, most states have residency requirements (you have to live there for X amount of years before getting access) and pretty much every state in the South won't give you Medicaid just because you have no income (you generally have to be on disability or be a poor person with kids.) Also, the deadline for filing the waiver to get out of the school's insurance program has likely passed or will pass Friday, so unless you're going to be buying insurance in the next few days, you're probably SoL.

[nyc_elle_p]

My school's plan is a little over $2000/year. Great coverage and I've used it several times and use it for prescriptions. I'd say it's worth it and most likely better coverage and doctors than Obamacare.

[goldenboy514]

Idk about other schools, but my school requires your plan to cover out of market expenses. Meaning if you live in Cali and go to school in NY, you can't get marketplace coverage for cali because the majority of them (catastrophic plans) don't cover out of market expenses.

[Yea All Right]

Interesting, thanks for the replies guys. Then should I consider getting a plan through NY, I think I would qualify for Medicaid as a person starting law school with $0 income right?

[Big Dog]

The healthcare plans provided by the school are usually way more expensive than a catastrophic plan.

Correct, but not all schools will accept a catastrophic plan in lieu of the school plan. So verify first.

[sinfiery]

Interesting, thanks for the replies guys. Then should I consider getting a plan through NY, I think I would qualify for Medicaid as a person starting law school with $0 income right?

I did this.

Enrolled through the NYstate website, everything seems to work fine.

Not sure if I met the residency requirements (though I should be as far as I've read; only thing I've found online is residency requirements for in-state tuition) but they said I was tentatively accepted as I put down my NYC address as my permanent address (I plan to live in NYC after school)

[paglababa]

Interesting, thanks for the replies guys. Then should I consider getting a plan through NY, I think I would qualify for Medicaid as a person starting law school with $0 income right?

I did this.

Enrolled through the NYstate website, everything seems to work fine.

Not sure if I met the residency requirements (though I should be as far as I've read; only thing I've found online is residency requirements for in-state tuition) but they said I was tentatively accepted as I put down my NYC address as my permanent address (I plan to live in NYC after school)

Nice! I want to enroll for medicaid too but I'm not quitting work until 8/15. I plan on enrolling the very next day so I can say I have an income of 0. I don't want to have to pay for NYU's health insurance but hope timing is good and I'll have proof to qualify for the school insurance waiver before my NYU bill is due.

[goldenboy514]

curious, what would happen if you showed your school proof of current employer insurance, and you quit said job in a few months?

[adil91]

Sorry for necroing this thread but my law school has this req to waive their healthcare plan https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/studen ... -insurance. It basically requires that I have an 80/20 plan right? I was looking at a 60/40 plan in the marketplace with a high deductible but no co-pay after I hit that deductible, could I use that plan to opt out of the universities? I really hate the fact that my school is requiring I get such an expensive plan