At least a few times a week I get calls from students asking about the health insurance options available at Baruch - the seemingly most elusive health issue for students.
Many have recently become too old to qualify for coverage under their parents. Others have recently changed jobs and lost their benefits. What many students don't seem to know is that Baruch, as part of a joint CUNY initiative, has a formal relationship with Group Health Incorporated to provide a specially constructed student health insurance policy to attend to their medical needs.
The GHI student policy tends to be a bit expensive, but covers the basics in medical care that might prove useful to many students. For further information, please refer to the GHI-CUNY website at ghi.com for an extensive breakdown of the coverage offered in the policy.
Some key insurance terms to understand include:
Premium: Your monthly health plan contribution.
Deductible: The out-of-pocket expenses you incur before the insurance company contributes to payment of medical costs. For example, a $200 deductible might have to be paid over a year in prescription costs and doctor visits before the insurance company pays expenses in excess of $200.
Co-payment: Some services are only partly paid by the insurance provider. Dentist visits often fall under this category. The policy holder will have to pay an out-of-pocket fee and the insurance provider pays the rest.
Co-insurance: This is similar to a co-payment, but is based on a percentage of the overall cost of the service received.
Exclusions: Medical services not covered by the insurance policy.
Coverage limits: Health plan coverage is not bottomless. Most policies specify a limit to which the insurance provider will cover expenses.
Out-of-pocket maximums: This is similar to coverage limits, but it instead puts a ceiling on how much a policy holder pays out of pocket. The insurance provider pays expenses in excess to the maximum.
Capitation: The insurance provider pays a set fee to a health care provider to cover any expenses incurred by the policy holder.
In-Network Provider: Health care providers identified by the insurance company from which policy holders could choose. These health care providers will offer discounts on co-payments or co-insurance.
When looking for an insurance plan, do research and compare. There are several insurance providers with superior benefits. Some students may even qualify for low-income or no-income state insurance.
To determine eligibility, visit the Access NYC website: a858-ihss.nyc.gov. The Baruch Health Care Center also offers many basic medical services for free or low cost.
For further information, contact the Health and Wellness office at (646) 312-4566 or make an appointment at the Health Center by calling (646) 312-2040 to seek medical care.
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