Guys (especially Djquick83 and Dies Irae),
Im going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that your comments are just venting frustration, not the way you actually see the situation. If it is in fact how you view this situation, I think you all need to do a little research on the true costs of quality health insurance before orientation.
I understand the frustration with the price tag for the insurance, especially as the abstract idea of the cost of medical education and the associated living expenses are becoming a reality. I just sent new landlord the security deposit for my apartment, and even though it was less than a third of the cost of the health insurance, it still stung.
What are all these comments about NYCOM skimming money from the health care fees? Do you really not understand how much health insurance costs? In any case, it is irresponsible to make such accusations about our school. I highly doubt that NYCOM is making any money off this requirement; especially with all the time and personnel they need to invest in negotiating for this coverage. Quality health insurance costs a lot. If you havent learned it by now, you better pick up on it quickly.
In any case, even though the health insurance seems expensive (by the way, its less than $4k, more like $3500 for both Medical and Dental, Life and Disability insurance adds another $126 according to packet I received on my interview day), for a quality plan, it really is quite moderate.
Djquick83, you noted that your mother has approximately $700 deducted from her paycheck each year for health insurance. She should count herself incredibly lucky that her personal contribution is that low (especially for a family plan), for the true cost of that policy is probably closer to 10 times that amount. (I am assuming that her position is covered by a union or collective bargaining agreement, for there are very few non-union environments where the personal or family contributions for health care premiums are that low.) Ask her to drop by her Human Resources office and ask about the total cost of the policy that covers her family the cost of the NYCOM plan wont seem so bad after all.
Dies Irae, almost any quality health insurance policy that covers a family will cost more than $4000 a year. The total cost for my parents PPO plan (it also covers my sister) is over $10000 a year (it also includes dental insurance). And this doesnt even cover everything. There is still a $500/person/year deductible for medical care.
My boyfriend has a PPO insurance plan. His policy costs over $5000 a year, of which he contributes a little less than $2000. The personal contributions for my policy are significantly lower, but my employer still contributed almost $3000 last year for my insurance policy (and that was for an HMO). The SOs policy costs a bit more than average for a single employee, but he works for a smaller company that has a lot of older workers (both factors add to the cost of his policy).
Your moms personal contributions for her health plan are so low because her employer covers a significant portion of the cost for each policy. Whether this is required as part of a union contract or not, most employers pay for 50% or more of a premium policy (at least for the covered employee family plans may have a greater employee contribution).
Most employees dont understand the true cost of their health insurance because they only see the contribution that is taken out of their paycheck. Insurance companies require that employers cover the majority of a health plans cost in order to make the plan attractive for all employees, not just the employees with health issues. That way they cover employees with a wide range of health needs, not just the individuals who know they will need insurance for expensive medical problems. Otherwise, young, relatively healthy employees would sign up for a high deductible policy or just skip the company plan and just sign up for a lower cost individual plan.
Now that were on the subject of the individual plans, they may seem a great idea for a young healthy individual, but you really need to look at them carefully before you enroll. If you decide on an individual plan, you wouldnt have the same rights as if you were covered by a group plan. Most of the time you have to submit your medical records to the company for review and you are not guaranteed a policy. Generally, only very healthy people are accepted into those plans (unless there are state laws requiring they accept all that apply). If you have any pre-existing medical conditions (even conditions from long ago that have since resolved), you may be forced to pay a higher premium or not have coverage for those conditions at all (for at least the first year). And if you apply for a policy and are denied, good luck finding another. Insurance companies will ask if you have ever been denied a policy or had a policy canceled and if you check that yes box, it is a huge red flag.
In some cases, if you really are healthy, a low-cost plan may not be a bad option if you are looking to pay a lower monthly premium. You just have to understand that to get that lower rate, youre either giving up coverage for certain things (prescription coverage is often limited), have a lower lifetime limit, or a higher deductible. As students, were all trying to save money. That low-cost individual plan may seem like a great way to do that. But as students, we dont have a lot of money lying around. If you do need medical care, how do you plan to pay for the $1000+ deductible, or the out-of-pocket costs for procedures that are not covered? God forbid you get seriously hurt and have an extended hospital stay. The policies with a $100,000 limit may seem like a bargain now, but that limit can be reached by less than one month in the hospital. Then what are you going to do?
Even if your problems dont require a hospital stay, the costs for your care can quickly add up. You dont want to be in a situation where you need to leave school in order to pay for your medical bills.
Back to the cost of the NYCOM plan, youre probably asking, My employer pays for part of my health care premium, why doesnt NYCOM contribute to the cost for the required policy? Unfortunately, I dont have an answer for that. My guess is that as it is not required to contribute to the cost of the policy, it wont (think about it, even if you had coverage under a spouse or parents plan, your tuition money would be paying for other peoples premiums). There are other schools where students are automatically covered under a school policy and the cost is included in the tuition, but these schools tend to be large universities that have their own health services.
It may seem like it is unfair that students are required take the schools coverage unless they can prove they are covered by another policy, but with this requirement, NYCOM is actually doing you a favor. With this requirement, the school can negotiate for a policy with better coverage. United HealthCare is a major medical insurance company. Most doctors in my area take United insurance. Have you looked what this plan provides? The annual deductible is limited to $250/person ($500/family) with an out-of-pocket maximum of $500/person ($1500/family). It was a little confusing to read, but I think there may actually be no deductible for in-network care. And as a PPO plan, you have the freedom to choose your provider and not have to deal with the hassles of an HMO. (Just compare that to the SOMA plan especially the limits on covered services.) If you rarely use your insurance, you may think its overkill, but believe me, you never know when youll need it. I have a friend who was riding a motor scooter, hit some gravel and ended up underneath the scooter. She broke her elbow and it required over $30,000 in medical care to treat. Just one misplaced step during an afternoon football game and you could end up with thousands in medical bills.
Even if you could find a comparable plan, it would probably cost more than this one does. Other schools that do allow students to buy their own health insurance policies generally require that they provides the same coverage as the school policy. Where are you going to find a plan that provides the same benefits and would be available to all students? Face it, not all of our classmates are healthy 23-year olds. Theyre not all going to qualify for the low-cost individual policies. If United was worried that only those students were going to sign up for the school plan, they wouldnt offer the coverage we have. Besides, if we did all choose individual policies do you know how much time it would take verify that all 1200 students have adequate insurance? Who really wants NYCOM to have to hire more personnel just to do that?
Djquick83, your thoughts of just getting Medicaid it probably wont work. Federal welfare and other assistance programs do not provide assistance for students unless they would otherwise be eligible for the programs (not having an income is not enough). However, if you have children, they may be eligible if your income and assets are below a certain threshold. Here is the website if you wish to check it out.
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/eligibility/default.asp . State plans are another story. As long as the states want to pay for it themselves, the federal government says, Go ahead. You may have more luck there with the plans that Peon9985 suggested.
Im talkin to a few insurance companies now and once I get the rates, no more than lets say $500 a year, if even that, then whoever needs it, I will hook it up personally and get them the info out. Why spend 4k when u can do the same job with $500 bux, especially when the cost is an issue for us 
