Reader question:

I’m just been accepted as a student at Columbia University in New York, and I heard that you have to have health insurance to go there. Is that true?

Albert

Yep.

You could say that Columbia is looking out for its students by requiring every student who attends classes there full time to be covered by a decent Columbia health insurance plan. It’s both trying to make sure that it is not responsible for any student ‘accidents’ and to make sure that its students are provided with proper health care. It can seem like a huge burden for many students to buy expensive health insurance after many are already putting forty thousand dollars a year into Colombia just for tuition and their dorm. It’s important as a student at CU, then, to compare health insurance quotes and determine which plan is best and cheapest for you.

Like most universities, Columbia University has clinicians on the campus who can help treat you if you fall ill or get injured and can prescribe you medication. However, there are many emergency situations that these clinicians are not qualified to deal with, and Columbia wants its students to be able to go get good health care from a hospital at these times.

Columbia doesn’t just leave its students hanging out to dry and having to find health insurance coverage on their own or else. Rather, it offers a program called the Student Medical Insurance Plan with which students can register for basic or comprehensive coverage. Whenever you register for classes full time at this school, your name is immediatly enrolled in this plan. If you already have health insurance and those don’t want to use the Columbia health insurance plan, then you can submit a waiver.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Columbia University’s health insurance program operates on a referral basis. You can go at any point to the on campus clinicians without a referral, but if you intend to go to a doctor or hospital outside of the Columbia campus, then you have to get a referral, either from the Primary Care Medical Services department or from Counseling and Psychological Services. If you are a full time registered student of Columbia and you have an emergency requiring you to go to the hospital, then it isn’t necessary for you to get a referral. You can get treated and then file a claim later.

In order to get a referral from PCMS or CPS, you have to go to the on campus clinicians first. Once they have attempted to treat you, or partially treated you, they can give you a referral to go outside the campus. Here are the steps that you have to follow.

• If you don’t get a referral before receiving medical treatment off the Columbia campus, then you aren’t covered. The only exception is for emergency situations.
• The way to get a referral has been made easier by making it to where you don’t need a new one every time you go to the same off campus doctor. Instead, the referrals are based on your condition. So, if you have to go see a certain off campus physician for one condition, a single referral covers all of your visits to said doctor for the same condition, with no limits unless you visit the doctor for a different reason.
• You’re still covered by the Columbia health insurance plan even when you aren’t in the city. If you are on break somewhere else and you get sick or hurt, you still have to get a referral, but you can do it over the phone.
• Copays are required most of the time for visits to off campus physicians.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I attend Columbia University and know that you have to get a referral to go off campus. Is this the case for everything?

Griselda

Nope.

Just because you are a registered full time student covered by the University of Columbia’s health insurance doesn’t mean that there are no exceptions to the many rules that they set out for you. It is true that in most cases if you go to an off campus physician you need to be able to pay for it all yourself, and that if you want to be covered, you have to first be referred by the campus clinicians before you are able to seek outside coverage. The main exception to this is for emergencies, but there are many more. Here are some situations in which you would not need a referral first. You may not need a referral, but if you look for service off campus, it would be wise to let the campus clinicians help you find it.

• Emergencies. If you have to go to the hospital there is no way to demand a referral, but once you have been treated and released, if you need follow up care you have to go to the on campus clinicians.
• Pre-natal care.
• OB/GYN appointments.
• Abortions.
• Mammograms are covered off campus with one between the age of 35 and 40, and one yearly once you reach forty. You can get more if you have a personal or family history of breast cancer and are recommended to get more by a doctor.
• If you attended Columbia before and got a referral for a certain condition, when you go back you are able to continute with the treatment of this condition using the same referral, without having to get a new one.
• Yearly pap smear and OB/GYN visit. You can get a pap smear on campus without a copay, and if you go off campus you will have to pay a co payment. If you go off campus to get a pap smear and are given other treatment or tests, it is acceptable so long as it is reasonable and you won’t have to get a referral for it.,

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

What types of health care plans are offered at Columbia University?

Randall

Great question.

There are two types of health insurance plans that you can get if you are a registered full time student at Columbia University, either as a grad student or an undergrad. One of them is the basic level, and the other the comprehensive, and you have the option to get both. Every student who registers full time at Columbia is automatically enrolled into the Columbia health insurance program, so it is likely that if you attend Columbia you will be choosing between one of these health insurance coverage plans.

The basic level plan is the one at which everybody starts. You are automatically put into this plan, although you may get a waiver or even get the comprehensive plan instead. This is the average plan that works for most students and is made for the people with less risk. If you don’t plan on using a more than average amount of health service, and you want a cheap plan, then the basic level may be for you. The basic level comes with $300,000 of coverage and might be a good option for students who can’t afford to pay high monthly premiums, as it puts more of the burden on co pays than on premiums.

The comprehensive plan is the next level up, and it comes with a million dollars worth of maximum coverage over the course of the insured person’s life. It comes with everything that the basic level does, with a little extra. It helps for people who need more extensive mental care by providing them with off campus mental evaluation and treatment, and it also comes with greater provisions for things like prescriptions and recovery treatments. This is the best option for students with a pre existing condition, although it can be expensive because the monthly premium costs more, but copayments and deductibles are smaller.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I already have health insurance coverage, but my university, Columbia, automatically enrolls you in their insurance program when you register full time. How do I get out of that?

Alexis

Great question.

It can be a little annoying that your university doesn’t give you the option of enrolling or not enrolling in its Columbia health insurance program, but you have to understand that it is mostly in order to protect the interests of its own finances and those of its students. It also offers you health insurance at cheaper rates than you might receive it elsewhere. However, while it is compulsory to be insured while you are attending Columbia full time, it is not compulsory to be insured by Columbia.

If you have your own health insurance coverage, then you can get a waiver to get out of being automatically enrolled in that of your school. It’s not very hard to do. The main thing that you need is documents proving that you have other health insurance coverage. This shouldn’t be easy to get, since all you wil need is your insurance card, which you should already have on your person at all times.

The catch is that while you have to provide proof of insurance, it has to meet six criteria. To find out what these are, go to the Columbia University website. Luckily, once you have waived your coverage, you don’t have to hassle too much with it. Once you waive it for the first semester of the school year, it is automatically waived for the next one. You will, however, need to get it waived all over again for the new school year if you continue attending Columbia.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

Does Columbia University’s health insurance plan cover dental as well?

Amber

Sure it does!

Luckily for full time students at Columbia University, they are able to get a lot of health insurance coverage at a decent price, with flexible rates and a nice referral system. They are also covered by the Columbia health insurance plan for dental, which is something that many health coverage plans lack. It’s a good thing, too, because many Americans avoid getting regular dental check ups because they have no insurance or it is not covered by their insurance, and the results much later are terrible on their teeth.

The dental care coverage extends beyond students themselves and to their families as well, and it is very comprehensive. There are several kinds of programs, and when you pick one for you and your family you should think about what kind of dentist and business you want your family to go to, how easy it is to get an appointment there, what the wait times are with and without an appointment, where it is located, and how much it costs.

The range of dental plans varies. Some come with certain networks from which you have to choose a dentist, and others are more flexible, operating on a referral based system. If you are going for just a regular tooth care and check up visit, the co pay is cheap for many of them, at only five dollars. For actual tooth care that isn’t a well check up, the cost is even less.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

How do I apply for KidCare child health insurance in Florida?

Louis

Glad you asked.

If you have looked over the requirements for being able to receive child health insurance through KidCare, and you feel that your child meets those requirements, or you want to give it a shot just in case, then you can go ahead and fill out an application for KidCare child health insurance. Remember that your kid might be able to get KidCare even if they are not a citizen of the United States, and that if you have been turned down for Medicaid, you might be eligible for different KidCare insurance. Here’s what to do if you’re child isn’t a citizen of the U.S and you’re applying for their health insurance.

• Get some copies! You need copies of the following forms.
  • Arrival or departure record, also known as form I-94
  • Passport that has the immigration status on it and has been stamped by the INS
  • Your authorization of travel form, also known as I-571
  • Your show of status–be it a resident card, green card, or resident alien card
  • Application for asylum
  • Something like a letter for a judge or a Laissez-Passer that proves the child’s immigration status
• Then you just clip these paper’s to the application for KidCare, make sure your and the other parent’s name are on there, and send it in!

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

Me and my kids aren’t citizens of the United States, but we’re living here legally and I’m not able to afford health insurance for us. Am I able to provide them with health care through Florida’s KidCare child health insurance?

Emilie

Maybe so.

For people who aren’t citizens of the United States, the path to getting state sponsored health insurance for their children might be even more difficult than for other people. There are several extra requirements that determine whether or not the child fits into a certain group that makes it to where they are able to receive this help from the state. For the most part, in order to get KidCare, you have to be a citizen. But there are a few children who can still get it even if they weren’t born in the U.S. They’re called ‘qualified aliens’.

People who are legally residing in the U.S. but aren’t citizens might be eligible for Florida child health insurance if they fit the following criteria.

• Are Ameriasians.
• Come from Haiti or Cuba
• Are refugees and have received certification from the Office of Refugee Resettlement for being trafficking victims
• Are the children of someone who is in the military or is a veteran of it
• Kids who have resided legal as residents for at least five years
• People in asylum, here as refugees, or who have had their removal withheld.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I’m an American Indian living in Florida. Are my children eligible for KidCare Florida health insurance?

Sam

It depends.

If you are a Native American, then it will still depend on your income and other eligibility requirements to determine whether or not your children are able to get KidCare Florida health insurance, such as determining whether or not your child is provided with health care insurance through your employer. If you otherwise meet the eligibility rules, then your children probably will be able to get insured through KidCare child health insurance.

The great thing about getting KidCare child health insurance if you are an American Indian is that it has pretty much no cost. Unlike other KidCare recipients, who must pay a monthly premium as well as some co-payments and fees for doctor visits and prescriptions, if you are an American Indian the service is entirely free, with no monthly charge nor co-payments. Call the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation to find out if your child is eligible.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I’m a worried grandmother whose granddaughter has been getting sick a lot lately, but her parents don’t have the money for health insurance nor do they have the money to take her to the doctor. What can I, as a grandparent, do?

Millie

I’m glad you asked.

You would be surprised by how much exactly a grandparent can do, because according to state laws in Florida, they are not entirely without rights as concerns their grandchildren. It may be true that a grandparent is not allowed to apply for health insurance for a child, even when that child does not have child health insurance or any real way of getting it, but there are still some things that the grandparent can do.

According to Florida Statute Chapter 743.0645, you have the right to get health care on the behalf of your grandchild. This means that you can take your granddaughter to the emergency room or the doctor’s office, and can consent to major things. This right only comes, though, after the doctor on duty has tried many times to get in tough with the parent, and the parent has also not declared that the child can not be treated in such a way.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.