Student Health Plans
Student health plans are often purchased when family coverage is not available. According to some estimates, as many as 3 million students are covered through student health plans offered by colleges, universities, or other institutions of higher education.
Differences between Student Health Plans
Not all student health plans are the same. Some plans are comprehensive but others offer limited benefits, which can put students and their families at risk for catastrophic medical bills. In addition, these plans are treated differently depending on how and where they’re offered. This has created a patchwork system of regulation for these plans that makes it difficult for students and their families to understand their coverage and rights.Individual Health Insurance Coverage
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a proposed regulation that would ensure students enrolled in these plans benefit from important consumer protections created by the Affordable Care Act. The proposed regulations clarify that these plans would be defined as “individual health insurance coverage.”Additional Resources
Updates
- March 5, 2020 Information Related to COVID–19 Individual and Small Group Market Insurance Coverage
- March 12, 2020 FAQs on Essential Health Benefits Coverage and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- March 18, 2020 FAQs on Catastrophic Plan Coverage and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- March 24, 2020 FAQs on Availability and Usage of Telehealth Services through Private Health Insurance Coverage in Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- March 24, 2020 Payment and Grace Period Flexibilities Associated with the COVID-19 National Emergency
- March 24, 2020 FAQs on Prescription Drugs and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for Issuers Offering Health Insurance Coverage in the Individual and Small Group Markets
- April 11, 2020 FAQs about Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Implementation
*This document was updated on April 15, 2020, to correct an error in footnote 10 regarding the current end date of the public health emergency related to COVID 19. - April 13, 2020 Postponement of 2019 Benefit Year HHS-operated Risk Adjustment Data Validation (HHS-RADV)