Health Insurance For Graduates

By Torie Wells

No Job=No Insurance:

Erin Parks is a graduating senior. She’s a biology major, excited to get her first job. But at the beginning of this semester, she knew something was wrong.

"I lost about twenty pounds in two weeks. I was very fatigued. I couldn't muster the strength to get up and go to class. I was very thirsty all the time couldn't get enough water," she said

Erin was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes. Now, her blood sugar is under control. But the cost of her medical supplies makes having health insurance a necessity.

"It’s not just about finding a job now. It's about finding a job that has good health care," she said.

It's the story of hundreds of graduates who are looking for a job, in a failing economy. No job means no health insurance. And come graduation they're off mom and dad's plan. Stephaine Berzenski is a healthy graduate student. But she's worried too.

"Under my dad's prescription we only have to pay a co-pay of 5 dollars each for each prescription. But with the regular price, one would cost me $153.75 a month and the other would cost $322.62," she said.

But, it's not just expensive. We spoke with a representative from Families USA who said people without coverage can even be turned away from health care.

There is Help:

But, there are options. The first step is to jump online and see what your state offers. Often there are inexpensive options. In New York, there are a couple.

“Healthy NY is one program. And there's another, family health plus, it's almost like a Medicaid type program," said John Catanzarita Jr. He’s the President of Benefit Consulting Group in Syracuse.

Both programs are determined based on income, and cost about $250 a month. They're usually cheaper than the alternatives, like COBRA, or buying insurance on your own. COBRA’s a program where you to continue to pay into your parent's plan, but your costs double. So, if you pay $100 a month under the family plan, you'd pay about $200 as an individual. Take that route and you could be paying up to $400 a month. But that's cheaper than private insurance which can cost between $600 and $1200.

Playing with Fate?

Another option is not having insurance.

“As much as someone doesn't have income, it’s way better, I think, than rolling the dice," said Catanzarita.

He said that one accident, sudden illness, or trip to the hospital without coverage, and you could lose everything. The best plan is to sit down with your parents and compare the options. That's exactly what Erin's doing. Her life depends on it.

"I check my blood sugar 4-5 times a day to make sure it's ok. That's how I keep myself healthy and feeling good," she said.