Disability Coverage Disability insurance policies are designed to pay part of your wages should you be injured in an accident or are unable to work because of illness. Here are two types of policies available: long-term disability and short-term disability. Short term disability pays a portion of your wages should you be out of work due to injury for up to one year. Some employers pay for this benefit for their employees, some offer it for employees to purchase. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, the time to enroll is during the initial enrollment period when a medical exam is not required. Replacement of wages is only partial; insurance underwriters, as well as your employer, want you back at work as soon as possible. Usually there is a waiting period of 14 days in which you will not receive payment. Long term disability policies are purchased to replace what your potential earnings would be from the time you become disabled until age 65 when Medicare would be available. For instance, if you are 55 and make $40,000 per year, you should purchase a policy for $400,000. You cannot get a long term disability policy if (1) you are or are soon to be pregnant, (2) make less than $18,000 per year, (3) are unemployed, or (4) you are required to carry a weapon for your job. Typically, the waiting period for long-term insurance to kick is at least 60 days and as much as a year. Disability insurance is an important aspect of your overall insurance coverage plan, and if your employer offers it as a benefit you should definitely consider it as a wise investment.

Do You Need A College Health Insurance Plan?

When you are finally done with your high school education, there is no doubt that you'll be enrolling into a college. Many times when a child reaches the age of 20, they are no longer covered by their parents' insurance and this can lead to a troubling situation if they are not working and just strictly going to college. However, many colleges offer health insurance plans. Whether one of these insurance plans are right for you or not takes a lot of deliberation.

College health insurance benefits are going to vary from campus to campus. Although many people think that they are free, this is not true. While there is usually no charge for an office visit and routine checkups, the student will have to pay for lab work and other specialist type of visits. Benefits will usually pay completely for only types of covered services at the campus health center. In the event that you have to see an outside doctor then the student's coverage can drop up to 70% and run the risk of being required to pay a high deductible.

If you have a pre-existing condition, then you may have a problem with getting treatment at the college health center. Having a pre-existing illness or disability does not mean that you will be disqualified for obtaining a college health insurance plan, but you may not be able to get treatment for that pre-existing illness. This can lead to a number of problems if a new problem arises and is a product of a pre-existing illness.

All plans are different, so be sure you find out everything you can about your college's plan. Be sure to check if you or your child will be covered during summer break when students are not taking classes. This is important because you don't want to have an accident and find out that the insurance becomes inactive when they are not in class. Many colleges have coverage during summer break, but some do not. 

Make sure you understand the plan. Is it an HMO, or can the member use any provider they want? This is just as important because you want to know where you can go in the event of an emergency, and there is nothing worse than finding out after the fact that you will be stuck with paying the full amount for a medical bill.

There really is no definitive answer as to whether you should or shouldn't commit to getting college health insurance. Be sure that you understand your plan fully so that no problems can arise in the event of an emergency. While it is not free insurance, it surely will save you money in the event of an accident or illness.