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Delaware Health Insurance for College Students

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Delaware Health Insurance for College Students

Delaware Lawmakers Propose Health Insurance Reform for College Students

When most young people go of to college they go toting not only their backpacks but their parents’ health insurance coverage along with them. Most healthcare insurance plans cover dependant children who are living outside of the home, even if they are over the age of 18, if they are attending college.

Even though such students are living away from their parents, and although the kids themselves might view it otherwise, they are still the responsibility of their parents. At least form a legal and financial standpoint. So it stands to reason that they should be able to stay on their parents’ health insurance plan as long as they are full-time college students.

As far as health insurance goes, not staying in school carries more than just academic consequences. Should a student drop out voluntarily, even if they return home to live with mom and dad, chances are they will no longer be allowed to continue on their health insurance plan.

But what happens when a student does not choose to leave school. What if they can no longer attend classes due to injury or illness? Unfortunately just when they need that health insurance most, under many policies they may lose health insurance coverage due to the failure to attend classes.

In order not to lose coverage and get the treatments they need students have been known to attend classes ill or in pain. Obviously effecting academic performance.

US Representative Mike Castle of Delaware has proposed legislation to Congress that would allow sick or injured students to take a leave of absence from college, without running the risk of losing their parents medical benefits.

Under the proposed legislation drafted by Castle and several other federal lawmakers the initiative would permit a seriously ill college student to take as much as a year off from college and still be permitted to remain on his or her parents affordable health insurance.

Delaware is among the few states that already do permit students to remain on their parents’ healthcare plans for a period of time after graduating, until they can obtain their own private health insurance policy, or receive benefits through an employer group healthcare plan. This proposal is designed to help student nationwide.

Unfortunately insurance industry experts agree that if the legislation is passed, it will likely increase the cost of health coverage for dependant children. But no one knows how much that would really amount to, and Congressman Castle and others believe that if it helps students achieve their goals, its should be worth it. The measure may also save a few lives. The proposal is named "Michelle’s Law" after Michelle Morse, a college student from New Hampshire who was forced to keep going to school while she battled valiantly against colon cancer. She the lost the fight and died in 2005.