College Health Insurance 101: I probably don’t need it

Computer fees. Registration fees. Training fees. Activity fees. Health insurance fees. (“What?!” says the personal finance guru.)

Those who are sending their child to college for the first time are often inundated with mandatory extras included on their student’s bill and rarely know that mandatory health insurance fees are not necessary if the student is already covered by a parent’s policy, according to an article in the US Today featuring financial experts who learned the hard way: when they actually took a look at their kids’ bills.

Ninety percent of colleges automatically enroll students in student health insurance plans, which can cost up to $4,000 annually, the paper reported, adding, “And lo and behold: Many students don’t need it.”

Colleges often require students to have comprehensive health insurance, according to the article, because student health insurance exists to cover those who arrive on campus without it. With experts calling campus health insurance “duplicative, costly and unnecessary,” many said students can simply opt out online if they can prove coverage elsewhere.