Medical insurance?

How is medical insurance handled during medical school? Do the schools offer anything? We're currently on COBRA, which is running about $1000 a month (INSANE). It will run out before long and we'll have to have something else. DH and I both have chronic conditions, and we have a toddler.

TIA,
Carrie

I think it depends on the school. When my DH was in med school we were not married so I can't speak for family insurance. My DH had an HMO.

[twinsmom]

I agree with Lori - every school is different. DH's school offered coverage, but the premium was some INSANE amount for just him, and even MORE outragous for the family. I worked full time for the first two years, so we had insurance through my work. Then after the kids were born, we sucked up our pride and put the kids on medicaid (which turned out to be really good for us... we even got to keep our same pediatritian). DH and I did a private insurance to keep us on the bare minimum coverage - it averages out to be about $190 a month. If you are interested, I could look up who it was through to see if it was a national chain.

Good luck with finding coverage - it is such a pain!!

Jen B.

[Vanquisher]

While we were in medical school, I wasn't working, and we had zero income, except student loan payments. The school offered insurance, but it was pitiful and expensive. We decided not to get the insurance and qualified for medicaid. They counted our student loans as income, and we got letters from our financial aid office. We were also in New York and they have a lot of health care programs for people without insurance. Where will you be located? I would look into their state assistance programs. I felt no shame in using it, because we will more than make up for it when we pay our taxes in the years to come.

Re: Medical Insurance?

Just planning for the future at this point. He's taking the MCAT in April and will be applying at least pretty much everywhere in Texas. I think there may be a few other states with schools that will accept non-traditional out-of-staters, but not many.

TIA,
Carrie

We've gone the medicade route as well. DH's school offers insurance, but like others have said it was way to expensive and wasn't all that great. Medicade is really good in our area. I have doctors I like a lot and they are located very nearby. The only thing I would suggest is to pay for a separate dental plan. Medicade's dental plan (in WI anyway) is terrible.