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Specifically for health insurance coverage:

  • What are ones options when going back to school full-time in their 30s?

  • Do schools provide any sort of coverage plans, if so are how do they compare to a standard company plans?

  • Can you have dependents ?

  • Are there discounts if you have to pay for any of them, while a full-time student?

2 Answers 2

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A couple of additional options beyond the school's (possible) health care plan may be available to you in the event that your income will drop significantly when you become a student.

First, you may be eligible for subsidies on the ACA exchanges. Check your state's exchange or healthcare.gov as appropriate to your location.

Second, if your income as a student is extremely low, and you are in a state that provides it, you may be eligible for Medicaid. A friend's daughter did this halfway through grad school when she turned 26 and could no longer be covered on her parents' plans. It was a great temporary solution until she graduated and got a job with benefits.

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While this may depend on the university/college type, health insurance is usually required for full-time students unless you can prove that you have other coverage.

For instance, see this page from the Ohio State University.

I would suspect that student health insurance will not be as good as many company-provided plans but may be cheaper since the overall health of the student population should be relatively good. Then again, maybe not. OSU's family coverage for student, spouse and 1 dependent is $9756 for two semesters. Summer adds another $2439. If you have department support as a graduate student, they may cover 85% of your health insurance fees.

A big university may have options for inexpensive care even if it's not covered by the insurance like if there's a dental or optometry program. There may be low-cost clinics.

Right now, your answer is probably too broad as the details will vary depending on the university.

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