As a college student, we already all know that it’s tough to live day by day on the budget you’re already on.  There are a few bills such as your car, rent, or even food.  Now, a big mistake that many people skip over is not getting health insurance.  If you don’t have health insurance, you’re making a huge gamble!

Sure, you’re probably young and you’re probably thinking that you’re just indestructible.  If you have this mindset, you’re soon going to find out that anything can happen.  Can you prevent a car accident?  a sudden pain?  No matter what you do health related, it’s going to cost you big time without insurance.  Experts have said that a simple surgery can cost upwards of $30,000+

Now, health insurance doesn’t have to kill you.  In fact, during my college years, I paid $45 for my health insurance.  It covered just about everything, I got the insurance discount, and I had the ease of mind that I wouldn’t owe that much if I had anything extreme.

Here are some tips that you should follow when you’re looking to shop for some insurance during college…

Go with a high deductible

High deductible plans shouldn’t break the bank for you.  What you’re going to find out is that if you’re around 20 years old and you have a 3,000 or 5,000 deductible, you’re not going to pay that much per month.  With that deductible, you’re never going to pay more than that amount each year.  Now each policy is different with coinsurance, etc, but it’s going to be a lot more than paying out of pocket.

TIP: Try services such as EHealthInsurance to help you find a policy.  You can get instant price quotes without the pressurized sales.

Check with your college

Most major colleges have health insurance plans that you can jump in on.  Since they buy as a group, you’re not going to have to pay much.  The cool thing about health insurance through college is that you’re not going to have to pay out of pocket right away.  Instead, you can throw it on your student loan bill.

You may be covered by your parents

With the new health care act in place, you’re not able to stay on your parent’s insurance until the age of 25.  Ask your parents about their health insurance policy and see if you’re still eligible to stay on it.  If you’re able to stay on, you should be safe until 25 years of age.

Contact an insurance agent

Most insurance agents are easy to work with.  If you want to meet with someone face to face, you can.  Tell them what you want, what you want to pay, and they can most likely find you something.

Again, the higher your deductible is, the less you’re going to pay.  Even if you have that higher deductible, at least you’re going to have the ease of mind when it comes to knowing that you’re not going to have to pay that much when it’s time to get any type of hospital procedure done.  Searching can take you a long way.  Set a few minutes aside, research some policies, and see what works best for you.