Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News

--Brian Loschiavo/Editor-In-Chief

Health care legislation now going through Congress is likely to affect young college graduates more than any other age group. With the job market tight, finding a job with health insurance will continue to be a challenge.

"I was dropped from my dad's insurance plan because of my age. It didn't matter that I was still a college student and couldn't afford health insurance on my own, and that I didn't have a job that would give me health benefits," Stacey Turnbull, 2007 Cabrini graduate, said.

Turnbull is just one of the thousands of college graduates who has felt the harsh reality of traditional health insurance policies, which usually drop students at age 23, or six months after graduation. Each family needs to investigate their own plan. Insurance experts say it is important not to go without co use that is called a "lapse in coverage" and may make it harder to get insurance later on.

For students who are caught up in excitement of new jobs, new apartments and new beginnings, thoughts about shopping for health insurance may fall to the wayside.

"I knew it was important, but I think I didn't realize just how important or expensive it was. I always thought of it as just for important hospital visits, but you need health care for the simpler things, too, like prescriptions," Anthony Sessa, 2009 Cabrini graduate, said.

Like Sessa, many college seniors underestimate the importance of health care, often viewing it as only necessary for extreme cases. Unfortunately, this sense of invincibility can be costly, and out-of-pocket health care expenses for a healthy college student can reach into the thousands and even more.

"I'm a juvenile diabetic, and even with great coverage, I have to put out $350 a month in co-pays and prescription costs," Monica Burke, senior English and communication major, said. "When you have a pre-existing condition, one hospital stay could make the difference between being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt or paying the deductible for your insurance."

After developing a neurological disorder, Burke was forced to take a year off of school. Because her parents' insurance only covered her if she was a full-time student, she signed up take classes at her local community college.

"Paying the $1,100 a semester for classes seemed like a better option than paying a COBRA payment of $814 per month for the year I was out of school," Burke said.

Continued...

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