Health Insurance in USA

[jules77]

My son is due to graduate from University in LA next week, up until now he has been covered for health insurance by the university, but as he has a work permit he will be staying there for at least another 12 months. He needs to sort out some sort of health insurance, can anyone recommend any, and how much is it going to cost. He is 23 years old, and doesnt have much money at present!!

[Clanad]

Unless he can work for an employer that has a group program where he would pay part of the premium (differs from group to group) it will be prohibitevly expensive. A policy for an individual for health coverage (hospitalization, Doctors office, etc.) will likely run around $800 per month. However, there are short term policies available for people that qualify. For example, a student waiting for the first job and needs insurance to tide them over until joining a group... Check here: http://healthinsurance.about.com/od/individual policies/a/shortterm.htm .
Many States (California included) charge little if anything for emergency room services. Having said that, most emergency rooms at hospitals are not patient friendly with long waits and rushed care. Your son should check with UCLA for possibilities seeing that he's a foreign national. That could help in his situation. Best of luck!

[jules77]

thanks, that is very helpful. He has been working part time as a tennis coach, and I think he hopes to do this more or less full time, while playing tournaments, for the next 12 months, so not sure he will get a job that is going to give him any sort of health insurance, as he is not on a salary as such, more sort of self employed, but they take a portion of his earnings for him using their courts. He is actually at LSU in Louisiana, not UCLA, my fault as I quoted LA (meaning Louisiana). thanks again.

[KennethReynolds]

It’s a little known fact, but there are some free or discount healthcare services (e.g http://www.taylorbenefitsinsurance.com/) available all over the U.S. and here’s a short list of some alternatives:

Be honest about your ability to pay. Talk to your provider about your financial situation and see what they can do for you. More often than not, they can find a solution to meet your needs.

Check into charitable health clinics and Hill-Burton free hospital care. Doctors, dentists, nurses etc. provide volunteer medical services around the country. Hill-Burton has medical staff that provide a certain amount of free or low-cost health services in exchange for federal funding.

Visit retail clinics, urgent cares, and community centers. These centers can perform small tests and do a quick check-up, and you’ll probably be in and out faster than anywhere else. Try an app called itriage to help you locate the nearest one to you.

Take advantage of free and low-cost screenings. There are different hospitals and organizations that offer a certain amount of free and/or low-cost screenings each year.

The best of luck to you!