Student Insurance

One of the hardest things about looking for new employment is the worry about health insurance.  I probably shouldn't admit this, but one of the reasons I have hesitated in the past about testing my blood sugar is because I worry that I will be diagnosed with Type II diabetes and it will become a pre-existing condition.  (I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy, and Type II runs in the family.  Thankfully, I am still diabetes-free.) I find it interesting (not really interesting -- more like frightening) that most insurance companies exclude pre-existing conditions if you haven't had insurance for 60 days, and most companies require a 90 day waiting period before providing health insurance.

My oldest has asthma, and that has also played into our considerations when my husband has found himself looking for a new job. I have done a bit of insurance shopping, and am always amazed at the high cost of insurance, and saddened by how much more it costs and how much less it offers these days.  When my husband and I owned our company a little over a decade ago, we had excellent insurance as a small business and the cost wasn't exorbitant.

When my husband is job-hunting, one of the things I have looked into is insurance just for the kids, so we don't lose coverage for them. Mom Select contacted me and asked if I would write about United Healthcare's student option (full disclosure: I was compensated for this post, but it is written solely by me, about my experience.)

Their K12 Student Insurance option was one that I had looked into at the beginning of the school year.  Even though my children are home schooled, they do attend a homeschool enrichment program one day/week through the public school system, so they are considered students in the public school system. It is an illness and accident insurance program (vs. an accident only plan) and offers major medical insurance for $588 / year per student. Parents can enroll anytime during the school year, and pay either $98 every 2 months, or the full cost for 12 months.  It covers children from the age of 5 to 18, which means I couldn't get coverage for Lydia under this plan.

All of the plan details can be found at their website: K12 Student Insurance.  If your children are not insured, this is a viable plan to ensure that any large medical expenses would be covered -- because we all know that kids will be kids and trips to the hospital are bound to happen.

My experience with United Health Care in the past has been excellent, and they offered the best health insurance plan we've had since moving to Arizona.  (And, it feels like we've had them all in the last 10 yerars!)


Since I would prefer to have coverage for my entire family, I would seek out a family plan that would cover all 3 of my children as well as my husband and myself.  It wouldn't be cost-efficient for me to have a family plan for 3 of us, and then separate plans for Colin & Nate, but if all 3 of my kids were school-age, I would seriously consider it to avoid gaps in their insurance coverage.