Demystifying Medicaid: Health Insurance Terms and College Student Tips
April 05, 2022
For Practitioners and Students
Healthcare and health insurance can be a daunting maze to navigate, especially on top of the regular responsibilities of being a college student. Unfamiliar insurance-specific terms can make it even harder to understand how to access care. This list will help you update students on words that they might encounter while applying for or using care services.
If you’re curious about whether or not the students you work with are eligible for Medicaid coverage, we’ve got you covered! Get our easy-to-use practitioner’s guide to Georgia Medicaid benefits for college students. It comes with eligibility information and a step-by-step of how to help students apply.
Health Insurance Terms for Students to Know
- Co-Insurance: A flat rate amount that you will pay for a health service or treatment (very similar to a co-pay). This amount will depend on what the service is and what your insurance covers. Often, this is a portion of the total cost and the rest will be paid by your insurance company.
- Co-Pay: A set amount that you pay for health services. The amount can depend on what the service is and your insurance coverage. This charge is usually a portion of the total cost, the rest being paid by insurance and some plans don’t have co-pays at all.
- Coverage: The list of services and treatments for which your insurance will pay all or part of the cost. What services are included in your coverage will depend on your specific insurance plan.
- Deductible: A dollar amount of cost that you will have to pay on your own before insurance will start paying for treatment. This dollar amount is often called the “out-of-pocket maximum.”
- Network/In-Network/Out-of-Network: A provider is in-network if they accept your insurance and offer treatment that will be covered or paid for (at least in part) by your plan. You can contact your insurance provider if you have questions about which doctors are in-network.
- Premium: This is the monthly cost that you pay to maintain your insured status.
Tips to Consider
Student access to health care often presents unique challenges. We’ve put together a list of considerations to incorporate into your student support plan for students eligible for Medicaid.
- Can this student access family health insurance? If their parents have insurance and the student is under 26 years old, this might be an option.
- Does the student live on a campus? If so, does the campus health center accept Georgia’s Medicaid? If Medicaid isn’t accepted at the student health center on campus, consider offering the student help finding nearby in-network doctors (or a list of providers).
- Does the student have access to transportation to providers? If not, telehealth coverage might be an important consideration when assessing different health plans.
- Does this student care for a child or other dependent minor? Even if the student isn’t eligible for Georgia Medicaid, their child or dependent might be eligible for PeachCare for Kids, a program specifically for children.