Sick of being sick? Medical
bills piling up? Bucks offers
affordable health insurance
for students.
Through the Student Life
Office, Bucks gives students
the option of signing up for
health insurance. It’s a low
coverage, cost-effective plan
available for only full-time
students. The program is
called Student Accident and
Sickness insurance and is
offered by Bollinger
Insurance Solutions.
The insurance covers basic
medical expenses like doctor
visits, dental exams and hospital
admissions. However,
the percentage of coverage
may vary greatly from other
premium health services.
Students are covered for a
year’s time.
For example, full-time students’
coverage begins either
Aug. 27, 2008 and will be covered
till Aug. 27, 2009, or
whenever the premium payment
is made. The cost for
this premium payment is
$280.
Spring semester students
are also covered under this
insurance program. They too
have to be full-time students
and their coverage begins Jan.
1, 2009 and lasts until Aug. 27
of the same year. The premium
due for this period is
$187.
“It’s insurance that will
hopefully get them by,” said
Director of Student Life Matt
Cipriano. Many students are
being dropped from their
parent’s plans due to age
restrictions or are unemployed
and can’t afford insurance.
“This insurance plan is beneficial
for foreign students
who are required by law to be
insured,” said Cipriano.
Fortunately, this program
comes at a time when many
students nationwide are left
uninsured.
According to a 2002 study
funded by the Heinz Family
Philanthropies and the
Chickering Group, 30 percent
of college students don’t have
any type of health insurance.
That’s more than 4 million
students who pay for all of
their health care needs out-ofpocket.
“Out-of-pocket expenses
are insane,” said Aaron
Brown, a 32-year-old music
major from Morrisville. He
believes America has “an
obligation as a developed
nation to be able to provide
healthcare for people who
can’t afford it.”
Bucks is not the only school
in the nation that is offering
health services to their students.
Temple University offers a
program that covers physical
examinations, allergy shots
and other varied medical
services through their health
centers for a fee upon enrollment.
On a national level
America’s current health care
system is highly criticized for
being expensive.
President Barack Obama
has some plans for national
health care reform.
According to his website,
some of his plans are to provide
“affordable, accessible
health care for all Americans,
build on the existing health
care system, and use existing
providers, doctors, and plans
to implement the plan.”
Students interested in this
program should contact
Student Life by stopping in
the office next to the cafeteria
in Rollins or by calling (215)
968-8257.