Yes, it's that time of year again. The sun is shining (or at least, it should be), final exams seem a distant memory and graduation is here for Tufts seniors. It is an exciting time to be a senior, what with the never-ending festivities and the handshakes and pats on the back, as well as that youthful sense of immortality.
Seniors are right to revel in this feeling of invincibility: With the real world looming large on the horizon, this may be the last chance many have to embrace youth and seize the day, as the saying goes.
But the real world will arrive soon, and far too few seniors will be ready to assume one of its largest responsibilities: health insurance.
Unlike many of the world's developed nations, the United States does not provide universal health insurance to its citizens. Although a recent Massachusetts measure is seeking to bridge that gap by creating incentives for employers to provide health care and for employees to seek it, much of the rest of the nation is dismally behind the
times.
So if you are a graduating senior and your health insurance is going to run out by August, as is the case for most students without future employment, what do you do?
Well, the one thing that you absolutely do not do is risk going without health insurance. Sure, you seem healthy, you are young and you have no history of serious ailments.
But that does not mean that you could not trip and break your wrist, or worse, in the next 10 minutes. Most illnesses and injuries cannot be forecast with any reasonable degree of certainty; they are freak occurrences. Do not risk being caught without insurance when one of these seemingly unlikely accidents befalls you.
As Michelle Bowdler of Tufts Health Services told the Daily, even a simple injury such as a broken leg could cost an uninsured patient between $10,000 and $15,000 to treat. Most people do not have that sort of money just lying around, and paying for that expense could land a person in severe debt.
Since going without health insurance should not even cross a graduate's mind, what options are available? Well, for the lucky seniors who have secured full-time employment for next year, their employer will likely take care of health care.
This "benefit" is more of a necessity; it should be an integral part of any salary negotiation. For instance, if you are not particularly pleased with your starting salary, perhaps you can throw your benefits package into the mix and get compensated in that way.
What if you have not yet found your calling? According to Bowdler, two options remain. The first, of course, is to get a part-time job with benefits.
While many graduating seniors may not wish to live with the stigma associated with the food and beverage service, it is preferable to not having health insurance. And after all, it is still better than leeching off your parents and not having your own income.
The other alternative is to enroll in graduate courses. This option is a natural fit for those seeking a masters or doctoral degree, but even part-time students can receive dramatically reduced health insurance rates from many universities.
As with everything else in life, it pays to do one's homework when it comes to settling on a health insurance policy. With that in mind, Bowdler highly recommends that students meet with an insurance agent to know what sort of plan they should seek. This is a wise recommendation, as following it will also help students determine whether the plans their potential employers are offering seem legitimate.
Seniors who have not given any thought to their health insurance plans should begin doing so as soon as possible. Youth does not make people invincible; it only makes them feel invincible. And one $15,000 broken arm can change that feeling all too fast.
