Dental Care For College Students?

Question

I'm about to turn 18 next month and I'll be a freshmen this year in college and I was wondering what type of dental and medical care I'm applicable for? Medicare perhaps? If no free medical / dental care is available for college students what would you recommend?

Answer 1

I think everyone has got it: if you have dental insurance from your parents, it will still cover you as long as you are a full time students.

If you don't currently have dental insurance, your school isn't likely to offer it (they probably will offer medical insurance). If this is the case, dental checkups are only $100 or so. It's everything else that is costly: braces, fillings, etc. So try to take very good care of your teeth, and spring for the regular checkups so that you don't get any teeth problems. If you tend to get a lot of cavities, you may want to purchase dental insurance, but otherwise it's not worth it to buy it on your own.

Answer 2

Your college should be requiring you to either have your own health insurance or to join their insurance plan. But neither of those things will be free. Just because you're 18 doesn't mean you get booted from your parents' insurance, usually if you're still in school you're okay to be under them.

Answer 3

The people who said your parents' insurance should cover you while you're in college are right. Schools usually require you to buy student health insurance if you aren't covered some other way. Financial aid will cover this.

Most colleges have student health centers. Also, you can get free or low-cost dental care through dental schools. Some communities have health clinics for low-income people.

Medicare is for people over 65 (and maybe disabled people, too). So forget that.

Answer 4

Your parents need to check their policy to see if you are covered while in college.  Most colleges offer medical insurance, but not necessarily dental coverage.  Medicare is for those over 65 or with severe disabilities.  Most Americans don't have adequate dental care--you need to save money to get your checkups!  

Answer 5

Your parents' insurance will probably continue to cover you, if you are a full-time student.  I was covered by my parent's insurance until I graduated from college.  

Also, most colleges have free/cheap health clinics for minor medical problems, or you may be eligible for medicaid.  As for teeth, unless you're covered by your parents, you may want to brush and floss a lot....

Answer 6

Most colleges require health insurance. Depending on what school you attend, a large university that has a medical campus (med school/dental/nursing/etc) may have significant savings or offer free health care.

If no such luck, as others mentioned, seek a local dental school or dental hygienist school. I know dental hygienist schools are desperate for patients to fulfill their graduation requirements, they offer free dental cleaning to the public and they spend a good 2-3 hours cleaning every spec of plaque off your teeth. You could try for more serious dental care at a dentist school although I strongly recommend against it. A root canal or similar type of care should be done by a very experienced dentist or oral surgeon. Not for the rookies.

As for other type of medical care, you didn't mention what state you're in. Each insurance company and government health plans offers different plans for different states. You may want to check if you qualify for medicaid. Being poor/college student doesn't necessarily mean you qualify, so check with your state medicaid program. There might be other state or city health programs for low income people/students available that may be worth investigating. For example, if you're a NYC resident, and you didn't qualify for medicaid, you may qualify for Health Plus.