Heading off to college provides an immense amount of responsibility for students. They’re living on their own for the first time, which comes with a whole new set of things to learn. Cooking, cleaning, managing time to study and getting used to new roommates are all major adjustments. Among all of this, students need to find an adequate health insurance plan, too.
As the following article shows, “Health insurance for students” is often required by universities, yet still 25 percent of students do not have medical coverage, according to a study by the Heinz Family Philanthropies.
If you’re not able to stay on your parents’ plan, you’ll have to look on your own for health insurance and find the coverage that is best for you.
Social media can play a huge role in helping you learn about different companies and different plans that will be best for your situation.
5 Ways to use social media to find health insurance
Among the ways to put social media to use in the pursuit of health insurance:
- Find their online presence – Do a quick Google search on health insurance and you’ll get millions of results. Research a few companies that stand out to you and find their social media pages. Are customers saying positive things? Do they seem to have a good following and online presence? What do they charge for a basic plan? All of these are things to consider when picking a health insurance company.
- Notice their response to customers – Do customers Tweet a complaint and you notice it never getting resolved? If so, that can be a huge red flag that they don’t value customer service. Pay close attention to health insurance companies that respond to customers immediately. This reassures you that if you ever run into a problem, you’ll receive adequate help in a timely manner.
- Follow their online profiles – Many health insurance companies will have Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, at a minimum. With so many companies going online nowadays, competition is tough. When deciding which health insurance company is right for you, follow a few different companies and track their online presence. Do they run promotions or host giveaways? Do they give discounts for referrals? All of these can help you choose the right company.
- Look for professionals in the medical field – Some companies have doctors that are able to respond to questions via social media from the customers. If you tend to Google all of your symptoms, it may be beneficial to you to speak to a medical professional at no charge. Notice which companies provide this service and make an informed decision.
- Read what others have to say – With about 98 percent of 18-24 year olds using social media actively, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to read plenty of reviews, Tweets and Facebook posts on how the health insurance company is doing overall. Look for companies that receive the highest remarks and little criticism. And, if they are receiving complaints, do they handle the situation or ignore it?
While getting the best deal is always important, sometimes it can be worth it to spend a little more money in order to get the best service possible.
And with something as crucial as health insurance, especially for students, you may not want to go the cheapest route.
About the Author: Sarah Brooks is a freelance writer living in Glendale, AZ. She writes on health insurance, personal finance and small businesses.
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