Just realized my university's health insurance might actually be worth keeping instead of switching to my parents' plan — need a second opinion

Insurance

So I'm a sophomore and up until now I've just been on my parents' plan because it seemed like the obvious move. But my dad's employer is switching providers in April and the new plan has a way higher deductible and the network is different. Meanwhile my school offers its own student health insurance and when I actually sat down and looked at the numbers this week I was kind of surprised. The student plan covers most visits to the campus health center at no extra cost, includes mental health sessions which I genuinely use, and the monthly premium comes out of my financial aid package automatically so it doesn't feel like an out of pocket hit the same way.

My main question is whether it makes sense to waive off my parents' new plan entirely and just stick with the school one for the rest of my time here. I know the school plan probably has a smaller network outside of campus which could be an issue when I'm home for summer, and I'm not sure how that works if something happens and I need to see a doctor back home. Has anyone navigated this before? Is there a standard way to think through the school plan vs parents plan decision or is it really just depends on your situaton? Any advice appreciated.

Posted Mar 8, 2026, 1:22 PM UTC

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