By Lorena R. Rivera
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Alamo Colleges offers three free insurance plans for students through First Health Network. Plan 1 is mandatory student injury coverage. All students are automatically enrolled at registration for $25,000 maximum benefit and $5,000 accidental death benefit. Illness is not covered.
Plan 3 covers injury and sickness and automatically enrolls students in an F-1 international visa for $500,000 maximum benefit and a $10,000 accidental death benefit through Academic Emergency Services. It provides benefits and access to emergency assistance when students travel 100 miles or more from home for school.
Dependents are not eligible on this plan, but it is available to students who are required by their coursework to have medical coverage, such as nursing or mortuary science majors. Students requiring coverage must enroll online at www.ahpcare.com/alamo. Plan 3 is only mandatory for international students on an F-1 visa.
Educational support specialist Erika Peña said it’s important for students to understand the options. She added the mandatory Plan 1 option does not fulfill the requirements of the Affordable Health Care Act that went into effect Tuesday.
Plan 3 does meet the requirements, but those who are not international F-1 visa students have to pay extra and enroll separately.
“It is important for students to come by the health promotions office if they have any questions regarding their health care options when enrolled,” Peña said. The office is in Room 150 of Loftin Student Center.
The third option is Plan 4, an injury plan for students enrolled in continuing education courses that only covers accidents occurring during class or when participating in a class-related or class-sponsored activity on or off campus.
Insurance coverage is not available to students using employee tuition assistance or employee dependent tuition assistance. Students 65 years of age and older, enrolled in distance learning, on active military duty and dual credit students at off-campus locations are also excluded.
So in short, health insurance Plans 4 and 1 cover only student injuries. Plan 3 covers injury and sickness.
Some of the benefits include in-patient hospitalization, outpatient doctor’s visits, surgery and emergency care. Other benefits, such as laboratory charges and X-rays, are included, but certain limitations and maximums may apply.
Coverage period for this semester started Aug. 26 and ends Jan. 20.
For more information, go to www.ahpcare.com/alamo or call Erika Peña at 210-486-0158.
