Though Boston University’s Student Health Insurance plan through Aetna Health Insurance is costly, it efficiently provides students with necessary coverage, they said.
The plan is available to full-time students who are enrolled in at least 75 percent of the curriculum according to the Student Health Services website. The cost for the full year is $1,517.’ ‘
College of General Studies sophomore Jonathan Donald said he primarily uses his parent’s insurance plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts but uses the Aetna plan as secondary insurance.’ ‘ ‘
‘My freshman year, when I was rowing on the crew team, I ended up overtraining and getting an anxiety problem caused by lack of food, sleep and water,’ Donald said. ‘My family insurance plan wouldn’t pay for it fully, and neither would my BU plan, so by using both of them together, it covered 95 percent of the expenses.’
Donald said the Aetna plan is good for a normal student who is low-risk and does not need regular procedures.’ ‘
‘If you’re doing things that are more high-risk, like if you’re an athlete of have multiple health conditions, it’s a good idea to have two plans if you can afford it,’ Donald said.’ ‘The plan definitely saved me over $3,000 last year.’
BU Student Health and Aetna Health Insurance work together to provide optimum care for students, Aetna spokesman Matt Wiggin said.
‘We work very closely with the school to develop plans that meet the students’ specific needs,’ Wiggin said.’ ‘The student health plans are designed to be affordable and to meet the health and wellness needs of the students.’
Wiggin said both BU and Aetna try to determine an appropriate cost for students that will keep them sufficiently covered in case an emergency occurs.’ ‘
‘Students are very price-conscious and need access to affordable health care,’ Wiggin said.
The Aetna plan provides coverage to international students who come to BU as well as for students who leave BU to study abroad, Wiggin said.
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Aditi Basu, who is from Singapore, said she uses the Aetna plan because it is required for all international students to be covered.
‘The Aetna plan allows me to get the flu shot covered as well as any medications I need,’ Basu said. ‘I was prescribed medicine and when I went to CVS, I didn’t have to pay. If I didn’t have the insurance plan, I would have been charged a lot of money.’
Basu said the plan is costly, but she still pays to be insured in case of emergencies.’
‘If it was a little bit cheaper, it would be great,’ she said.’ ‘But I would still recommend [the plan]. Aetna does cover a lot of stuff.’
The Aetna plan offers coverage to students who decide to go abroad if their family plan does not cover international medical payments, Wiggin said.
CGS sophomore Evan Gross said he is currently studying abroad in London but did not use Aetna’s plan because he was already covered.
‘The insurance through BU offers nothing I cannot already receive through my current medical insurance plan,’ Gross said.’ ‘My current plan covers me abroad.’
BU students must waive the Aetna plan on the Student Link every year or else they will have to pay for the insurance.
Donald said he feels, overall, the plan helped him through his numerous medical procedures and was stress free.’
‘It saved me a lot of time, a lot of cash and a lot of headache,’ he said.
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