If youre reading this, youve probably just graduated a college or university with your Bachelor of Science or Arts in a field that you love. Congratulations! Perhaps youve decided to enter the work force, or perhaps youve decided to remain a full-time student; either way, you are headed for graduate school with your goals close in sight.

However, many graduate students find themselves in a bit of a predicament when it comes to health insurance. If youre attending graduate school, youre probably too old to still be covered under your parents health insurance plan. The next most popular way of obtaining health care coverage is through an employer, but this option is impossible if youve decided to attend graduate school full-time and not work, or if youve decided to work a part-time job while youre attending graduate school.

If youre unable to obtain health care coverage through your parents or through an employer, there are basically two options for you to consider. You can obtain health care coverage by purchasing and individual health insurance policy, or you can obtain graduate student health insurance from the university you attend.

If you decide not to purchase an individual insurance policy, you may be able to get health care coverage through your graduate school. Many graduate schools offer health care coverage, and several of those graduate schools make the health care insurance mandatory; meaning, you must obtain graduate student health insurance through the school unless you can prove that you already have adequate health insurance through another provider.

So, as you start preparing for the next step of higher education, check with your graduate school choices to find out if any of them offer graduate student health insurance. If not, consider purchasing an individual health insurance policy. You already have enough issues to deal with during your graduate studies; you may find that you dont have to add health insurance to the list!