Protecting Your Kids…While They Are Being Kids By Maria Bailey Kids will be kids and when they are, I am happy we have health insurance. My husband and I have always joked that we feel lucky that with four kids we’ve never had a broken bone in our family. I hope writing this article doesn’t jinx us. We have, however had more than our fair share of visits to the emergency room and specialists. Just last week, I had the pleasure of visiting four different doctors in pursuit of help for a mysterious fungus on my son’s arm. As a mother, you worry when a doctor looks at your child and says, “This doesn’t look good.” You want to focus on your child and not the cost of finding a cure for his illness. Unfortunately, many mothers do not have the luxury of such singularly focused care. Inadequate or lack of healthcare insurance sometimes put us as a parent in an uncomfortable place, torn between providing care for our child and weighing the financial impact of finding that care. In order to help you avoid this challenge, we’ve put together some considerations when looking for student healthcare insurance. Understand the benefits of various healthcare providers and the restrictions. Some student health plans only cover injuries, but not sickness. Take the time to evaluate the needs of your children prior to selecting coverage. There are plans that cover both injuries AND sickness that could still fit your budgetary needs and give you peace of mind that your children are covered for eligible expenses. Seek out student focused healthcare. While one of the major benefits of being employed is having your employer provide health coverage, sometimes the deductibles can be daunting! Thankfully, there are plans for students such as the injury and sickness plan available from UnitedHealthcare StudentResources. This plan offers protection/coverage for eligible injuries AND sicknesses, 24/7/365. It’s designed to be affordable at $588 per policy year and is available through many participating school districts. For more information on UnitedHealthcare StudentResources’ student health plan, please visit K12StudentInsurance.com. Practice healthy habits at home that can keep your family from catching unnecessary germs and illnesses. With the increase in cases of the H1N1 virus and influenza season upon us, experts are pleading with families to take extra precautions to reduce the spread of germs, such as: Frequently washing hands. Keeping your children home if they are not feeling well and exhibit flu-like symptoms. This goes for mom and dad too! Make sure everyone is current with immunization shots and consider flu shots and H1N1 virus vaccines after discussing with your family physician or health expert. Predicting illness or injuries when you have children can be anything but predictable. It’s comforting to know that as parents we have student healthcare options available to help us provide the best protection for our children, whether they are out on the soccer field or home with the flu. Maria Bailey is one of the most recognized experts on Marketing to Moms, Host of Mom Talk Radio, Author, Founder of BlueSuitMom.com, and Co-Founder of Newbaby.com.