Dad is not as bright as I thought!

It's easy to drift through life assuming everything will turn out right. Life has been good to everyone growing up over the last twenty years. There's an expectation you can get whatever you want. So when your kids went through the admission process for your local college, they probably looked at the question about medical insurance and ticked the box that said your family plan continued cover. They never gave it a second thought. Melanie was such a student.

"I remember asking my Dad and he said, so long as I was in school full-time and under 25, I was OK." But it turned out Dad hadn't read the small print. The policy had a term requiring the children to leave their parent's policy when they graduated from high school. The company had a special policy for health insurance for college students.

"So there I was trying out for the cheerleaders. Going for a big move, I slipped and fell awkwardly. Twisted my knee real bad. Not being like the girl in Heroes, that meant an ambulance to the emergency room. Called my Dad on the way. He came over only expecting health problems. Turns out, he had to pay for all the treatment on his credit card."

Melanie's knee made a full recovery, but the family's still feeling the pain of the unexpected debt. The moral of this story? Always check your existing policy. Most of the colleges and universities either have their own medical insurance policies or can point you in the right direction if your children are going to be without cover. The policies are basic healthcare, but get them through all the common health crises. When it comes to your children's health, it's not worth taking risks. If they fall sick and don't have cover, they may not get treatment early enough. Always read your current policy carefully. Don't be taken by surprise. Shop around for medical insurance on the internet. There are many economical policies aimed at the student market both for university and doctoral courses that can take some of the worry off your shoulders when they leave the nest and go live on campus.