You may be paying too much for your college kid’s health insurance

If you have a kid in college, you may be double-paying for their health care coverage.

Most four-year universities offer a student health insurance plan, and many automatically enroll students in the plan. When he was attorney general of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo warned 300 colleges that they needed to "clearly and conspicuously disclose" this mandatory coverage and itemize the cost. Student health insurance plan prices vary drastically, from $1,750 a year at American University, for example, to $4,103 a year at George Washington University.

Either way, that's a sizable chunk of money to pay if your child is already covered by your own plan. And more offspring than ever are, because of a provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows children to stay on their parents' plan until their 26th birthday. (Proposed Republican bills to replace the ACA keep this provision intact.) In fact, parents may be paying a collective total of $1.2 billion in redundant health insurance costs, according to a study by Keybridge Research.

So you should definitely find out whether your child's college is one of those that automatically enrolls students in its health plan. But before you rush to opt out, keep in mind that there are pros and cons to both choices — college health plans and parent health plans. Here are the main things to consider in making the decision.

• Is the plan a "selfinsured" plan or is it run by an insurance company?

College health plans administered by insurance companies have to meet minimum coverage standards set by the ACA. "Self-insured" plans, in which colleges pay claims directly, are not required to meet those standards, although some still do.

• Is the plan effective for 12 months or just the school year?

Many college health plans are effective 12 months a year. If the policy is in effect only nine months a year, you may need a short-term health plan or catastrophic coverage (which covers people in the event of a major accident or illness) to fill the gap.

• Is the campus clinic a small, student-only facility or a large, university teaching hospital?

Some campus clinics are one- or two-room facilities with staff prepared only to treat common ailments, such as the flu or urinary tract infections. Others are worldclass hospitals with every possible kind of medical practice attached to them.

• Does the plan cover care only at the campus health clinic?

Some student plans do allow access to hospitals near the university. If not, the campus clinic may not be sufficient if the student has complicated existing health problems, gets in a major accident or contracts a serious illness. • Is there a distance limit? If the plan allows students to visit off-campus doctors and hospitals, is there a mileage limit? Some plans cover only visits near the school, a problem for students who are attending college far from home and may need medical care while visiting their parents. Or it could make it difficult to find providers who are in-network while a student is at home.

• Is the plan part of tuition?

If it is tied into the total cost of the student's education, financial aid or student loans will probably cover it, which could be helpful if cash is tight.

• Is the parent plan a multi-state plan? Or is it issued in the same state as the college?

Some HMOs and PPOs have networks of doctors and hospitals in only one state. Others are much broader and cover multiple states. Does the parent's plan offer in-network care in the same state as the college?