Some companies require transcripts on students each quarter. But their coverage is limited, and in ways students might not expect. Though the Companion Life policy is broader, reading through the brochure is like watching the incredible shrinking man. Birth control, routine physical exams, intercollegiate sports injuries, elective treatment for acne, weight loss, allergies, premarital exams and sleep disorders are among the things not covered. Neither are pre-existing medical conditions, unless they are congenital, covered for the first year.
Maternity care is covered, but only so long as conception occurred after the policy was written.
The same caveat holds true for abortions. Like an HMO, Companion Life requires five days' notice of planned hospital stays and day-after notification of emergency hospital visits. Treatment of allowed charges at the campus health center are covered 100 percent, with plan doctors at 90 percent, and with other providers at 70 percent. Finding a plan doctor in Tallahassee is a challenge. Medco Value Plus, the plan used by Companion Life, lists only one participating general practitioner in town.