At least 10 percent of students who seek medical attention don’t have insurance.

That probably is a conservative estimate, but considering the size of this campus, that’s approximately 3,000 people who aren’t covered.

The potential for problems is just too great. Students: Invest in medical insurance.

Having medical insurance guarantees you’ll be ready in an emergency. An accident, an unexpected sickness – anything can make a semester go from a learning experience to a bed-bound disaster.

And coming out of being sick with a pile of hospital debt will only make things worse. Either a student’s parents will end up paying it, or the student will have to shoulder that responsibility.

Add that to debt already incurred from tuition, rent or room and board, and general living expenses, and students could quickly dig themselves into a hole they’ll never get out of.

But it’s all preventable.

Skip a few dinners out, a few nights at the bar, a few extra DVDs or video games, and invest some money in health insurance. Cut a small piece off each paycheck. It may detract from the fun of college to have less disposable income, but it could prevent problems that easily could last far beyond CMU.

For students who don’t have health care, there are options.

CMU Health Services can help students at least manage the costs of a visit to health care professionals at Foust Hall. While students still have to pay the full medical bills and insurance won’t be there to ease the burden, they can put those bills on their student accounts, giving them time to pay them off.

It’s an option, but it still isn’t as good as being covered in case of an emergency.

The best thing to do is talk to parents or others who have experience with insurance, or just start shopping around. Find coverage that is affordable and also provides the services a student needs.

It might take some sacrifices, but the alternative is much worse.

If students who need health insurance don’t take responsibility for themselves, no one else is going to.

It’s better to be safe than sorry, and there’s too much at stake to keep going through college, just hoping not to get sick.

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