As health care costs soar nationwide, employers and Penn State officials are saying that insurance plans coming with potential jobs should get a closer look from graduating students.

Brad Swanson, job recruiter for Target, 315 Lowes Blvd., said he believes health benefits are not a major concern for most college students.

"From what I've seen, it's moderately important, but not as high a priority as other things, such as pay," Swanson said.

Penn State Career Services Director Jack Rayman said he also believes health benefits are not as important to most college students as they should be.

"Most are young and not in tune to health benefits and the significance of them," he said.

Rayman added that many students might not give health plans a close look because younger people are, on average, healthier than older adults.

Mike Sosnowski (senior-real estate) said he is looking to work for a company with good job security and opportunity for advancement.

But he added that health care was also important to him in the long run.

"It may be a little less important for me, being young and still in relatively good health, but it's still very important," he said.

Swanson said other factors also affect students' views of health care plans.

"Age is not as much a factor as if a person is single or with a family," he said. "I think a 20-year-old with a family is just as concerned as a 50-year-old with a family."

Rayman said most of the larger companies that students would work for have comparable health care benefits, so matching them up becomes less important. He added that students are more likely to focus on salaries.

"Students put a little more emphasis on salary because it is easy to compare salaries," he said.

Despite the perceived apathy, some students are looking for quality health benefits.

Jesse Zerbe (senior-management information systems) said health care benefits would be important to him because of the rising costs of health insurance. "Besides pay and location, it would be one of the main things I'd look for," he said.