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> Health
Insurance
> Health
Insurance Plan Exclusions
No one ever intends to have an automobile accident, lose
valuable possessions through theft or damage, or become seriously
ill, but sometimes through no fault of our own, these things
do happen. The list below gives you an idea of what kinds
of insurance you should have while in the United States. Ask
your international student adviser where you can find out
more about the various types of insurance.
· Health insurance provides coverage for medical care
in the United States. A more detailed look at health insurance,
including the types of insurance available, can be found below.
- Travel insurance covers you during your journey from your
home country to the United States.
- Life insurance insures your life. If you should die, benefits
are paid to the person you name as your beneficiary.
- Personal belongings insurance insures those items you
bring to the United States with you against loss, theft,
or damage. It is not advisable to bring expensive jewelry
or other valuable personal belongings with you to the United
States.
- Automobile insurance covers your automobile and injuries
to persons in the event of an accident. If you are going
to have an automobile in the United States, most states
require that you carry automobile and liability insurance.
If you rent a car, the fee generally includes insurance
coverage.
Health Insurance
The United States does not have a government medical plan
or health care service that covers the whole population. Instead,
most people have private health insurance.
The U.S. Department of State requires students on J-1 exchange
visitor visas to have insurance coverage that includes health
and accident, medical evacuation, and repatriation of remains.
The U.S. government has no specific health insurance requirements
for students on F-1 and M-1 nonimmigrant visas. However, most
educational institutions have set their own mandatory health
insurance requirements to ensure that international students
do not become a "public charge" — that is, they
do not become dependent on the U.S. government to take care
of them. International students usually are required to prove
they have a certain amount of health insurance (determined
by the university) before they will be allowed to enroll in
classes.
If a health premium seems too high for your budget or if,
as a healthy young person, you think that health insurance
is an unnecessary expense, consider the costs that could be
incurred in the United States as outlined below.
Hospitals, doctors, and other medical costs vary throughout
the country, but emergency room care averages about $200 per
visit. Hospital rooms vary in price depending on the hospital
and the region of the country, but currently one overnight
stay in a hospital room averages $200 to $1,000 per day, not
including charges for doctors and other medical services.
Maternity care and delivery cost between $5,000 and $8,000.
Overall, national figures indicate that the average cost for
a one-week stay in a U.S. hospital is often as much as $8,000.
In other words, this is about half the cost of attending some
U.S. colleges or universities for an entire year.
Health Insurance Plans: Although health insurance
covering your stay in the United States can be purchased in
your home country, experience has shown that many of these
plans do not adequately cover your health care needs during
your U.S. stay. In addition, many U.S. health care providers
are reluctant to bill foreign insurance companies for health
care charges. They prefer to receive payment directly from
the patient and to let the patient seek reimbursement from
the foreign insurance company. Unless you are certain that
the policy is equal to or better than the policies of U.S.
health care insurance companies, and that your home-country
health insurance policy can be billed in the United States,
you should probably purchase health insurance when you arrive
in the United States.
If the university or college you attend does not offer a
health insurance plan, it is extremely important that you
obtain coverage of your own to protect yourself against potentially
very high medical costs.
There are countless numbers of health insurance companies
and each has numerous plans. Your nearest overseas educational
information or advising center may offer sample brochures
for your reference. Also discuss health insurance plans with
your international student adviser, either through correspondence
or when you arrive on campus. The following are some of the
types of health plans available:
- Sponsored foreign student: If you have an institutional
sponsor or a scholarship, you may already be provided with
health insurance through your sponsor. Be sure that you
understand which health care services are provided for you
and which are not. If your spouse or family will be with
you in the United States, ask what provisions are made for
their health care. Depending on the amount and type of coverage,
you may wish to consider a supplemental policy that will
help cover more of your potential expenses.
- University health plans: As mentioned earlier, almost
all universities and colleges require that students carry
health and accident insurance (the cost of which is in addition
to the "health fee" generally charged at the beginning
of each school term). Most educational institutions recommend
a specific student health insurance plan. However, some
of these plans are designed to supplement insurance already
held by U.S. students or their parents. Although better
than no insurance at all, such health insurance plans may
not meet the needs of international students. Be certain
any policy you purchase is not intended to be a supplemental
policy only.
- Special plans for international students: According to
NAFSA: Association of International Educators, two insurance
companies offer insurance specifically for university students.
For further information on the policies available, you may
contact these companies directly. They are:
HTH Worldwide Insurance Services
12900 Federal Systems Park Drive, Suite 2A
Fairfax, VA 22033-4421 USA
Telephone: 703-322-1515
Web site: http://www.hthworldwide.com
Student Resources
805 Executive Center Drive West, Suite 220
St. Petersburg, FL 33702 USA
Telephone: 800-237-0903
Web site: http://www.student-resources.net
- Basic health insurance plan coverage: Basic health insurance
usually includes doctors' fees (or a percentage of the fee)
for major illnesses, as well as hospital and surgical expenses.
Minor illnesses or injuries are treated in a doctor's office,
and most insurance plans do not pay for such care. If your
spouse or family accompanies you to the United States, be
certain they are also covered by health insurance. Dependents
can be protected by purchasing a "family plan"
that covers them as well as you.
- Major medical insurance: This insurance is designed to
take care of expenses resulting from a prolonged illness
or serious injury. These policies generally involve a "deductible"
clause — that is, you pay a certain amount, and the insurance
company pays any additional charges or, sometimes, only
the major percentage of those charges. Typically, the deductible
is $500 to $1000, depending on the policy and the type of
coverage. Maximum benefits (the limit the insurance company
will pay) vary greatly and generally range from a low of
$5,000 (which is not enough coverage) to $1 million or more
(which is usually more than most healthy international students
need). You should purchase insurance that provides at least
$25,000 in major medical coverage. It would be advisable,
however, to purchase $50,000, $75,000, or even $100,000
worth of coverage, especially if you plan on bringing your
spouse or other dependents with you.
Most basic health and medical insurance policies specify
certain limits, that is, a certain maximum amount the insurance
company will pay for certain services. The patient must pay
charges in excess of the stated limits.
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Health Insurance
Plan Exclusions
It is important to read your health insurance policy carefully,
especially the section that deals with "exclusions,"
so that you will know in advance what the insurance company
will pay for and what it will not pay for. Below are some
areas that are generally not covered by basic health insurance
plans:
Maternity care: You must purchase insurance for maternity
care separately and, generally, before pregnancy occurs. Most
maternity insurance policies allow only two days' hospital
stay.
Dental services: If you need dental work done, it
is a good idea to have it taken care of before coming to the
United States.
Eyeglasses: If you wear eyeglasses, have your eyes
examined before you leave home and bring an extra pair of
glasses and the prescription (written in English) with you.
Except in the case of injury to the eye, eye care is generally
not covered by health insurance.
Existing conditions: Most insurance companies will
not reimburse you for treatment of a condition that existed
prior to the effective date of your insurance policy. If you
require care for an ongoing medical condition, look closely
at any insurance policies you are considering. Medical care
in the United States can be very expensive without insurance.
Prescription medications: Many insurance companies
do not provide coverage for prescription medications, which
can be very expensive in the United States. Even if they do
provide some coverage, a "copayment" or standard
fee (often $10 to $15) is usually required from you for each
prescription on a monthly basis.
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