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.
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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.
- NAFSA: Association of International Educators, publishes
online yellow pages with information on health and safety. To
explore several options for insurance plans, please visit their
site at:
https://www.eseries.nafsa.org/scriptcontent/YP_auto/c12.cfm.
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.
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:
You must purchase insurance for
maternity care separately and, generally, before pregnancy occurs.
Most maternity insurance policies allow only two days' hospital
stay.
If you need dental work done, it
is a good idea to have it taken care of before coming to the United
States.
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.
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.
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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