US citizen enrolled in an American university and pursuing academic activity overseas
Thursday, March 26th, 2009Student life in a foreign country can be daunting. You have to find housing, organize your classes and get acquainted with a new city and possibly a new language! In addition it is likely that you will need to find a good medical insurance policy that will cover you and your dependents. If you are a US Citizen, enrolled full-time at a university in the USA and you are pursuing academic activities abroad then you can get coverage for yourself and your dependents quite easily. There are several good international student medical insurance policies available, all of which are sold and managed by insurance companies that are based in the USA.
You will usually have a choice between choosing a policy that provides a medical maximum on a PER POLICY PERIOD basis or PER ACCIDENT/ILLNESS basis.
You will also be given an option with regard to the maximum deductible allowed. In layman’s terms a deductible is a payment that the student will have to make before the insurance policy begins to cover an eligible expense. Most Universities will tell you what the maximum allowable deductible is. Always check to see if the deductible is on a PER POLICY PERIOD or PER ACCIDENT/ILLNESS basis.
Most good student medical insurance policies will provide hospitalization and out-patient benefits as well as emergency evacuation and repatriation benefits. The emergency evacuation benefit is useful if you are in an area that does not provide the specific type of medical care that you need. And in the unlikely event of death, a repatriation benefit will allow for your remains to be transported back to your home country at no expense to your family.
There are several other medical benefits that may be part of the student medical insurance policy such as coverage of pre-existing conditions, maternity benefits for the student or student’s spouse, dental and vision benefits, as well as treatment for Mental or nervous disorders or drug and alcohol abuse. Not all plans will provide all of these benefits, which is why it is probably best to purchase your student medical insurance policy from an agent who works with several insurance companies so that they may compare all the available plans against your specific requirements.