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Archive for March, 2009

US citizen enrolled in an American university and pursuing academic activity overseas

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

Student 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.

Insurance for traveling with kids

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Traveling with kids? Wondering which is the best travel medical insurance for you and your family? Look no further. At American visitor insurance we have all the answers for you. In general, if you are traveling with kids under 10 years old, then the best policy is likely to be Atlas America insurance . If your kids are older than 10 years old, then the best policy is probably Patriot America insurance . You can go on-line and get an immediate quote and buy the policy if you like it. Think you ran out of time? You can make your policy effective tomorrow if you buy it today. Get ALL the details and compare prices from MANY companies at American visitor insurance !! Happy travels!

visitors insurance

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

It is the end of a long winter, and the coming of spring is an ideal time to have family members visit you in the USA. This is especially true for Indians who are used to warmer weather and find American winters challenging.

Why Visitor medical insurance ?
Visitors, in particular parents and elder relatives take some time adjusting to the new environs. Beyond the initial jet lag, there are changes in weather, water, food, clothing to consider. While you can take precautions for minor ailments by ensuring that they get any medications that they currently use, or even get a spare pair of glasses, you should also prepare for unplanned but possible catastrophic medical situations, such as an accident, or somebody falling down and having to undergo surgery. Any situation which results in visiting an American hospital can be a serious drain on one’s finances, even during good financial conditions. Even a few hours in a hospital can result in thousands of dollars of medical expenses, and it is not at all an exaggeration that an overnights stay can result in tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills. In this context, it is always prudent to purchase visitors medical insurance.

Why Americanvisitorinsurance ?
Visitors insurance can be confusing for anyone outside the insurance industry. There are several insurance providers, different types of insurance plans, fixed benefits versus comprehensive plans, new concepts like deductibles, PPO network, co-insurance and so on. To help you understand these insurance concepts easily and to be able to compare and then purchase visitors insurance for travelers to America, at American Visitor Insurance, we have developed different tools. Our visitor insurance glossary and FAQ section help you understand the commonly used insurance concepts while our visitor insurance comparison tool will help you compare the different options, select and buy the plan that satisfies your requirements best.

The purchase process.
You will need basic information about the traveler such as the applicants date of birth, passport number, the travel dates and a beneficiary for the policy. On selecting an appropriate visitor insurance plan, you can purchase the plan online in a matter of minutes using a credit card. Immediately after completing the transaction, you will get a email which has all the relevant information about the insurance plan. Unless you choose the online fulfilment option, you will also get the policy document by regular mail in 4-5 business days.

Using the insurance policy.
After completing the online purchase of visitors insurance, you will get the insurance policy details, which will have a policy number as well as the relevant toll free numbers to contact in the event of having to get medical treatment. If time permits, it is recommended that you call the insurance company toll free number, and they will guide you forward on getting appropriate treatment. If your insurance plan has a PPO network, it is recommended that you use the doctor or hospital which is part of the network. Using the PPO network will facilitate cashless settlement (direct billing with the hospital), remove any penalty for being outside network and in some instances even take care of any co-insurance that you might have to pay. If you are unable to call the insurance toll free number prior to visiting a hospital (in the event of any emergency), you should call the insurance company as soon as you can, and inform them of the medical treatment that the visitor is gettin. You should then submit the insurance claims form. You can always contact us at www.americanvisitorinsurance.com if you need help with the claims procedure.

PPO network for visitors insurance

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Using PPO network for visitor insurance

A PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) consists of hospitals, doctors and other healthcare facilities which provide services at a pre-determined rate for clients of the insurance administrator. Some insurers require clients to use only their PPO network, and might even deny claims if customers go outside their PPO.

Insurers reduce administrative costs and provide cheaper service by working within PPO. This also helps the healthcare provider to bill the insurance provider directly thus offering cashless settlements.

When purchasing visitor travel insurance, do check the PPO network of the different plans. Find out the PPO network in your zip code, as well of whether prior notification is required before using the insurance policy.

The PPO network information is provided in our website in our visitor insurance comparison tool. The Atlas America insurance plan administered by Multinational Underwriters even waives the coinsurance when customers use their PPO network.

Visitor insurance for different communities

Monday, March 16th, 2009

There are three main types of visitors insurance. The following is a summary of the different segments with highlights of the coverages of the different segments.

(a) Visitor travel insurance (visitors to USA and Canada)
This insurance is popular with immigrant communities such communities from India and China in the United States. The Indian, Chinese and other immigrant communities have family members visiting them in the USA and want to ensure that they have health insurance coverage while visiting. There are several different visitor insurance plans, and they can be compared and purchased on our website. These plans are approved instantly and coverage can start as early as the following day. The comparison facility is at Visitor medical insurance

(b) Global health insurance around the world (Expatriates while working around the globe)
Global health insurance
plans is popular with expatriates who are looking for comprehensive coverage for themselves and for their family members when they are working in different countries. These insurance plans will cover customers around the globe (unlike most domestic insurance plans, which do not provide coverage outside your home country). These plans are all inclusive and can cover preventive care as well as pre-existing ailments. These plans do go through an underwriting approval process. These plans can be compared at our website at Global medical insurance

(c) Trip insurance (To cover vacations and cruises)
Insurance plans in this segment are popular with travelers on a short vacation. The highlights of insurance plans in this group include coverage of trip cancellation, trip delay, baggage loss, baggage delay. These plans can also cover pre-existing conditions if the plans are purchased early. These plans can be compared at our website at Trip insurance

Trip cancellation and baggage loss insurance coverage

Friday, March 13th, 2009

Booking your trip of a lifetime? Don’t forget your travel insurance! Be sure you purchase your insurance early, within a week or two of putting down the initial deposit for your trip and you can be insured for trip interruption or cancellation. If you get sick just before your trip or have a family emergency, you can get your money back from your trip to rebook it at a later time. PLUS, you can be covered for pre-existing medical conditions ONLY when you buy early. This is a great value since most medical travel insurance will NOT cover any pre-existing condition.

Do you think you’re out of time to book trip insurance? Not to worry! You can still purchase insurance any time before you leave. Just insure the trip for $0 dollars and you will still get travel information and assistance, lost baggage benefits, flight insurance, and medical expenses taken care of if you get sick or have an accident during your trip.

DON’T settle for the insurance you get “automatically” by booking through your travel agent. Get ALL the details and compare prices from MANY companies at US Visitor Insurance!! Happy travels!

Travelers who need a quick turn around time for visitor insurance

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Many international travelers make their plans at the very last moment.

Whether you are a businessman rushing to attend a meeting in a foreign country, a foreign student who has just learnt that your University requires you to have a certain type of medical insurance or a budget conscious tourist looking for a good visitor medical insurance policy as a traveler you are always in a hurry!

But now you can be assured that even with very little time on your hands you can still find a broad range of travel medical insurance policies, make an educated choice and get instant, next-day coverage because many short term travel medical insurance policies do not require a medical check-up or medical records. These policies provide medical insurance for injuries and illnesses no matter where in the world you are.

Typically the plan cost (or premium) will depend on the traveler’s age, the maximum coverage requested, the deductible selected and the type of coverage (Fixed versus Comprehensive). There are many visitor medical insurance plans with various maximum coverage limits for medical expenses ranging from $25,000 to $1,000,000 and deductibles ranging from $0 to $2500. And the best part is you can buy these policies online with the help of a well qualified insurance agent.

Insurance for international/foreign students (F visa)

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Life as an international student in the United States can be a big adjustment. In addition to selecting courses and making living arrangements an international student has the added task of finding a student medical insurance policy that conforms to all the university requirements. And all this on a student budget! Most Universities within the United States have their own Each University has its own list of requirements that the student medical insurance policy must fulfill. In many cases the University may even have a compliance form that the insurance company must sign off on.

Most Universities will have restrictions with regard to certain policy details such as the total coverage offered. Always check carefully to see if your University requires the policy maximum to be on a PER POLICY PERIOD basis or PER ACCIDENT/ILLNESS basis. There is a big difference between the two and most often your insurance agent should be able to help you find the policy that complies with the University requirements.

Other policy details to look out for are 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.

All good student medical insurance policies will provide in-patient 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 University requirements 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. These are the items on the student medical insurance plan that tend to vary. That 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.