For students traveling overseas for studies, the costs of medical treatment can be brutal. Students traveling to the United States, in particular, might be shocked at the cost of uninsured medical treatment. For these students studying outside their home country, international student medical insurance offers several plans which offer basic medical coverage.
In the United States, several universities require that a student have insurance prior to registering for courses. With low costs and a range of deductibles, international student insurance plans are specifically tailored toward international students studying at U.S. universities and colleges— students on F1 visas, and their dependents, on F2 visas. The plans, however, can also be purchased by students in study abroad programs in other countries.
Students can select the plan best suited to their requirements, from several available plan options. Deductibles can range from $0 to $2500, and the plan period, five days to three years. The plans can usually be extended until the plan holder is a student, and otherwise eligible for insurance.
Plans for dependents can be purchasedif done along with coverage for the student. Most plans cover visits to the physician, hospitalization, prescription medicines, and medical evacuation, in case of emergency. Many of the international student insurance plans also cover pregnancy and pre-existing conditions.
To make the decision of choosing an insurance plan as hassle- and confusion-free as possible, agencies, which administers these international student insurance plans, offers a feature to compare different plans.
Also, if a student sends the company a list of university insurance requirements, Agencies suggests cost-effective plans that offer the required coverage. These plans can also be less cheaper than university health plans. In some of the plans, students can also purchase additional coverage for hazardous sports, on payment of an additional premium.
To better facilitate the process, the plan can be purchased by the mode that suits the applicant best—online, fax, or mail. Payment can be made using money orders, checks, credit cards, or wire transfer. For cash- strapped international students, the cashless or direct claims settlement options of international student insurance plans are a huge bonus.
International student medical insurance plans are underwritten by well-known companies such as Nationwide, Lloyds, and AIG. These companies are rated highly by A.M. Best Company, which is considered the most accurate source for insurance company ratings.