Universities in the USA require all international nationals to buy a goodly coverage for medical emergencies. Universities supply the guidelines – what are the conditions that ought to be covered, what would the premium cost be for the coverage you seek, a list of reputed insurers and so on.
Most insurers design insurance for international student plans to suit the peculiar needs of students traveling outside their country. A medical maximum coverage of $200,000 or $300,000 per injury or illness is the norm; and universities expect students to cover themselves for at least as much.
In the absence of university guidelines, go over the policy with a fine-toothed comb. Hire an insurance agent and ask questions till you are sure that the international students insurance plan you are about to buy is what you need.
Go online and get a list of the common procedures done in the state where you will be and the coverage amount for each of them. Several states publish a list of the 25 most common procedures. The list would indicate the procedures, the facilities where they might be done and also the costs accruing to the patient.
For example, you might have to spend as much as $5000-$8000 for just an overnight hospital stay, everything else additional. An actual procedure, for an appendectomy, would touch $18,000; heart surgery would cost five times as much.
These costs would cover you alone. However, if you are male, and traveling with spouse or partner, pregnancy is a huge possibility. Every pre-natal appointment is in the vicinity of $200, excluding tests and medicine. An ultra sound test can go up to $1000. Pregnancy for a spouse has to be covered even before conception; this will ensure coverage for maternity and childcare, extra premium for c-section, no coverage for post-natal complications, generally.
An unmarried partner is not covered at all, during or after pregnancy, but may be added to the list once married. Even then, post pregnancy complications would still not be covered. Do realize that covering your spouse in addition to yourself is expensive, but required.
Buy an medical insurance for international students of about $500,000 for yourself; buy greater coverage if with partner. But do all this after a careful understanding of the coverage and expenses. Remember that availing of the doctors and hospitals in the network would be both convenient and cheaper. However, if out-of-network facilities become imperative, keep track of every single expense, so you can make your claim accurately.