Health Insurance USA

BerryBlue

Hi there,

I’m heading over to the US to study – have been looking at student health insurance / general health insurance & getting a bit confused trying to figure out what to get – so many sites!

The cheapest I've come across is ‘Compass’ - $87 per month for my age bracket (32) – but probably because it’s the cheapest means its probably not very good – can anyone recommend a good insurance company or give me any tips on what I need to make sure it covers.

ANY help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks

https://www.compassstudenthealthinsurance.com/compare_international_insurance_plans.php

InTheTrees

Not a lot of help from me I'm afraid but generally I think you'd want Insurance from a company that is in the state you're going to be studying in.

I would be a little hesitant about a "national" company as health laws can vary from state to state.

This is just very general advice though. Good Luck. Post what you learn.

($87 a month seems too low though).

ProudDUB

Have you contacted the college or university where you will be studying? It is possible that they may have struck a deal with an insurance company or two that offers low cost insurance to students.

coylemj

InTheTrees wrote: »

I would be a little hesitant about a "national" company as health laws can vary from state to state.

I don't know what you mean by 'health laws' but the situation in the US is pretty simple and doesn't vary much from state to state: medical treatment requires insurance or you are on your own.

Any of the major insurers in this part of the world will sell you travel insurance which covers you for a visit to the US. You just need to make sure to be honest about the purpose and duration of the trip so the OP will need to make sure that the insurance company knows that he will be there for an extended period and that the cover will be for potentially a large amount of money with a limit of half a million dollars or more.

lonestargirl

coylemj wrote: »

I don't know what you mean by 'health laws' but the situation in the US is pretty simple and doesn't vary much from state to state: medical treatment requires insurance or you are on your own.

Any of the major insurers in this part of the world will sell you travel insurance which covers you for a visit to the US. You just need to make sure to be honest about the purpose and duration of the trip so the OP will need to make sure that the insurance company knows that he will be there for an extended period and that the cover will be for potentially a large amount of money with a limit of half a million dollars or more.

The OP is not really looking for the kind of cover a tourist would want though. As he is going to be living in the US he needs cover for some routine visits too. If he goes to a doctor over there the first thing they are going to want to do is 'pre-authorise' his insurance, i.e. it's not useful for you or them if they do something that your insurance subsequently won't cover. In that case you are much better off being with a company familiar to those that you will be visiting.


@ OP, I was a student in the US and my college mandated that all students have health insurance. As a funded postgrad it was paid for me on top of my stipened. I think it was about $120 a month but as I was in a school attached to a medical school we also had access to the on campus doctor for free. If you were an undergrad paying for insurance was included as part of your bill for fees.

BerryBlue

Thanks for the replies, I'm busy trying to get everything else ready & keep putting this off because its so confusing.. I think with insurance you don't know what you needed to have looked for until after you need it! I've contacted the uni but the haven't got back to me yet.

I can't seem to find much difference with this cheap one and other medium level insurance with other companies - the only differences I can find are medical maximums & maternity cover (which I don't plan on needing).. and then very slight differences in regards to everything else.

I'm tempted to go with the cheap one but I know you usually get what you pay for and don't want to be kicking myself down the line for the sake of around $700 - $900 a year, which is alot to me now but nothing in the scheme of things! Its not covered as part of tuition fees.

I'm just going in circles.... Is there anything that I absolutely must make sure it covers?

silja

I think what you need most in accident/ emergency room cover, unless you anticipate needing medication/ regular check up at the doctor during the year.
If, God forbid, some major illness comes up- say, you get diagnosed with cancer- you could come home to Ireland for treatment, so that isn't really necessary.

InTheTrees

coylemj wrote: »

I don't know what you mean by 'health laws' but the situation in the US is pretty simple and doesn't vary much from state to state: medical treatment requires insurance or you are on your own.

Yup. Sorry. That as a lazy phrase.

I really mean the laws regarding Insurance regulations can vary state to state.

For instance if you're living in Arizona dont buy insurance from Blue Cross of New York... unless you're absolutely sure you're covered...