International Student Insurance Blog and News

If you want to save yourself some money and do not want to purchase your schools international student health insurance plan, then you are at the right place. The Student Secure will meet and exceed most school insurance requirements and is generally much more affordable starting at just $33/ month for US Citizens studying abroad and $40/ month for International Students studying around the world.

You can also check our international student insurance school requirement database to see if our plan meets your schools requirements.

To comply with your school, most will make you complete a waiver form which will have to be completed and signed by your insurance company. We offer this service quickly and easily with a 24 hour turn-around - here is how it works:

1. Purchase your plan online
2. Download your waiver form from your school and complete as much information as you can
3. Fax the waiver form to us at +1 904 212-0412
4. Please make sure you include your certificate number and the number you want the form faxed back to

That is it! Within a 24 hour period we can have your insurance in place and your compliance form faxed to your school!

If you have any question about the process or need helping purchasing your plan please contact us.

Technorati Tags: student insurance waiver form

Almost all health insurance plans have a deductible or co-payments. A deductible is the amount the insured (you) must pay before the insurance company will pay towards your expenses. And a co-payment is the amount that you also must pay out of your own pocket; although a co-payment is typically a per service fee or per doctor office visit. For some plans, you will find that they have both a deductible and a co-payment. Usually with these plans, the deductible is for your larger expenses (i.e. emergency room visits, hospitalizations, diagnostic testing) and co-payments are for smaller expenses (i.e. doctor office visits, prescription drugs, etc.). Most domestic health insurance plans are typically set up in this manner. However, for international students some or most health insurance plans out there have a deductible that applies to the entire plan. In this case, it would apply to doctor visits, prescriptions, tests, hospitalizations, surgery, etc. The insurance company would not start paying towards your expenses until you’ve met the deductible.

So, how does this affect you? Well, let's say you went to the doctor for a minor sickness (i.e. cold, flu, etc.). When you first purchased your health insurance plan you choose a higher deductible, $2,500, to offset the premium cost each month. If your plan only has a deductible and is not a co-pay type plan then you would pay the full amount of your visit out of your own pocket. You would need to pay the first $2,500 worth of eligible expenses in order for the insurance company to start paying towards it. On the other hand, let's say you got injured and you needed to go to the emergency room. After all of your tests, MRI’s and doctor consultations your bill totaled $10,000 (assuming all are eligible expenses). This means that you will pay the first $2,500 of your $10,000 bill. After that, it depends on the way your health insurance plan is setup and whether or not it has coinsurance. Coinsurance is usually a percentage that you are required to pay after the deductible. Let’s say for example purposes your plan had 80/20 coinsurance up to $5,000 (all eligible expenses) then 100% coinsurance up to the overall limit. After the $2,500 deductible you would be required to pay 20% of the next $5,000 worth of eligible expenses or approximately $1,000. So, your total responsibility would be about $3,500. The insurance company would pay the rest or $6,500. This may or may not be a lot of money for you but for most international students it would be. So, when choosing your deductible it may make sense to choose a lower deductible with slightly higher premium costs each month.

For the plans we offer, the deductible and coinsurance will vary. For international students, the Student Secure Select plan offers 100% coinsurance for eligible expenses after the deductible if you go within the PPO or to the student health center. The Student Secure Budget plan offers 80/20 for eligible expenses after the deductible up to $5,000 then 100% up to the overall policy maximum. The deductible for this plan is $100 per injury or illness or it’s reduced to $50 if you go to the Student Health Center. This plan reduces a lot of your out-of-pocket expenses and provides coverage for doctor office visits, prescription drugs, maternity, diagnostic testing, x-rays, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, etc. It will also meet most school’s health insurance requirements. You can check our school database for further information.

Labels: co-payment, deductible, international student, international student health insurance, international student insurance, school requirements

A PPO, also known as a Preferred Provider Organization, is defined as an organization of doctors, hospital and medical care facilities that have contracted with the insurance company to all provide services at a contracted rate. Usually the rate they receive is at a reduced rate. A PPO type arrangement can be beneficial for both the insurance company and the insured. The rates are usually significantly reduced so the insured does not have to pay as much out-of-pocket as they would if they went outside of the PPO. The insurance company also receives the lower rate so in effect they do not have to pay high claims amounts. This in turn, allows your renewal and premium rates to remain as low as possible.

With most of our plans, they do offer a PPO. However, you are not required to follow it. If you do choose to go within the network or PPO, then you will receive significant benefits. For example, the Student Secure plan, offers the coinsurance (coinsurance is the percentage that you would responsible to pay after the deductible) to be waived (select level only) if you go within the PPO or to the Student Health Center. The PPO for this plan is quite vast. To search the PPO go here: www.InternationalStudentInsurance.com/network. This can greatly reduce your out-of-pocket expenses. If you went to the emergency room let’s say for a broken arm and your total eligible expenses were $2,000 (the hospital you went to was in the PPO and all of your expenses were eligible expenses). The insurance company would pay 100% of your eligible expenses (select level only) after you paid the $100 deductible (the deductible is the amount that you are required to pay before the insurance company will pay towards your expenses).

Now let’s say for the same example you chose not to go to a hospital within the PPO. You would see much higher out-of-pocket expenses. Your deductible would remain the same however, the coinsurance would not be waived and you would be responsible for 20% of your eligible expenses (for this example it would cost approximately $500 total for you). On the select level of the Student Secure plan, the insurance company would pay 80% of your eligible expenses after the deductible up to $5,000 then they would pay 100% up to the overall policy maximum. So, as you can see, it’s much better for you to go within the PPO.

The Student Secure plan is available for full-time students studying outside of their home country. Outside of the U.S. there is not a PPO. You can go to any doctor or hospital and you will be provided 100% coverage for your eligible expenses after the deductible and up to the overall policy maximum (select level only). To find further information about all of our plans please visit our site: InternationalStudentInsurance.com

Labels: health insurance, insurance, international student health insurance, network, PPO, student health insurance

As many of you may be aware, the French Embassy requires non-European citizens to have proof of health insurance. This plan needs to provide coverage specifically in France or needs to be considered a worldwide plan. The French Embassy also has very specific requirements that your health insurance plan must meet in order for you to be eligible for the French visa.

Your health insurance plan needs to at least provide $37,500 worth of coverage for you in France. You must provide a letter of coverage to the embassy that states that you are covered at least this amount in France. For most U.S. citizens, their domestic health insurance plan will not extend coverage to them while in other countries. Some domestic insurance companies will but most will not. For those that do, it may be quite expensive and the most they will typically cover is for emergency situations. This will not meet the visa requirements and in addition, it is very hard to get a letter of coverage from them. For those that are students in France, you must also show proof of health insurance. Some students are eligible for student coverage under the French national health plan (sécurité sociale). For those students that are over 28 or at a college not recognized by the French social security system they must take out a personal health insurance policy (assurance personnelle).

Here are two plans that meet France’s visa requirements: Student Secure and Atlas International. You can apply directly online for these plans. After you purchase the plan, you can receive all of your insurance documents immediately via e-mail. This e-mail will include your visa letter, receipt, insurance card and policy details. You can simply print these documents out and provide them to the French Embassy.

The Atlas International plan provides coverage for inpatient and outpatient services, prescription drugs, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, doctor office visits, etc. This plan allows you to choose your maximum coverage limit (from $50,000 to $1,000,000) and your deductible (from $0 to $2,500). This plan provides worldwide coverage excluding your home country. To be eligible for this plan, you do not have to be a student but you must be outside of your home country.

The Student Secure plan is for full time college students. Student Secure comes in two levels, budget and select. The plan provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical coverage up to $250,000 (budget) or $300,000 (select). The plan also includes maternity, mental health, prescription drugs, sports coverage, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, doctor office visits, etc. You have the option to pay for it all at once or on a monthly basis.

Labels: French health insurance, French visa, French visa requirements, international health insurance, international insurance, international student health insurance

This is one of the most popular questions we receive. The Student Secure plan, which is particularly designed for F1 visa holders or full-time international and study abroad students, has two levels: budget and select. The budget level provides up to $250,000 worth of coverage and the select level provides up to $300,000 worth of coverage. The select level also provides coverage for accidental death & dismemberment and the budget level does not. However, these are not the only differences. The main difference is in the coinsurance.

Coinsurance is a percentage that you have to pay after you meet the deductible. The deductible is usually a fixed amount. For both levels, the deductible is $100 per injury or illness. For the budget level, your coinsurance portion would be 20% of the first $10,000 of eligible expenses. Then, the insurance company will pay 100% of your eligible expenses up to the certificate period maximum. So, for example, you incurred $5,000 worth of eligible expenses. You would be responsible for the deductible ($100) plus the 20% coinsurance. So, your total would be approximately $1,100. If you chose the select level, then your coinsurance is waived if you go to the Student Health Center or if you go to a doctor within the PPO (network of doctors). So, in the example above you would only be responsible for the deductible ($100). The select level may be more expensive when you choose to purchase the Student Secure plan, however, it greatly reduces your out-of-pocket expenses.

To further explain what a deductible is, the deductible is the amount that you are required to pay before the insurance company will pay toward your eligible expenses. For the Student Secure plan, the deductible is $100 per injury or illness. This means that you would pay the first $100 plus any coinsurance applicable (if you chose the select level and went within the PPO or to the Student Health Center you would not be responsible for the coinsurance) per injury or illness. This deductible is not per visit. If you became ill or injured and you went to the doctor you would pay the deductible plus any coinsurance applicable. If you needed to go back for a follow-up visit you would not need to pay the deductible again. You would simply pay the applicable coinsurance portion.

If you should have any further questions, please e-mail us at info@InternationalStudentInsurance.com or call us at 1-888-247-1387.

To view all the benefits, quote or apply online click here: http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/student_secure_international/

On the 1st September 2007, the Finnish Government introduces new insurance legislation for all international students who are planning to attend school in Finland. The new insurance regulations for international students in Finland currently stands at:

• Students who stay in Finland less than two years - These students must have a health insurance whose policy covers treatment and medication costs up to 100,000 euros.

• Students who stay in Finland a minimum of two years - These students must have a health insurance whose policy covers treatment and medication costs up to 30,000 euros.

At InternationalStudentInsurance.com, we are prepared for these new changes and have a variety of plans that are available and ideal for international students from all around the world who are planning to study in Finland.
Our current plans that will meet these requirements are:

- Student Secure - monthly student health insurance plan
- Atlas International - Travel health insurance plan
- International Citizens - Annually renewable major medical insurance plan.

Although all three plans above will meet the options for International Students studying in Finland, we recommend the Student Secure and Atlas International as the main plans. The Student Secure is a dedicated plan for international students and will provide benefits such as hospitalization, mental health, maternity, prescription medication and much more. If are not looking for a plan as comprehensive as the Student Secure, then the Atlas International plan should be your second option providing travel health benefits (though if you need coverage up to $250,000 please make sure you select a policy maximum of €100,000 or more).

Please contact us if you have any questions about Finnish International Student Insurance

Technorati Tags: finland international student insurance, finnish international student insurance, international student insurance for finland

For anyone that has every applied for a visa, whether a J1, F1 or even a Schengen Visa for Europe, they will know that getting through all the paperwork and red tape can be tough task. You need to comply with many requirements, make sure you have all your paperwork is in order, etc... the list goes on.

One of the main requirements of visa's such as the Schengen or J1 Visa for the USA, is to require the applicant to show proof of a certain level of health/ travel insurance. At InternationalStudentInsurance.com we provide access to range of plans that will meet and exceed nearly all visa requirements - the most popular visa's that we provide coverage for are:

- J1 Visa Insurance
- F1 Visa Insurance
- Schengen Visa Insurance

If your visa is not listed above, please simply contact us to talk with our customer service team about your requirements and we can find a plan to fit your needs.

For those looking for insurance to meet school insurance requirements please see our previous posting.

Technorati Tags: f1 visa insurance, j1 visa insurance, schengen visa insurance