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Archive for the ‘Insurance Explained’ Category
Friday, July 1st, 2011
Today we launched a new online application for our International Student Health Insurance plan. The new online tool now allows you to get a free quote and apply for the Student Secure Smart, Budget or Select level using the same link. You no longer have a different application link to apply for the Smart level of the plan. I will be going over the steps on how to complete this new international student health insurance application.
The first step of the application process is to get a free quote based on your situation. You will have the option of choosing when you want your insurance to begin and end – you can choose to have the plan start in the future or as early as the same day. You cannot choose a date that is in the past. You can choose to have the plan for as little as one month or up to 12 months.
Next, you would enter your date of birth. If the student needs to add a spouse or child, you can click “yes” to dependent coverage and input their dates of birth, otherwise click “no”. After you will answer the question asking if you are a US citizen or resident, please note that if you are an international student studying in the US with a temporary F-1 or J-1 visa, you are not a US permanent resident and you would answer “no” to this question. Once you have filled out the information click on “GET QUOTE” at the bottom of the page and you will be taken to the next page showing you the price for the number of months you chose to have coverage for in the previous step.
On the next page you will have the option to choose the Coverage Area, if you will be an international student in the USA you would need to click the option “Including US” since you will need the insurance to cover you while you are inside the USA. If you will not be needing coverage in the USA you would choose “Excluding US”. Next you will choose with plan level you want to purchase: the Select, Budget or Smart level. You will then indicate whether you want to pay for the plan in full right now or pay monthly. Click on “NEXT” in the bottom right to move to the next page.
On this page you will simply fill out some information about yourself and your contact information. Your mailing address should be the address where we can reach you. Please be sure to fill out an email that you check regularly as this will be the primary way we will contact you about your policy including where we will send your documents and respond to other requests.
You might notice on the right hand side of the page that you can review the summary of your application so far.
Again, when you have filled out all the blanks click on “next”.
In the Eligibility Details page you will fill out your citizenship, home country and host country. In most cases your home country will be the same as your country of citizenship. If you choose to have coverage in the USA, you will have the question “Select Type of Visa” if your visa type is not listed you would choose “Other”.
The beneficiary for the accidental death benefit is the person you’d like to receive the monetary payout in case you pass away. This person can be anyone you want; usually it is a family member.
In the “Online Fulfillment Option” by choosing “Yes” you will receive your insurance documents electronically immediately after you complete the application. If you choose “No” you will get the documents physically email to you instead.
 
Congratulations, once you’ve reach this point you are almost done with the application. On this page you just need to confirm the price of the plan and include your payment information. You can use a credit, debit or bank card as long as they are MasterCard, American Express, Discover or Visa. Please keep in mind that “Visa Electron” is not accepted.
Once you have fill out all the information, read through the terms and conditions and click the check box if you agree then hit the “Place Order” button to submit your application!
Tags: Insurance application, international student insurance, International Student Insurance Application, Student Insurance, Student Insurance application, student secure, study abroad insurance
Posted in Insurance Explained, International Student in the USA, Product Information, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 17th, 2011
Once you have an insurance policy with International Student Insurance (whether it is the Student Secure plan, the Atlas plan, or the Citizen Secure plan), you can rest assured that you are protected in the event that you get sick or have an accident while traveling or studying abroad.
Whether you go to the doctor or hospital, your provider will expect to be paid for any services and treatments given during your visit. Depending on your provider, your doctor or hospital may accept direct payment from the insurance company, or you may need to pay first and then be reimbursed.
Some insurance plans have a network of doctors and hospitals that are contracted to accept direct payment. This means that your expenses will be paid directly from the insurance company to the doctor or hospital. With the Student Secure, Atlas or Citizen Secure plan there is an optional network you can use called the CMN Network. If you choose to go to an in-network provider, they have agreed to accept direct payment. If you go outside the network, it will be up to the provider on how they want to receive payment.
If you have already paid for the doctor visit or your provider requires you to pay upfront, you will need to file a claim. To do this, you will need to attach your bills, receipts, and a Claimant Statement to show proof of claim. With the Student Secure, Atlas Travel, and Citizen Secure plan, this information can be submitted by email, fax or mail. Once your claim is received and reviewed, you will receive an Explanation of Benefits and reimbursement. Your Explanation of Benefits outlines what medical treatment and services were paid according to the benefits on your insurance plan. This help you know what is covered and to make sure that your insurance plan is working for you!
Tags: filing a claim, how to file a claim, how to get insurance to cover, how to get reimbursement, how to use my insurance, how to use your insurance
Posted in Insurance Explained, Product Information, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Monday, June 13th, 2011
In today’s environment where individuals travel overseas frequently, it is important to have a plan that includes coverage for emergency medical evacuation.
That brings up the important question, what is emergency medical evacuation?
For those of you who don’t know, emergency medical evacuation – also referred to as “med evac” – provides transportation from one facility to another in the event that medical treatment cannot be provided locally. This benefit can refer to transportation to 1) another facility within your host country, 2) another facility in another country or 3) another facility in your home country. The location is typically decided based on doctor recommendations and most plans will cover the closest facility that is recommended.
Depending on the plan you are interested, benefits may vary in terms of what the plan provides.
One popular option is our Liaison Traveler plan which is designed to offer emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of mortal remains, accidental death and dismemberment, and other incidental coverage and services for persons traveling outside their home country. This plan provides $250,000 for emergency medical evacuation alone! Additionally this plan is offered in various coverage period to allow you to get the coverage you need!
Tags: Emergency Medical Evacuation
Posted in Insurance Explained | No Comments »
Saturday, June 11th, 2011
When purchasing a medical insurance plan, many times you will have the option of choosing what deductible you want to have on your plan. Many people often ask me when buying health insurance “what deductible I should pick?”
The answer will depend on your own personal situation. But first, you need to have a better understanding of what is a deductible. There are some things you should consider when choosing a deductible while purchasing health insurance.
- How much premium can you afford and how much of a deductible can you pay if you incurred claims? Having a deductible is like you sharing financial risk if you get sick or injured with the insurance company, a higher deductible means you are putting more financial risk on yourself because if you get sick you would pay more towards any medical bills upfront. As a benefit for having more upfront financial responsibility of your claims, the cost of your insurance plan will be less.
- Since higher deductibles mean lower premiums, then consider your budget, you can save money now by choosing a higher deductible, but keep in mind what you can afford if something major does happen. You will have to pay your deductible before the insurance makes any payment for claims.
- If you need health insurance to apply for a visa to travel to other countries or to register with an organization like a University, make sure to verify any medical requirements with the organization prior to purchasing. You may have to choose a particular deductible or coverage amounts in order to meet their requirements.
What deductible do to pick when buying health insurance
When you want to buy apurchasing a medical insurance plan, many times you will have the option of choosing what deductible you want to have on your plan. Many people often ask me when buying health insurance “what deductible they I should pick.?”
The answer will depend on your own personal situation. But first, you need to have a better understanding of what is a deductible is. Once you know what a deductible is here There are some things to you should consider when picking choosing a deductible while buying purchasing health insurance.
- How much risk you want to have on yourselfpremium can you afford and how much of a deductable can you pay if you incurred claims?. Having a deductible is like you sharing financial the risk of if you getting get sick or injured with the insurance company, a higher deductible means you are putting more more financial risk on yourself since because if you get sick you would pay more towards your any medical bills upfront. As a reward benefit for having more upfront responsibilityfinancial responsibility sharing more of the riskof your claims, the cost of buying your insurance plan will be less.
- To go along with the first point,Since the higher the deductibles you mean have the lower the premiums, to buy the plan. Sothen consider your budget, you can save money now by choosing a higher deductible, but keep in mind your what you can afford if something major does happen. as well. You will have to pay your deductible before the insurance makes any payment for claims.
- If you need health insurance to apply for a visa to travel to other countries and or to register with an organization like a University, make sure you to checkverify any medical requirements with your the organization prior to purchasing. to know if you mustYou may have to choose a particular deductible or coverage amounts in order to meet their requirements.
Tags: deductible explain, high or low deductible, what deductible to choose
Posted in Health & Safety, Insurance Explained, Product Information | No Comments »
Monday, June 6th, 2011
Many people ask us, what is major medical insurance?
Simply defined, major medical insurance is designed to cover you in case you need medical care due to severe or prolonged illness or injury. It is an important consideration especially if you will be an international student overseas in a foreign environment. While medical expenses may not be that expensive in your home country, you may find that medical care in other countries can be much more expensive. For example, international students in the US can easily rack up thousands of dollars simply from an emergency room visit or overnight stay at the hospital. Because of this, some international students purchase a comprehensive health insurance that has a high coverage maximum that will cover you in case of a medical injury or illness.
Another consideration that you may not have thought of is what happens if something does happen while you are overseas long-term? When some students go abroad, they may purchase a short-term plan designed to cover new illnesses and injuries during coverage. These plans are generally renewable up to a limited number of years. However, what happens if you graduate and continue in the US on OPT? Or, what happens if you stay for a long period of time and you can no longer renew your plan? In the United States, for example, it can be quite difficult to get coverage that immediately covers an ongoing pre-existing conditions (for those of you not familiar with the insurance jargon, pre-existing condition is defined as a condition that you had prior to obtaining your current insurance plan). By having a plan that can be renewed year after year, this means that you can continue coverage with the same benefits even as your circumstances change.
Because of these reasons, among many others, major medical insurance for international students is an important consideration. With the Citizen Secure plan, for example, this plan provides comprehensive coverage up to $5 million per person, per lifetime. Additionally, this plan can be annually renewed year after year so you can keep the plan whether you are in school, on OPT, or even on a work visa. This plan has been specifically designed as major medical insurance for international students and as such provides 24-hour travel and medical assistance, translation services, and worldwide coverage including in your home country.
Contact one of our license agents for more information on which plan is right for you!
Tags: Health insurance for international student, international students in the US, Major Medical Insurance for International Students
Posted in Insurance Explained, International Student in the USA, Student Health Insurance | No Comments »
Saturday, June 4th, 2011
Many people are confused about the differences between what is an insurance deductible, co-pay and coinsurance. All three represent the portion of the medical bill that you are responsible for in case you get sick or injured. However, there are some differences:
Deductible: A deductible is usually a fix dollar amount that you have to pay out of your own pocket before the insurance will cover the remaining eligible expenses.
Depending on the insurance plan, the deductible can range from $0 all the way up to thousands of dollars. It can also be paid per sickness/injury (per condition) or per certificate period.
As a rule of thumb, the higher the deductible the lower the premium (price to buy the plan) would be and vice versa. Be sure to choose the deductible that is appropriate for your circumstances when purchasing an insurance policy.
Coinsurance: A coinsurance is usually a percentage that the insurance will pay toward your eligible medical expenses. Some common coinsurance includes: 100%, 80/20, 90/10 and 50/50. As an example if you have a 80/20 coinsurance, it means that the insurance company will cover 80% of your medical cost and you are responsible for paying the other 20% yourself.
A deductible is commonly use together with a coinsurance. In this case you would pay the deductible amount first and after you would have the left over coinsurance amount.
Copay (copayment): Copays are similar to deductible, it is usually a fix amount of money you have to pay each time you need to use the insurance. A copay is usually small amount that you pay which applies to certain benefits like general doctor visit or prescription medication.
An insurance policy may have a deductible, coinsurance, copay, any combination of the three or none at all.
Tags: coinsurance, copay vs coinsurance, deductible vs coinsurance, deductible vs copay, health insurance explain, insurance copay, insurance deductible, insurance out of pocket expense, study abroad insurance, Travel Insurance
Posted in Insurance Explained, Product Information, Student Insurance, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Friday, May 20th, 2011
Yesterday we launched our new Atlas Plan online free quoting/application tool. The new tool has a new design and a few improvements, so I will be going over the steps to completing this application.
The first step of the application is to get a free quote for your Atlas Travel Medical Insurance Plan.
The first question asks “Will your trip include the US or US territories as a destination country?” If you need the insurance to provide coverage for you inside of the US, choose “yes” if not choose “no”. Please keep in mind that if you are a US citizen or US permanent resident you must choose “no” to this question as the plan doesn’t provide coverage inside of the US for US citizen/permanent resident.
Next you will choose when you want your coverage to begin, you can choose to have the plan start in the future or as early as the same day. You cannot choose a date that is in the past. The date coverage should end can be anywhere between 5 days from the start date all the way until 1 year after the start date.
After, you can fill in your date of birth. If you need to include your husband or wife on your insurance plan, fill in their date of birth as well – if not, you can just leave it blank.
If on your trip abroad you will be participating in more adventurous sports such as bungee jumping, scuba diving, rafting, or mountaineering, you should choose to include the optional sports coverage which will give you coverage for these activities as long as it is not part of an intercollegiate, interscholastic, intramural, club, and professional sports or athletic activities or for wage, reward or profit.
Once you have fill out all the information, click on “Get Quote” at the bottom of the page.
To obtain a quote, click on the “get quote” button and you will be taken to the next page showing you the price for the entire time period you chose in the previous step.
For the coverage amount you can choose from $50,000 up to $1,000,000. You can choose the coverage that you need and the price will automatically update base on your selection. Once you have chose your deductible and coverage, click the “Apply” button right next to the price you want to purchase.
On this page you will simply fill out some information about yourself and your contact information. Your mailing address should be the address where we can reach you. Please be sure to fill out an email that you check regularly as this will be the primary way we will contact you about your policy including your documents and any other requests.
You might notice on the right hand side of the page that you can review the summary of your application so far.
Again, when you have filled out all the blanks click on “next”.
Here you will select your citizenship and your home country just in case your home country is the different than your citizenship.
For the destination countries, choose the country(ies) that you will be traveling to by clicking on the country and then the arrow pointing to the right.
In the “Online Fulfillment Option” by choosing “Yes” you will receive your insurance documents electronically immediately after you complete the application. If you choose “No” you will get the documents physically email to you instead.
The beneficiary for accidental death benefit is the person you’d like to receive the monetary payout in case you pass away. This person can be anyone you want, usually it is a family member.
 In this page you are asked again if you want to add the optional sport rider. Again, if you will not need it leave it blank and click next.
 
Congratulations, once you’ve reach this point you are almost done with the application. On this page you just need to confirm the price of the plan and include your payment information. You can use a credit, debit or bank card as long as they are MasterCard, American Express, Discover or Visa. Please keep in mind that “Visa Electron” is not accepted.
Once you have fill out all the information, read through the terms and conditions and click the check box if you agree then hit the “Place Order” button to submit your application!
Tags: atlas travel, Insurance application, online application, study abraod insurance, travel abroad insurance, Travel Insurance, Travel insurance application
Posted in Insurance Explained, International Student in the USA, Student Health Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | 2 Comments »
Monday, April 11th, 2011
You may remember from our initial report back in September that enrollment of international students in Australia were dropping. The most staggering statistic was that international students from India, making up 20% of the total number of international students, dropped by over half compared to the year before.
As of April 2nd, the Australian government will require less documentation from international students applying for their student visa for 38 countries – including in India. The student visa gives students the opportunity to temporarily study in Australia. The government is now reaching out to students, families, agents and educational providers with the hope that these changes will increase the number of international students in Australia.
With this ease in student visa requirements for Australia, fewer documents are required and visa processing should be both easier and faster. Students will now be able to present less evidence of English proficiency, academic qualifications, and financial capability depending on their country of origin.
While the government is eager to stress that this will not change the permanent resident application process, students should know that studying in Australia should be a much easier process. Currently, the top sending countries of international students in Australia include India (80,450 students between 2009-2010), China (80,010 students between 2009-2010), and South Korea (21,720 students between 2009-2010). Two of the top three countries, both India and China, are included on the list of countries that this new mandate will apply to.
Tags: Australia Student Visa Requirements Eased, International students in australia, Student visa requirements in Australia
Posted in Country Requirements, Insurance Explained, Student Health Insurance, Study Abroad | No Comments »
Friday, March 11th, 2011
Whether you’re just vacationing or studying abroad, having a good medical insurance is important. The Atlas Travel Medical plan provides comprehensive coverage in case you become sick or injured due to an accident while you are abroad. Many people know that the plan would cover your doctor visits, hospitalization, prescription medications, and evacuation, but most may not realized that the plan comes with additional travel assistance services as well!
When you get the Atlas plan you will have access to a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week worldwide travel and medical assistance. These services include:
- Pre-trip destination information – For information regarding any health risks, travel restrictions, any vaccinations required for your country of destination
- Medical Monitoring – Emergency message rely will relay message to your family, friends and co-workers during your hospitalization and establish a single point-of-contact for updates regarding your medical status
- Doctor referral – Contact information for western-style medical facilities in your destination country where English is spoken
- Travel document replacement – Assistance with obtaining replacement passports, birth certificates, visas, airline documents, and other travel – related documents
- Lost luggage assistance – tracking service to assist in locating luggage or other items lost in transit
Other assistance services include:
- Prescription drug replacement
- Emergency travel arrangements
- Dispatch of physician
- Translation assistance
- Credit card/ Traveler check replacement
Tags: travel assistance, Travel Insurance, travel services
Posted in Health & Safety, Insurance Explained, International Student in the USA, Product Information, Student Health Insurance, Student Insurance, Study Abroad, Travel Insurance | No Comments »
Monday, March 7th, 2011
Curricular Practical Training, also referred to as CPT, is popular for international students on a F-1 visa. CPT status allows international students to gain temporary employment as long as the position is related to their academic studies and that students can earn credit at their college or university.
In order to do CPT as an international student, students would need to do a work, practicum, or internship program in their field of study. Many international students look for companies or organizations willing to sponsor students – which many people view as a win-win for both parties. Having a student with an international background globalizes the prospective of the company, and at the same time, students gain “real world” experience utilizing the skills they learned in the classroom.
If you decide to do CPT you will not only have a more broadly based experience in the US, but you will also be able to see what it is like in the workforce as an employee. In some cases, you may even get the opportunity to get paid to help cover some of your school expenses. As an international student interested in Curricular Practical Training, there are a few important considerations that you’ll need to look into. First, you will need to find a sponsoring employer that will provide you with a position in your field of study. Next, you will have to work with your school – typically the International Center – to have them approve your internship as Curricular Practical Training.
Many international students interested in CPT may purchase student health insurance for either themselves or for their family. Because individuals must be a full-time student in order to be eligible for Curriculum Practical Training, many students purchase an international student insurance plan that will cover them for this duration. Student health insurance for Curricular Practical Training is typically required by many universities if it is not already supplied by your school. Many organizations and companies may even ask whether you have insurance before you begin working. In fact, Curricular Practical Training student health insurance can be quite important for individuals as it can be purchased for the length of your program and is designed to cover you for doctor visits, hospitalization, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, etc. For more information about CPT insurance, contact one of our licensed agents for more information.
Tags: international students on CPT, INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ON CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING, student health insurance for CPT, Student health insurance for Curricular Practical Training
Posted in Insurance Explained, International Student in the USA, Student Health Insurance | No Comments »
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