Welcome to the International Student Insurance Blog, providing you with news and information about international student insurance, international travel help and advice and much more!
You can sign up to get updates from our blog either by email, or through our RSS feed directly:
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!
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!
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 towardsyour any medical bills upfront. As a reward benefit for having more upfrontresponsibilityfinancial responsibilitysharing 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 deductiblesyou 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.
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.
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
Traveling to a foreign country can be difficult, that is why our international student insurance offers an optional network to find local doctors and hospitals. Our Student Health, Travel Medical, and Major Medical plans all use the CMN network whether you are in the US or overseas. This worldwide directory of providers gives you access to more than 400,000 doctors and 7,000 facilities.
Ease in locating nearby facilities in case you need to seek medical attention
US contracted physicians and hospitals that offer discounted rates
Can reduce your out-of-pocket expense on your policy
Direct pay from the insurance company paid directly to the hospital or doctor
You have access to these providers by simply navigating a user friendly search tool where you can identify providers by location as well as the type of physician or hospital.
It’s that time of year again, InternationalStudent.com is excited to announce its 5th Annual 2010 Travel Video Contest!
The first place winner will receive $4,000 and there will be some great runner up prizes as well. To be eligible, students must be at least 18 years old and enrolled or planning to enroll in a college outside of their home country.
To enter, students can submit a 5 minute or less video telling us what trip you’d like to take and why. The deadline for submission is October 29th, 2010.
We had many great videos last year and we look forward to this years videos – good luck to all!
Want to keep up with all the latest news, information and interact with us on a more regular basis? If the answer is yes, or you just want to stop by and say “Hi!” then you should check out our twitter and facebook pages. We have lots of information on there, and you can interact with us, ask us questions and much more!
You can find us by clicking on the image below:
We look forward to seeing you on there and please stop by and say hi!
With the world cup just under 3 months away, excitement around the world is starting to grow as teams and countries prepare for one of the largest tournaments in the world. 32 teams (and of course all their respective fans) will descend on South Africa in June when the tournament begins and this will mean hundreds of thousands of people will be making their way to South African to watch the games and enjoy all the atmosphere that comes with a world cup.
If you are one of the lucky ones that could travel to South Africa, you will want to make sure you are covered by an insurance plan that provides you with security in case you get sick or injured. World Cup Insurance provides you with a short term travel health insurance plan that allows you to purchase the number of days you need, whether its 7 days or the full 30 days of the tournament and includes coverage for medical expenses, medical evacuation, repatriation, lost checked luggage, 24 live travel assistance and much more!
The plan starts at just $7 for 7 days and you can tailor the policy maximum and deductible options to suit your needs. For more information and to purchase your coverage online, please check out: http://www.worldcup-insurance.com/
Insurance can be quite a tricky subject especially when you are dealing with multiple countries. It is common for overseas travelers to find a travel insurance that will cover you outside your home country- but what about when you return home?
With the vast number of international insurance plans, you need to choose a plan that provides the appropriate coverage- whether internationally or back home. If you do not have a domestic plan already in place, you will want to consider a plan with end of trip home country coverage. This is normally an optional benefit that provides additional coverage in your home country.
This option is especially important since the first thing you will want to do when you return home will NOT be to look for insurance! Remember that great restaurant you regularly went to up the road? Or, that friend you haven’t seen in what feels like ages? Whether you spend the time at home recovering from jet lag, or just taking in the moment where you understand everything that is going on around you- you will also want to have the piece of mind that you are covered for the unexpected.
There are some international travel plans that will allow you to add end of trip home country coverage for a limited number of days. Some plans require that you’ve purchased a minimum number of months abroad to make you eligible for the end of trip home country coverage benefit. Other plans will cover you up until a certain number of days after returning home. This coverage is important so that you will have enough time to take-it-easy and find a long-term solution.
One popular option is the Travel Medical insurance plan. This plan has the option to add end of trip home country coverage. If you are covered outside of your Home Country continuously for at least 6 months you can add an additional 30 days of End of Trip Home Country Medical Coverage.
