• 30
  Oct
  2009

• Renewing your health insurance

  
  Filed Under: Health Insurance
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Most international students who buy international student health insurance, pick a term of one year. That is, the policy is active and will pay for your medical expenditure from the midnight of the day it is bought till the midnight of the same day next year. It is the policy holder's responsibility to renew the policy by paying the premium for the next year.

Of course, the insurance company will send you reminders through mail, telephone, etc. They will (most of them, at least) send you a new health card around the time the old one expires, but the new card is useful only if you have paid the premium for it. The onus of paying the premium and renewing the policy is still on you. That is the way to keep the insurance "in force".

Payments can be made online through credit cards, by sending a check to the insurance company, by paying up through bank transfers, or even through the university if you have taken a policy through them.

As important as it is that you buy international student medical insurance, so is the fact that you have to renew your policy when the policy term ends. Always keep track of the day you need to pay the premium to renew the policy.

• 29
  Oct
  2009

• Buy health insurance, practice good health habits

  
  Filed Under: Health Insurance
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There is an old saying: trust your neighbor, but lock your house. That is, good habits and safety precautions should always go hand in hand. International student insurance is like that too. It will take care of your medical expenses if needed, but that doesn't mean you start neglecting your health.

This cliché has been used many times, and in many places: health is wealth. Some basic healthy habits will go a long way in making your time in the USA as a student more fruitful, and fun

1. Avoid obvious bad habits like smoking and excessive alcohol


2. Too much junk food has got to go too


3. Some exercise has never done anyone harm. If time is a constraint and regular exercise isn't possible, try small things like avoiding the elevator and taking stairs instead; or walking home in the evening.


4. Computers are the new health-hazard. Avoid working too long in front of one. Take a break, even if it's for two minutes, and come back.


5. Drink lots of water. Yes, it's pretty obvious, but still worth a mention.


6. Take seasonal flu shots, and other vaccination if recommended by the government/university.


7. Sleep well, wake up early.

Enjoy your healthy stay in the USA.

• 28
  Oct
  2009

• Health care system in the USA

  
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International students who enter the shores of the USA to pursue their education often find the health care system very different from what they have been used to in their own country. Students are expected to buy international student insurance from either a university-supported provider or from a private insurer. Buying health insurance is mandatory in most universities, and highly recommended everywhere else.

Let us try and understand how the rest of the people in the nation receive health care.

The government pays the bills for retirees and the disabled through Medicare; and for military veterans, the economically backward section, and members of native American tribes through Medicaid. Most employers pay the premium for group health insurance coverage for their employees. Students, as we have seen earlier, can buy health insurance at a slightly subsidized price from within the university, or a slightly more customized policy from private insurers.

That leaves a wide set of people who do not belong to any of these categories i.e. a group of 46 million people with no health insurance. The current health care reform is being undertaken to lessen the effects of this disparity, and make affordable and universal health care in the USA a reality. How the reforms fare will be up for scrutiny at a later date, but this is the gist of the story so far.

• 27
  Oct
  2009

• Should students care about health care reform?

  
  Filed Under: Health Insurance
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Most international students who enter the USA to pursue their education are stunned at how incredibly complex the health insurance system is. It doesn't help when they realize how costly it is too. No doubt the available health care is among the best in the world, but the cost and the complexity of it are still difficult to accept.

Most universities make it mandatory to have international student health insurance, most students buy it and do not bother about other available options and what else is happening all around.

The USA at the moment is on the verge of a never-before health care reform. Student participation in this reform is more important than ever. The reforms are directly going to influence you. At the end of it, the premiums might become higher or the quality of health care available might worsen. Things might become better than now too. Who knows? And who cares, right?

Well, you should know and you should care. It is going to influence your stay in the USA. It is good to contribute to the change, that might well change your life here.