• 31
  Oct
  2010

• What won’t a health insurance plan cover? - Part 3

  
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We’ve seen in previous articles how there are some exclusions in most international student insurance plans and details of some of them. Let us try to understand some more exclusions, the reasons behind them and other possible alternatives.

Pregnancy-related expenses: Generally pregnancy is treated as any other medical condition, and expenses incurred are covered. However, there is a clause in most plans which denies coverage if conception occurs before the plan comes into force. If the insured is pregnant before the coverage has begun, pregnancy is then treated as a pre-existing condition, and related expenses are not covered.

Besides that, there are some plans that have a waiting period. That means, continuous coverage of 3-5 years is needed before maternity expenses can be covered. If this part of the coverage is important for you, please ask about it before signing up for the student medical insurance plan.

Cosmetic treatment: Plastic surgeries, nose-jobs, lip-jobs, etc. which are not really considered as medical conditions are not covered by most plans. However, if cosmetic surgery is recommended by a physician on health grounds, say because of an accident or a fire incident, then it is covered.

Watch this space for more articles in the series.

• 25
  Oct
  2010

• What won’t a health insurance plan cover? - Part 2

  
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We’ve seen in a previous article how there are some exclusions in most international student insurance plans. We’ll try to understand the reasoning behind these exclusions, and also understand if there are other options to make sure one can stay protected in case they have to face the expenses that aren’t covered by their plan.

Pre-existing conditions: This one seems obvious. The premiums required to cover pre-existing will be prohibitive for most people, and it makes almost no financial sense for a company to offer coverage for a medical condition that exists before the plan was purchased. There are some plans that cover such expenses after 3-5 years of continuous coverage.

Also, if coverage for pre-existing conditions is offered, there is no incentive to buy a policy to cover the risk, as one can buy coverage only if/when something happens. That is not how the concept of insurance works, whether it be in student health insurance or life insurance or motor insurance. The coverage has to be purchased before the insured event happens.

Non-emergency dental treatment: Cosmetic or other expenses related to dental treatments are usually not covered unless recommended by the doctor and are related to an emergency that affects the overall health otherwise. Buying a separate dental plan is an option.

Watch this space for more articles in the series.

• 18
  Oct
  2010

• What won’t a health insurance plan cover? - Part 1

  
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If you have seen the documentation for international student health insurance plans, you would have observed a clause that details the expenses that will not be covered by the plan. Reading through this list is essential to understand the plan exclusions. One should never sign up for a plan believing that every ailment and expenditure connected to it will be covered.

An health insurance plan is designed to give you the optimum coverage without being forbiddingly costly. That means, invariably the insurer has to draw a line somewhere and put up a list of exclusions. Not having such exclusions will shoot up the premiums for everyone, and make the plan affordable for no one.

Some exclusions will be obvious, some not so much. It is important for you to understand why a certain expense can not be covered in your international student medical insurance plan. You also need to know that if something is excluded, it might still be covered with a rider. You’ll have to pay a slightly higher premium, though.

Pre-existing conditions, non-emergency dental expenses, pregnancy-related expenses (if conception has happened before coverage began), professional sports injuries, experimental treatment, non-essential plastic surgery and cosmetic treatment, etc. are some that aren’t covered in many policies. We’ll understand the reasons in more detail in forthcoming articles.

• 11
  Oct
  2010

• To OPT or not to OPT - Part 2

  
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OPT insurance for international students can be customized to fit the needs of any student getting Optional Practical Training in the US. Continuing from the previous post on what OPT insurance is all about, let us try to understand some features and benefits of this plan.

The plan allows a wide range of maximum coverage limits ranging between $25,000 and $1,000,000. Plan deductible can also be chosen as per individual needs to lie between $0 and $2,500. The plan duration can be between 5 days to 12 months, and is renewable depending on which plan is selected.

OPT health insurance can provide coverage for hospitalization, intensive care, prescription drugs, evacuation, repatriation, surgery, and other health expenses. As with any other policy, their are certain expenses that aren’t covered, the details of which can be ascertained by reading the policy document or asking the insurer.

The policy can be easily purchased online by filling up a simple application form. Documents are available for download almost immediately after the purchase, and the coverage starts soon too. At this crossroads of life when one is graduating from a student and concentrating on a career, OPT insurance provides the necessary peace of mind.