Health Insurance

megpmom
Sun, 20 Jul 2014 22:05:16 +0000

Both of my kids had health insurance through their US universities. They were very different plans depending on the uni. The good thing is that all services are covered - doctor visits, emergency room visits, surgery, prescriptions, mental health care, birth control, etc. The bad part is that the insurance may not cover 100% of expenses. You may have to pay a co-pay of $10-$25 for every service, or like my son’s coverage, 20% of every charge. Read the fine print of the policy - both of my children’s policies (different unis) were very different. Son’s plan requires us to pay costs up front and then get reimbursed.

If you come from a country with nationalized health care (like we do), you might be shocked at the cost of US health insurance. But remember, you probably pay more in taxes than US citizens do. We did some cost comparisons, and the university plans are about the same cost as a “bronze” plan under the Affordable Health Care act. My biggest complaint about US health care is the number of forms to fill out.

It’s also a good idea to get the Travel insurance from your home country. It will cover expenses if you go anywhere besides the US and also, repatriation costs, if you need to fly home because of medical emergency.