Apart from e-ticket and passport, health insurance is the most important part of your USA travel. Health care in USA is the very costly. I am giving below costs of the few services based on my personal experience and
Blue Cross Blue Shield website.
- Office visits for common reasons ~ $120-200
- Medical tests ~ $5-600
- Hospital stays ~ $700 per day or more
- Over the counter medicine ~ $10
- Dental care ~ $300 for each filling
- Dental surgeries ~ $1000 and more
No wonder the first question a health care provider in USA ask is
Who is your health insurance provider? At this moment you have to give your insurance card, which bears your name and Insurance providers details.
Health Insurance for Short Travel
If you are traveling to USA for a period of 6 months or less, it is better to take travel insurance policy from the company in your country. Travel insurance is also very costly in USA, compared to the costs anywhere else in the world. Travel insurance policies typically cover the health care, urgent hospitalization, emergency evacuation, SOS and dental services. You may think that you are completely healthy person and don't need the insurance. Be careful, I know a student who slipped at the airport and broke his teeth costing thousands for dental care.
Health Insurance for Students Traveling to USA.
Students studying abroad need insurance coverage before the start of University health insurance, which begins after classes start. Typically, students have to reach University town early in order to enrol in University, open a bank account, find a job and hunt for an apartment. This means students must purchase travel insurance coverage from the day they land in the foriegn country and the start of the classes. Considering the high cost of the health coverage abroad, risk associated with the health and financial issues impacting your future degree, purchasing travel insurance is an important part of your study abroad plan.
Purchasing Health Insurance
Universities and employers pay for large (~80%) of the total insurance costs. If your employer does not pay for your insurance you can purchase the affordable health insurance in USA. You can compare the several plans on ehealthinsurance.com or directly visit the insurance providers website. Several popular insurance providers are Anthem, Aetna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield and United. Once purchase has been made, you will receive a insurance card in your mailbox.
What to Look for when Purchasing Health Insurance
Deductible- It is the amount you have to pay before insurance pays for medical costs. For example lets say deductible is $500 and medical costs are $1200. You have to pay $500 and insurance company will pay remaining $700.
Co-payment- It is the amount you have to pay each time you avail the medical service. For example insurance company may require you pay $15 co-payment for each visit to medical practitioner or prescription drugs purchased.
PPO Plan- Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan requires you to visit only doctors and hospitals in the network. You can search for preferred provider either by calling the Insurance company or searching on the website of the provider. If you visit out of network provider, charges are higher.
HMO Plan- Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) requires you to select a primary care physician and offers a lesser flexibility in selection of physician. HMO plans are cheaper compared to PPO.
Tip- Everyone prefers to have lower deductible, but that also increases the cost of insurance. If you think you visit doctor 3 times a year or single, the go for higher deductible plans. For families usually low deductible plans are a better option.
Dealing Insurance Bills and Appealing
Errors due happen in processing your insurance bills. I personally have saved $1500 in my insurance bills by keeping log of each bill paid and deductible limit. If you think there is something incorrect about the bill, you can write an appeal against the bill. You can also attach a letter from the doctor if required. You can send your appeal to the insurance provider's appeal section.
Once my doctor suggested some mandatory tests costing $250. My insurance company refused to pay for these tests stating them unnecessary. When I appealed, I was sent some medical research document. I requested my doctor for a letter and appealed again. When even this did not work, I told my HR which helped to receive insurance payment. I also found errors like pharmacy and office visit bills not submitted by hospital to Insurance Co.
