When a student chooses to study abroad, study abroad insurance must accompany them. The same health insurance that a student has in their home country will almost never cover them when they study internationally. If a student fails to acquire the necessary insurance, expenses that may arise from diagnosis and medical treatments will quickly mount. Follow these simple rules of thumb when deciding what type and amount of coverage will be adequate when studying abroad.
When choosing your international student health insurance, the duration of stay is quite important.The longer that you are out of the country, the more comprehensive your insurance should be. There are certain countries that mandate certain coverage levels and benefits required for students.
The target location is also an important factor when determining the coverage of your international student health insurance. As a general rule for remote locations and under-developed countries, do not ignore important features like emergency evacuation and air ambulance. On similar lines, destinations with high health care costs shall require high level of hospital coverage limit.
Another important consideration that should be taken into account is the level of coverage your home countries insurance will provide outside the country. For example, students originating from United States or Canada will likely to receive coverage when they are outside the country for less than 30 days. When choosing the correct international student insurance, knowing what your current coverage offers is extremely important.
Many students do not think about it, but even a short 2 week study abroad trip will carry some risk of injury or illness. Many study abroad insurance programs have at least some level of medical insurance benefits. For short international trips, the insurance policies sold by travel agents may be all that is needed.
If a student is planning on studying abroad for between 2 weeks and 6 months, comprehensive international student health insurance should always be considered a requirement. For a trip of this length, the total level of coverage needs to be between $100,000 to $1,000,000. Additional coverage should be considered for students involved in extra-curricular activities such as hazardous sports.
When a student plans on studying abroad for multiple years, their international student health insurance will become their primary insurance. Most plans expire on a yearly basis and must be renewed, which makes understanding the details of a long-term policy very important.
Study abroad insurance comes in many shapes and sizes. This means that student must make sure that the plan they choose fits all of their needs and has enough coverage to protect them against soaring medical costs. There is plenty of choice; do your research and then make a selection based on your needs.
Dan Miller often writes about health insurance for international students