Oftentimes, in itself, just making it to the US is already such an achievement. Whether you’ve come to the US to work or to study, the very process of getting a visa and figuring out how you’re going to pay for your trip culminates in touching down and settling in.
What many international students and expats tend to overlook, though, is insurance for any trips you might take while you’re on that trip away from home to the US.
Say you and your classmates suddenly take it into your heads to go on a road trip for the weekend, or that your co-workers want you to go with them to Vegas or Atlantic City. Nobody’s saying anything will go wrong, but, there’s no harm in making sure you’re covered if it does.
There’s probably nothing worse than thinking the insurance you got to cover you for your trip to the US has those little side trips covered already—except finding out they weren’t if anything should happen to beg the question.
International Students: Will your school insurance cover you off-campus?
Short answer: Probably not.
Here’s the thing: chances are, your school will require you to get your own insurance even if it provides insurance for you to begin with. If you’re in the US to get a degree, for instance, and the university you go to does offer insurance for its students, you will be mandated to get insurance of your own.
Some schools require their students to buy insurance from them (or through them), even if you plan on getting medical care off-campus. (In which case, you’ll have to show your insurance card to your school to prove you’re already covered.)
It may also happen that, if something does happen while you’re off-campus, you may have to do some math to figure out whether having your own insurance (and not the school’s) would actually be cheaper for you in the end.
The question of whether you will be able to get help beyond campus grounds is easily answered—yes, for sure, you will have options if, for whatever reason, you don’t want to see the school doctor. It’s also very likely, some of those options will actually be student-friendly, budget-wise.
But here’s the other thing: If something does happen to you out there (and it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to hustle back to school and hope the school nurse is in)—you will very likelyhave to pay for it, yourself.
So you could either pass on that road trip with your friends this weekend—or make sure you’re covered, just in case.
Where to get help outside of school grounds
Hopefully, you’ll never need to do this, but call 911 straightaway if you have an emergency. For anything else:
- Head for the nearest Urgent Care centre: If you need stitches or a cast
- Consult a doctor online: No appointment 24/7 and likely free consultations
- Call your school’s healthcare service: Ask for recommendations on where to go
Again, be prepared to shell out for any off-campus care you receive—more so if you haven’t got insurance.
Expats: Do you know what your insurance policy really covers?
Short answer: Better find out before your trip
Taking a little side trip while you’re in the US can take many forms, as there are many kinds of expats who come to the US for all sorts of reasons.
If you’re in the US to work, you might have been sent there by your company or are putting up an enterprise of your own. You might be a digital nomad who fancies working at Martha’s Vineyard or even the Grand Canyon. Or, you might have retired and are looking forward to spending your golden years with family in the states.
Whichever kind you are, there’s a pretty good chance that you will go on an extra trip or two and that that trip will have family members along for the ride. Are you 100% certain that the insurance you have as an expat covers them as well as yourself?
Because you don’t want to be caught unawares if anything should happen while you’re on that trip during your trip to the states, here’s what you should look for in an expat insurance plan:
- Healthcare provider network: Will there be somewhere you can go in the place you’re going to?
- Customer service: Will they be able to speak your language if you need them to?
- Coverage and benefits: Find out what kinds of treatment you can receive, particularly during emergencies
- Flexibility and customisation: Will you be able to choose which benefits you can receive?
Because your company insurance may not cover everything
Say you are the kind of expat working for the one of the US offices of a major multinational, and their insurance benefits are top notch. That’s wonderful—but it doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll never have to pay for a thing.
Even if your immediate family will be covered by your employee insurance, the hard truth is that that coverage typically falls short of the actual cost of getting medical help—more so during an emergency that should happen during a trip. The US is notorious for having astronomically high fees for everything from emergency room visits down to the last pain relief pill.
And even if you’re the kind of expat who won’t be staying in the US all that long (and are therefore exempt from having to get insurance under the Affordable Care Act)—anything can happen during that relatively short period. However short the short trip you take during your short trip to the states is, you still don’t want to be caught off-guard by a medical emergency.
While it’s true that even the most affordable insurance plans for expats will still cost quite a few hundreds of dollars, that’s nothing compared to a surprise hospital bill that could easily run into the thousands. And as with any purchase, “you get what you pay for” very much applies to insurance policies, as well.
Click here for health insurance for expat to explore insurance options for expats and international students who have taken the trip of a lifetime to the United States—and plan on taking other little trips (as the fancy takes them) along the way.
Also Read: Understanding the Different Types of Health Insurance Plans
