Posted on Monday, June 6th, 2011 at 2:11 pm

Many people ask us, what is major medical insurance?

Simply defined, major medical insurance is designed to cover you in case you need medical care due to severe or prolonged illness or injury. It is an important consideration especially if you will be an international student overseas in a foreign environment. While medical expenses may not be that expensive in your home country, you may find that medical care in other countries can be much more expensive. For example, international students in the US can easily rack up thousands of dollars simply from an emergency room visit or overnight stay at the hospital. Because of this, some international students purchase a comprehensive health insurance that has a high coverage maximum that will cover you in case of a medical injury or illness.

Another consideration that you may not have thought of is what happens if something does happen while you are overseas long-term? When some students go abroad, they may purchase a short-term plan designed to cover new illnesses and injuries during coverage. These plans are generally renewable up to a limited number of years. However, what happens if you graduate and continue in the US on OPT? Or, what happens if you stay for a long period of time and you can no longer renew your plan? In the United States, for example, it can be quite difficult to get coverage that immediately covers an ongoing pre-existing conditions (for those of you not familiar with the insurance jargon, pre-existing condition is defined as a condition that you had prior to obtaining your current insurance plan). By having a plan that can be renewed year after year, this means that you can continue coverage with the same benefits even as your circumstances change.

Because of these reasons, among many others, major medical insurance for international students is an important consideration. With the Citizen Secure plan, for example, this plan provides comprehensive coverage up to $5 million per person, per lifetime. Additionally, this plan can be annually renewed year after year so you can keep the plan whether you are in school, on OPT, or even on a work visa. This plan has been specifically designed as major medical insurance for international students and as such provides 24-hour travel and medical assistance, translation services, and worldwide coverage including in your home country.

Contact one of our license agents for more information on which plan is right for you!

Posted by Jennifer Frankel

Jennifer is the International Director at International Student Insurance. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Florida where she holds a Masters in International Business and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. She has lived and worked abroad in Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica and England, and traveled extensively in South America, Europe and Asia.