Chinese Student Health Insurance in Japan
August 1st, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelJapan might just be one of the most interesting countries with a contrast of modernization and tradition. Ancient temples, bullet trains, futuristic cities, and the agrarian country side, Japan has it all! Although it is considered to be one of the most expensive countries in the world, you will find that studying in Japan is priceless! Before arriving in Japan, however, be sure to acquire comprehensive insurance so that your precious savings don’t go toward your medical bills.
It is important to recognize that Japan has a National Health Insurance program that you can apply for as a foreign student. This plan is designed to cover 70% of your medical expenses for illnesses and injuries (that’s right – maternity is not covered!). The plan does have some limitations in terms of what is covered and how much will be covered so it is important to take the time to contact the National Health Insurance program to see what is covered and what is not covered.
Be sure to apply early after you have arrived as you may be required to pay retroactive payments should you not pay your premium upon arrival. Rates will depend on where you are residing, however in 2010 in parts of Tokyo the price for one year was ¥3,325. Be sure to ask about discounts as rates may be reduced depending on your income level!
Additionally, you may find that your school may offer their own health insurance plan for foreign students. As a Chinese international student, you will need to contact the office for foreign students to see if additional coverage is provided. If not, some Chinese students will purchase their own private international insurance in Japan to reduce their out-of-pocket expense. This insurance can be purchased in advance of your arrival and many times will cover you in multiple countries should you plan to travel to neighboring countries.
Student Secure VS. Enhance Student Secure 6 Month Pre-Ex Plan
July 26th, 2011 by ahoontrakulMany colleges and universities in the US allow international students to waive their school’s insurance plan if students can show a good alternate health insurance policy. Our International Student Health Insurance plan called the Student Secure offers comprehensive coverage and therefore meets and exceeds most school insurance requirements.
There are a handful of universities, mostly in Florida, that have stricter insurance requirements including a waiting period that cannot exceed 6 months for a pre-existing condition. In these cases, we have designed an even more comprehensive plan called our Student Secure 6 Month Pre-Existing Condition plan which will work in these situations.
To understand the different between the two plans you must know what a pre-existing condition is. A pre-existing condition is any sickness, injury or medical condition that you had prior to the insurance effective date. If you have a pre-existing condition, many insurance policies will not cover that particular condition for a specific period of time. Certain universities require that this period cannot exceed 6 months from when the policy begins. For these students, our Student Secure 6 Month Pre-Ex Plan is especially designed to meet this requirement.
To see which plan will work for your school, check out the school requirements for international students.
Chinese Student Health Insurance in Singapore
July 25th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelAs a Chinese international student studying in Singapore, you will be amazed to see that Singapore is unlike any other Asian nation. Not only does this country host such diversity due to years of migration, but it is highly modernized with cultural and architectural beauty. Enjoy the delicious food, bargain shopping, and stylish bars! Before arriving to study in Singapore, it is important to consider health insurance before arriving in Singapore. As a Chinese international student, you will soon find that you are not eligible for the universal health care offered to citizens and permanent residence in Singapore. Instead, you will be responsible for your own health care. To help you cover the expenses, it is recommended that you purchase a private health insurance plan that will cover you outside your home country in Singapore.
As a Chinese international student coming to Singapore, you are eligible for the Student Secure plan. The Student Secure plan is available in three levels (the smart, budget and select) which are designed to provide you with coverage options based on your particular need. These plans can be purchased as low as $28 and can be purchased on a monthly basis. These plans provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical coverage up to $200,000 (smart), $250,000 (budget) or $300,000 (select). All three plans provide coverage for hospitalization, doctor visits, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation. The Budget and Select plan also includes maternity, mental health, sports coverage, and pre-existing conditions, etc.
After you purchase this plan, you will immediately receive a confirmation e-mail. In this e-mail, it will contain your insurance card, letter of coverage, receipt and policy details.
Chinese Student Health Insurance in the US
July 18th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelDo you plan on studying in the United States? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity where you can study in top-notch universities and colleges and enjoy the American life! Travel around the US, eat the various foods, explore the culture, and all the while get a good-quality education.
If you plan to come to the US to study, one important factor to consider before coming to the US is your health care. As a Chinese international student, you will find that the health care system in the US is much different than that of China. Depending on the type of visa you have, you may or may not need to present proof of insurance. If insurance is not required by your visa, however, you may find that your school or program may require the health insurance instead. This sometimes strict insurance requirement is primarily because most insurance in the US is private so if you do not have an insurance plan in place, you will be assuming all of the costs – and like many countries, these costs can add up to thousands and thousands of dollars that you would be responsible for paying!
Don’t get caught in this situation, know what you need to do before arriving in the US as a Chinese international student so that you have a safety net in place. Typically, Chinese students come to the US to study either on a J-1 exchange visa or an F-1 international student visa. If you will be coming to the US on a J-1 visa, you will need to meet the following requirements according to the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs:
(a) Minimum Insurance Coverage – Insurance shall cover: (1) medical benefits of at least $50,000 per person per accident or illness; (2) repatriation of remains in the amount of $7,500; and (3) expenses associated with medical evaluation in the amount of $10,000.
Some programs may supply you with insurance coverage or you may be required to purchase insurance on your own. If you will be coming to the US in advance of your program, you may not be eligible for your school’s insurance plan. In this case, as a Chinese international student, you will be responsible for having a health insurance plan during the entire length of your stay.
If you will instead be coming to the US under a F-1 international student visa, you will notice that there are no insurance requirements set forth by the government. Even though there may not be a governmental requirement, most programs recommend that you have an insurance plan in place and many schools may not allow you to study if you do not have any insurance! It is important to check with your university or college about any insurance requirements they may have. Some schools require Chinese international students to purchase the plan set forth by the school, while others will allow you to waive the insurance plan altogether if you can provide proof of insurance. Each school is different so it is important to verify what your requirements are so that you will be properly covered for the length of your stay in the US.
Read it in Chinese (中文）中国留美学生医疗保险须知
Chinese Student Health Insurance in France
July 11th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelFrance is an international student’s dream – enjoy the French culture, food, arts, and history all within arms length. If you plan to study in France, one important consideration is the health care. Like many other neighboring countries, France offers its residents national health care. If you are a Chinese international student planning on studying in France, you may wonder if you are eligible for the French health care as well. Eligibility, however, will depend on your age and how long you will be enrolled in full-time classes. Because of this, we have put together a helpful guide to help determine your health care options as you study in France:
- If you are planning to take classes for less than 90 days in France, you will most likely study under the short stay Schengen visa known in France as the étudiant-concours. If you will be studying under this status you will not be eligible for the national health care and will instead need to present proof of insurance in France. According to the consulate, Chinese international students studying in France will need to present a visa letter that states that you have medical, hospitalization, and repatriation coverage at least 30,000 euros which should extend over the period of your stay.
- If you are planning to study in France between 3-6 months, you will be traveling under the temporary long stay visa which requires “proof of medical insurance with coverage valid in France.” As a Chinese international student you will need to secure your own insurance and present copies before you receive your visa approval. Like the Schengen short stay visa, you will need to have 30,000 euros of coverage that specifically covers you in France as a Chinese international student.
- If you plan to study in France for longer than 6 months, your age will be a primary factor in determining eligibility. If you are a Chinese international student who is less than 28 years old and you are enrolled in a participating institution of higher education you are eligible for the national health care called the regime securite sociale etudiant. This coverage is confirmed by the Préfecture when you apply for the residency card. Please note that medical expenses are covered at about 70% so some students purchase a private insurance plan to help cover the remaining 30%. If you are a Chinese international student older than 28 years old, you can get benefits under certain conditions under the Couverture Médicale Universelle. Or, if you are not eligible for this program, you may be required to show proof of health insurance coverage if you are enrolled in a institution but are not covered by the social security system.
France is ranked number #1 in health care around the world according to the World Health Organization so you can rest assured that you will have access to world-class quality health care. For students who have access to the social security system, you will have access to high coverage at affordable rates. In 2010, students paid 198 euros for a year of coverage. If you are not eligible for the national health care, plan to travel to multiple countries, or would like additional coverage to reduce your out-of-pocket expenses, you may consider purchasing a private insurance plan for France.
How to Find a Cheaper Insurance than the University’s Insurance Plan
July 8th, 2011 by ahoontrakulMany colleges and universities offer international student health insurance coverage. However, these plans can be expensive especially for international students. While some universities require their students to buy the school’s insurance plan, many other universities realize that their plan may not be suitable for every international student. At these universities, you have the option to waive out (decline) of the school’s insurance policy if you can show proof of an alternate insurance policy.
To help you determine if our international student health insurance plan will meet your school requirements, check out our School Requirement Database for schools in the USA. We have multiple plans that will work for international students as well, so if you have any questions feel free to contact us and we can help find a plan that would fit your needs.
How to complete International Student Health Insurance online application
July 1st, 2011 by ahoontrakulToday we launched a new online application for our International Student Health Insurance plan. The new online tool now allows you to get a free quote and apply for the Student Secure Smart, Budget or Select level using the same link. You no longer have a different application link to apply for the Smart level of the plan. I will be going over the steps on how to complete this new international student health insurance application.
The first step of the application process is to get a free quote based on your situation. You will have the option of choosing when you want your insurance to begin and end – you can choose to have the plan start in the future or as early as the same day. You cannot choose a date that is in the past. You can choose to have the plan for as little as one month or up to 12 months.
Next, you would enter your date of birth. If the student needs to add a spouse or child, you can click “yes” to dependent coverage and input their dates of birth, otherwise click “no”. After you will answer the question asking if you are a US citizen or resident, please note that if you are an international student studying in the US with a temporary F-1 or J-1 visa, you are not a US permanent resident and you would answer “no” to this question. Once you have filled out the information click on “GET QUOTE” at the bottom of the page and you will be taken to the next page showing you the price for the number of months you chose to have coverage for in the previous step.
On the next page you will have the option to choose the Coverage Area, if you will be an international student in the USA you would need to click the option “Including US” since you will need the insurance to cover you while you are inside the USA. If you will not be needing coverage in the USA you would choose “Excluding US”. Next you will choose with plan level you want to purchase: the Select, Budget or Smart level. You will then indicate whether you want to pay for the plan in full right now or pay monthly. Click on “NEXT” in the bottom right to move to the next page.
On this page you will simply fill out some information about yourself and your contact information. Your mailing address should be the address where we can reach you. Please be sure to fill out an email that you check regularly as this will be the primary way we will contact you about your policy including where we will send your documents and respond to other requests.
You might notice on the right hand side of the page that you can review the summary of your application so far.
Again, when you have filled out all the blanks click on “next”.
In the Eligibility Details page you will fill out your citizenship, home country and host country. In most cases your home country will be the same as your country of citizenship. If you choose to have coverage in the USA, you will have the question “Select Type of Visa” if your visa type is not listed you would choose “Other”.
The beneficiary for the accidental death benefit is the person you’d like to receive the monetary payout in case you pass away. This person can be anyone you want; usually it is a family member.
In the “Online Fulfillment Option” by choosing “Yes” you will receive your insurance documents electronically immediately after you complete the application. If you choose “No” you will get the documents physically email to you instead.
Congratulations, once you’ve reach this point you are almost done with the application. On this page you just need to confirm the price of the plan and include your payment information. You can use a credit, debit or bank card as long as they are MasterCard, American Express, Discover or Visa. Please keep in mind that “Visa Electron” is not accepted.
Once you have fill out all the information, read through the terms and conditions and click the check box if you agree then hit the “Place Order” button to submit your application!
Study Abroad Insurance
June 27th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelIt’s summer time and that may mean that you are planning to take a few months to study abroad. For others, this may mean a relaxing break just in time to start anew for the next school year. If you plan to study abroad in the Fall or Spring semester, it is not too early to prepare for this once in a lifetime experience. Whether you plan to study in China, Britain, or Australia, you will want to do your research and make the most of your experience!
To keep you at your best, many students purchase a study abroad insurance that will cover them outside their home country in case of sickness or accident. Some schools may require you to enroll in their school’s insurance plans, while others may offer the option to purchase your own policy. In either case, it is important to make sure that you are properly insured when you are overseas. Students will need to contact their study abroad office to find out about their insurance requirements and details on their plan. Some school insurance policies only cover students during their program – but what happens if you come early or stay late? Some insurance policies are emergency-only, but what if you have a cold and you want to seek treatment? Perhaps your school’s plan only covers you in one country, but instead you are plan on spending your free time traveling to other countries?
Investigate your study abroad insurance and make sure that this is the proper plan for you. If your school does not offer insurance, or if coverage is limited, you may decide to purchase your own study abroad insurance plan. Many countries have a different health care system than what is offered in the US so it is important to read the plan benefits and see what travel assistance they offer included in the plan.
4th of July, America’s Independence Day
June 24th, 2011 by ahoontrakulEach year throughout the United States, Americans celebrate Independence Day, which is a national holiday commemorating their independence from England in 1776.
Next week is the start of the 4th of July weekend; many people will be traveling around the country during this holiday. The most common activity during the Fourth of July is to watch a fireworks show. Other activities like attending parades, having picnics and barbecues are also popular.
For international students in the USA, this is a great chance to experience a unique American holiday. Use the long holiday weekend to take a road trip to a major US city where the firework shows are usually more spectacular. If you are traveling into the US, make sure you have a good travel insurance policy that would be able to cover you on your travels.
