Study Abroad in China 100,000 Strong Initiative
January 21st, 2011 by ahoontrakulOn January 19th 2011, the U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama gave a speech at Howard University. During the speech she mentioned the importance of studying abroad, which coincided with the Chinese President Hu Jintao visit to the United States.
To show the need for strong ties between China and the United States, during the speech she talked about the “100,000 Strong Initiative”. The 100,000 strong initiative is supported by the U.S. government and was launched back in 2009 to encourage a greater diversity and the number of Students from the United States to study abroad in China.
With growing interest in China, more and more people are going to study abroad there. Between 2001-2007, the number of Americans studying in China grew by 30 percent and is expected to continue to grow into the future. It’s becoming more and more accessible for students to go study abroad in China and new scholarships are emerging to help students finance their trip. The Chinese government is also offering 10,000 scholarships for US students studying in China.
After Mrs. Obama’s speech, a four student lead panel discussed and shared their experiences on studying abroad. This included two recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. This program is design to provide scholarship opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students who want to study abroad. This year the program awarded over 2,300 scholarships with the average award being about $4,000. If you are studying a critical need language like Chinese you are then eligible to receive an additional $3,000 award.
Many other international scholarships are also available, as well as opportunities to study in China and around the world.
Turkish International Student Insurance
January 19th, 2011 by International-Student-InsuranceFor many international students, health insurance is an important consideration before arriving in the United States. Many Turkish international students will find that the U.S. health care system is much different than Turkey. In fact, it is not uncommon to walk out of a U.S. hospital with thousands of dollars in bills if there is no insurance plan in place.
To prevent this from happening to you, it is important to read up on the many differences in health care systems. As an overview, health care in Turkey is more centralized, with the majority of individuals enrolled in the state health care system. Although private health care has experienced growth over the last few years, only 2% of the total population in Turkey has private health care.
Unlike Turkey, the majority of the population in the United States has private health insurance. There are only a few public health care options, and you may soon find out that as an international student you’ll be required to have an insurance of your own. In fact, many hospitals and doctors may require proof of health insurance before you are even seen. If not, it is possible to walk out with a bill that can easily add up to thousands of dollars.
Because of this, Turkish international student insurance is a popular option. Normally purchased before arriving in the United States, this comprehensive international student health insurance can help students seek the coverage they need in an affordable way. International students may be surprised at how expensive health care costs in the United States can be! This is why you’ll want to research your Turkish international student insurance plan.
One popular option is the Student Secure plan which provides comprehensive coverage to international students outside their home country. The plan is available in three levels to give you plan options to find the best fit. This international student insurance plan for Turkish students covers hospitalization, doctor visits, repatriation, emergency medical evacuation, mental health, prescription medication, etc.
If you are interested in finding out more information about this plan, please contact a licensed agent.
Atlas Travel Rate Change
January 13th, 2011 by International-Student-InsuranceThe Atlas Travel plan announced new rates for the New Year.
On December 15th, 2010, new rates went into effect for both US and non-US coverage on the Atlas Travel plan. These rates continue the long history of offering competitive pricing and comprehensive benefits to those traveling abroad. For those individuals traveling outside their home country, the Atlas Travel medical insurance remains a popular choice for students and travelers going overseas.
As always, the Atlas Travel plan allows you to choose your coverage and deductible allowing you to customize coverage. This travel medical insurance plan offers daily pricing so that you pay for the dates of coverage you need – no more, no less! With benefits including doctor visits, hospitalization, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, to name of few, it is no wonder that this plan meets most government regulations.
If you have questions about the plan and want to know how the Atlas Travel plan will cover you, contact one of our licensed agents to help you plan for your upcoming trip!
Japanese International Student Insurance
December 23rd, 2010 by International-Student-Insurance
The Japanese health care system is much different than in the United States. These differences can be especially startling for Japanese international students who come to the United States unprepared.
First, let’s talk about the differences in health care.
The health care system in Japan has what is called universal health care. For Japan, this means that the government covers 70% of treatment leaving patience with just 30% of the cost. In the US, however, the health care system relies on the individual seeking treatment and if available, private health insurance, to cover medical expenses. Because of this, it is important for Japanese international students to come prepared with their own insurance plan. If they do not, international students can easily incur thousands of dollars in medical bills by simply going to the emergency room without an insurance plan in place to help cover the expenses.
The health care costs also differ between the two countries where the US can be much more expensive compared to the regulated costs in Japan. A recent article published in the Washington Post stated, “Japan has a system that costs half as much…it does so by banning insurance company profits, limiting doctor fees…[and creating a] low-cost system.”
Now that we’ve spoken about the health care system, let’s discuss options when you study overseas.
Because of the differences in health care, you can see why it is important to have Japanese international student insurance in place before arrival in the United States. A popular option for Japanese international students is the Student Secure plan which provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical coverage up to $200,000 (smart), $250,000 (budget) or $300,000 (select). This Japanese international student insurance plan is comprehensive in coverage and includes hospitalization, doctor visits, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation. Additionally, you have the option to include coverage for maternity, mental health, sports coverage, and pre-existing conditions, etc.
For more information about the plans for Japanese students, please see our international student health insurance options.
Image of a Geisha provided by Shutterstock
European Winter Travel Chaos
December 20th, 2010 by International-Student-Insurance
As you have probably seen in the news, winter weather is causing chaos all over parts of Europe including the UK, Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The cold snap, which has been around for around a week now is causing heavy snow and temperatures as low as -20 degrees celsius to parts of the UK and much colder further into Europe.
Most of the time, winter weather is a hazard you cannot avoid if you are traveling in the winter months through Europe – but there are some things you can do to try and help minimize any disruption for yourself or your family.
- It cannot be stressed enough, how important a good trip cancellation travel insurance plan could help you in situations where flights are cancelled, you have missed connections or there has been a long delay to your travel. Most insurance plans also include assistance services who can help rebook and arrange your travel for you if something does go wrong.
- Try to keep all your travel through one airline and join their loyalty program. Over the years that you travel with that airline, you will accumulate points and status with that airline, when things go wrong (which can happen often, even in good weather) airlines tend to treat their higher loyalty program customers first and you receive better compensation and benefits. If you are delayed or your flight is cancelled, for example, they will try their best to put you up in a hotel and make arrangements for you beyond what they would do for everyone else.
- Never get angry, frustrated or upset with airline or airport staff. It may sound like a very small thing to do, but by being nice and asking for help and assistance rather than demanding things, you will find staff will be more inclined to help you out.
- It is always good to know what your rights are when it comes to airline delay and cancellations. For example in Europe, you have the European passenger air rights that need to be followed whenever there is a delay and these will protect most consumers when flying from or within Europe.
We hope anyone that is stuck in the Travel Chaos in Europe, gets to where they need to be in time for the holidays!
Emergency Medical Evacuation
December 13th, 2010 by International-Student-InsuranceWhen purchasing a travel insurance policy, you will want to be sure that your insurance plan has emergency medical evacuation included.
What is emergency medical evacuation?
When you have an emergency overseas, depending on where you are located there may not be proper facilities and care to treat your illness or injury. In these cases, it may be medically necessary for you to be transported to another facility that is properly equipped to give you the care you need to recover. Whether by emergency air or ground transportation, many international travel insurance plans will transport you to the nearest hospital qualified to provide medical treatment.
Why do you want emergency medical evacuation?
You’ll want to be sure that you are properly covered with your international travel insurance since the average cost for international air medical evacuation is $75,000 – and it is possible that costs can get even higher depending on the treatment and where you are being transported to.
If you do not have a plan that will cover you internationally, the Atlas Travel policy is a comprehensive travel and health insurance plan that will cover you outside your home country. The plan covers doctor visits, hospitalization, labs and x-rays, repatriation, etc. Additionally, the plan covers up to $500,000 for emergency medical evacuation.
What if my domestic health insurance already provides coverage overseas?
If you have a current policy already in place, you will want to contact them to verify whether your plan will provide emergency medical evacuation while you are overseas. If your plan does not already cover emergency medical evacuation, you can purchase a plan to provide this.
Our Emergency Medical Evacuation travel insurance plan is a stand alone insurance policy designed to offer emergency medical evacuation for those traveling outside their home country. It is offered in 3, 6 and 12 month coverage periods and immediate coverage is available. Once you purchase the plan, you will receive an email with your policy documents to bring when you travel abroad.
Taiwan International Student Insurance
December 7th, 2010 by International-Student-InsuranceTaiwan is one of the top 5 nations sending international students overseas to the United States. With roughly 27,000 international students, it is important to arrive prepared. One of the major differences that students may experience is the different health care system. In Taiwan, the current health care system is known as the National Health Insurance program which is a mandatory social insurance that covers all citizens when they go for treatment.
Unlike the heath care system in Taiwan, the United States does not have a nationalized health care system in place. Instead, the United States relies primarily on a private insurance system to help assist with covering the costs. If international students arrive in the United States without insurance, they will be expected to pay for their bill – which could easily add up! In fact, back in 2000 the World Health Organization ranked the United States the most expensive country for health care costs.
To avoid these expensive bills, it is important that international students from Taiwan arrive with a health insurance plan in place. International student insurance plans are designed to cover students will they study in the United States and provide comprehensive health insurance. One popular Taiwan international student insurance policy is the Student Secure plan. This plan is designed to cover doctor visits, hospitalization, labs, x-rays, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, etc.
Enrollment in your international student insurance is easy! You simply apply right online and choose the date you’d like coverage to begin. Once you complete the application, you will receive an email confirmation with your policy documents that you can bring with you by simply printing out the information. If you have any questions about your Taiwan international student insurance, please contact one of our insurance agents standing by to assist with your questions.
International Student Enrollment 2010
December 2nd, 2010 by International-Student-InsuranceDuring International Education Week, new statistics were published to track the trends of international students studying in the United States. According to the Open Doors Report 2010, international student enrollment increased 3% over last year, a new record high of 690,923 international students.
The growth of international student enrollment was primarily fueled by Chinese students which made a 30% leap compared to last year. The second largest group of international students – which make up 15% of all international students – are from India; there was only a slight increase of 2% enrollment of Indians compared to last year. To put this into perspective, China, India and South Korea make up almost have the total number of international students total.
Most of these international students are enrolled in business and management tracks as well as engineering, math and computer science. Moreover, international student enrollment is concentrated in the states of California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Illinois.
Even with these positive results, the Open Doors Report 2010 found that the growth of international student enrollment was curbed due to the worldwide economic downturn that preventing some families from sending their children overseas. As the economy continues to recover, these rates are expected to trend upward.
Gap Year Travel Insurance
November 8th, 2010 by International-Student-InsuranceAs the world climate becomes more interconnected globally and curiosity about the world we live in continues to expand, the trend of students taking a gap year off is becoming more popular. This concept originally started in the United Kingdom and has expanded out to many countries including Canada, Israel, New Zealand and Australia. The gap year provides students with the opportunity to take some time off to work, travel, or volunteer overseas.
That being said, it is important that these students are adequately covered with a gap year travel insurance policy that will cover students overseas no matter where they travel. When choosing the appropriate plan, it is important to consider:
– Does your plan cover you in all the countries you will be traveling to?
– Do you want coverage for non-emergencies?
– Does your plan include emergency medical evacuation and repatriation?
One popular travel insurance option for the gap year is the Atlas Travel plan. With this tavel plan, individuals will be covered internationally outside their home country for doctor visits, hospitalization, prescriptions, emergency medical evacuation, and repatriation. This gap year travel insurance plan covers accidents and illnesses – whether or not it is an emergency situation. You will be fully covered even if you just have a cold! We know how important it is to be properly insured, in fact our international plans all include emergency medical evacuation and repatriation.
Contact one of our licensed agents today if you have any questions.
