I. medical insurance
(I) medical insurance for students
for international students studying in the United States, medical insurance is compulsory, and the cost basically ranges from $4 a semester to $8 a year. If you refuse to buy it, you will not be able to register normally. It is worth mentioning that the medical insurance that students bought in China before going abroad cannot pay for medical expenses in the United States. Many students said that I bought life insurance in China, but life insurance only pays compensation when the insured dies. If you get sick or have an accident in the United States, only medical insurance purchased in the United States can compensate. As we all know, the medical expenses in the United States are very high. For example, if you have something in your eyes, you have to go to the hospital to wash your eyes and finally prescribe some eye drops. The cost can be about $1,.
Compared with other insurances in the market, the medical insurance fees provided by the school to students are relatively low, but students should pay attention to the fact that when registering, I suggest you read the medical insurance manual you purchased in detail. Especially the following aspects:
1.
The amount of premium is the most important place for insurance. There is no upper limit for medical expenses in the United States. Of course, we don't need to think too much about important accidents, but as long as the insurance needs to cover general diseases, such as colds and colds. From this point of view, the medical insurance of the school should be considered comprehensively.
2. The date of insurance coverage, whether it is covered during the holiday, because we know that the holiday is also the concentrated time for students to travel, and many students will also engage in high-risk sports such as skiing and so on. If you are injured during this period, be sure to have medical insurance coverage.
3.
Most hospitals or clinics covered by insurance have their own clinics, and the medical services received by students in the school clinics can generally be fully reimbursed from the insurance. However, due to the limited service items and time of the school's clinics, such as not necessarily opening on holidays, or only diagnosing and treating some simple diseases, in this case, sick students have to go to the off-campus hospital for treatment, but the cost is often more expensive, and the medical insurance purchased by the school may not be fully covered.
4.
Whether insurance can follow people is very common in the United States. What students need to know is whether the medical insurance you bought before can be refunded or cancelled or can follow you to the school you want to go to.
In particular, although medical insurance is compulsory for students, many schools allow students to buy it through insurance companies outside the school, but this is unfamiliar to many students in China, especially those who are new to the United States. However, I still suggest that students who have the heart and time should study and compare the insurance on campus and off campus, and finally choose the one that can best provide protection for themselves.
(2) General medical insurance in the United States
Medical insurance in the United States is the main expenditure of the government and citizens, with various types and a complex system. Like most countries in the world, insurance is divided into private insurance companies and social security systems. Many people buy two kinds of insurance at the same time to cover more. People who plan to settle down or live in the United States for a long time can consider buying several kinds of medical insurance.
ii. life insurance
(1) $ TERM insurance
The definition of term insurance means that it takes effect during the period when the insured pays the insurance premium, which is different from medical insurance. This kind of insurance will not be compensated until the insured dies unexpectedly. Common coverage amounts are $25,, $5, and
$1 million. Let's take the insured amount of 25 thousand dollars as an example. As long as the insured dies unexpectedly during the insured period, the beneficiary can get 25 thousand dollars in compensation. And this kind of insurance needs to pay a premium of about 2-3 dollars a year, which is about 2 dollars a month.
Many people have questions about what are the requirements for buying term insurance in the United States, and whether the beneficiary and the insured need to be American citizens. For term insurance, students are eligible to buy it, but most insurance companies sell it to people with social security numbers (SSN), and only a few insurance companies can sell term insurance to international students without social security numbers. The requirements for beneficiaries are very broad. Generally, the beneficiaries who buy term insurance are their parents or spouses, regardless of their nationality and country.
after purchasing term insurance, your insurance broker will make an appointment for your physical examination, which is usually a very simple on-site physical examination service, and then determine your annual premium according to your health standards. The so-called term insurance means that if you stop paying the premium for a period of time, if the insured dies unexpectedly, the beneficiary will not get compensation. The advantage of term insurance is that the premium paid is very low, which is affordable for most students, but the disadvantage is that it can't have investment function, which is in sharp contrast to the whole life insurance I will introduce later.
(2) Whole life insurance
The so-called whole life insurance means that the insured is protected from the first premium payment to the final death. Moreover, the advantage of this kind of insurance is its investment function. Compared with term insurance, life insurance only needs to pay a premium of 2-3 dollars a month. Life insurance may need to pay a premium of more than 1 dollars a month, but in addition to the 2-3 dollars equivalent to term insurance, 7-8 dollars are actually used for investment, such as fund investment. Whole-life insurance pays high attention to the basic factors such as the health status and age of the insured. For example, the older you are, the higher the premium you need to pay may be. Equivalent to life insurance, a small part is insurance, and a large part is invested in a place with higher interest rate than the bank. Of course, we need to remind everyone that since it is an investment, there will definitely be risks. When the world and economy are better, the income may be 8%-12%, which is equivalent to less than 1% of the bank's interest. It is very high, but I believe that many investments are bleak in this year's financial turmoil. But for students who want to stay in the United States for a long time, I personally think this insurance is very meaningful. It is not only a relatively safe investment, but also a very favorable guarantee for our family.
When buying insurance in the United States, it should be noted that American law stipulates that people can't buy insurance directly from insurance companies, but must go through insurance brokers or intermediaries, and the commission they charge is also the proportion stipulated by law. Insurance awareness is the awareness that everyone should have, because unexpected attacks are always unexpected. The insurance industry in the United States is highly regulated. In the worst case, if the insurance company you bought goes bankrupt, the state government in your state will compensate. In my opinion, buying insurance is a way to be responsible for yourself and your family. You might as well regard insurance as a necessity.