All students need to find student health insurance plans. For American citizens, there are chances that you know all of the different companies or that you will still be under your parent’s insurance for a small amount of time. For international students, this is often more difficult. There is a lot to understand when it comes to international student health insurance and many steps to take to get it.
Understand the Coverage Needed
The first step is to understand the type of coverage that is required. There are different considerations to make, such as coverage for doctors, dental and hospital and all of these different types of coverage will increase the premiums. It is worth taking some time to find out about the different levels of coverage and the different needs when it comes to health insurance.
Price Comparison Websites Will Help
The next step is finding affordable international student health insurance. This can take time but using a price comparison website is usually the quickest option. Price comparison websites will offer one form that will ask for all the required details. The comparison website will then be able to search all of the different insurance companies and offer the prices quoted in a table form. This way, you will be able to compare the prices on offer.
Go Directly to the Companies
It is worth pointing out that the price comparison websites generally take a commission for their service and this can sometimes be added onto the premiums. The best way to avoid this is to then go directly to the cheapest three to five companies and find out whether they can offer a better deal directly. This could involve offering extra information to help take the price of the international student health insurance down.
This also gives the chance to explain that you have found cheaper insurance elsewhere. The companies will then often verify this and be able to make a better offer to get your custom. After all, sometimes, getting someone for less is better than not getting their money at all.
Look into the Different Plans
There are usually different plans available when it comes to international health insurance and you will need to look into them. This means that price is not something that should be used solely when comparing the different companies. It is worth looking into the policies to see what is available from each one for the price that is paid.
It is also important to consider plans when it comes to pre-existing conditions. Many plans will have a 12 month period where you cannot claim for anything that is pre-existing before taking the plan but there are some companies that will offer six months. This could be the reason why you need the health insurance more than anything else and you could find that you are paying out but cannot claim back.
When Struggling to Get the Insurance
There are often times that getting the right insurance policy is difficult to understand. This is when your college comes in. There are plenty of staff who will be able to help you out with explaining the policies and how to get the health insurance. Some schools will also be partnered with health insurance companies or sponsored by some, which will make it easier to get your hands on insurance that is reasonably priced.
Another option is to look at the other insurance companies that you are with. If you plan to drive while you are studying abroad, you will need to have car insurance, and there are high chances that you will take out home contents insurance. Having all of your insurance policies with one company will make it much easier to handle and could also lead to you getting discounts due to being a loyal customer.
There are many steps to take when it comes to taking out international student health insurance plans and you will need to take them slowly. Check for the different types of policies available and what you will need while you are studying and then start comparing your prices. Remember that you cannot just compare by price; you will also need to take the different benefits to the policies into account.
