Health Insurance is mandatory for all students studying in U.S. University. Don’t even think about saving few hundred dollars by avoiding health insurance. I have gone through medical procedures when I was in school and I personally knew how much I had to pay out of my pocket even after Insurance had paid 80% of total medical expenses. I did end up paying few lakhs. So, don’t even have second thought about Student Health Insurance.

How much Health Insurance will Cost?

Majority of the Universities offer Health Insurance through Insurance companies and its included within the semester fees. Its will be mandatory to get the health insurance provided by the University. Usually, health insurance coverage offered by the University will be expensive. It will be around $500 to $700 for 1 semester, about $80 to $100 per month.

Some Universities offer options for students to select health insurance plan of their own and submit proof to International Student Office with benefits of the coverage. There are plans available from $27 per month which would provide same coverage and benefits as coverage provided by health insurance provided thorugh college. Why pay more for the same coverage? Cheap Student Health Insurance is provided by International Student Organization. ICICI health insurance will look cheap, but its complicated to use. Students have to file the claim and the claim form has to mailed to India and there are many other hassles associated with that. You can read about difficulty of ICICI medical claim process

When does the Coverage Begin?

Health Insurance plan offered by the University, when mandatory, coverage will begin on the day when student is enrolled into the school. Enrollment date is same as the orientation date for International Students. If student arrive U.S. on August/10/2008 and Orientation is on August/25/2008, then 15 days, students will not covered.

If student happen to visit the doctor in that 15 day period, 100% Expense will have to be paid by the student and it can vary from $200 for doctor visit for treating fever to $1000 for major medical expenses. So, I would advise students to purchase Health Insurance before travelling from the home country.  I recommend Health Insurance options provided by International Student Organization. Students can register online and purchase coverage before they travel to U.S. Insurance can be purchased for  minimum period of 1 month, if student has to accept health insurance provided by the University.