Recently, it has been unexpectedly caught in various places. If you don’t pay attention, you will easily catch a cold and get sick. When it comes to illness and medical treatment, we all know that the experience of medical treatment at home and abroad is very different, especially in the United States. You should know that the most harsh thing about international students’ life in the United States is not the heavy learning tasks, but the outrageously expensive medical treatment costs. . .
Today, I have compiled an article for prospective international students who are about to go to the United States or just arrived in the United States Things to pay attention to when seeking medical treatment in the United States . I hope it can help everyone reduce some unnecessary troubles when seeking medical treatment. Of course, I still hope that students can have a healthy body!
On-campus medical insurance
Be sure to buy medical insurance! Be sure to buy medical insurance! Be sure to buy medical insurance! (Say important things three times)
The medical expenses in the United States are very scary, and the outpatient fees, examination fees and medical expenses for medical treatment must be paid by yourself. Therefore, students studying abroad can participate in the school's Student Medical Insurance Plan (Student Health Insurance Plan). This insurance plan is generally used for students to seek medical treatment outside of school, such as inpatient hospitalization, specialist doctors, off-campus emergency department, prescription drugs, and after laboratory tests, helping insured students reimburse part of their medical expenses.
Some schools also provide student medical insurance plans including dental, vision insurance, and medical expenses for acute illnesses during travel. The average annual fee for ranges from $300 to $600.
Be careful before confirming participation in the insurance plan:
- What is the premium amount
- What are the medical projects covered by
- Does the date covered by the insurance include holidays
- If you travel in the United States or travel abroad, will medical insurance still be useful
- If you transfer to school, will the medical insurance purchased at the original school be refunded, or can you transfer to the school you are about to go to?
- …
Many schools include medical insurance premiums in their tuition fees. If you do not participate in the school’s student medical insurance plan and want to choose an insurance company by yourself, you must apply for Waived school insurance within the specified date. Off-campus insurance you choose must meet the school’s requirements before you can obtain school approval. When paying tuition, be careful whether your fee list includes insurance premiums.
minor illnesses, self-medication
Remember to bring some commonly used drugs when going abroad for emergencies, such as Cold medicine, antipyretic medicine, anti-inflammatory medicine, bandages, eye drops , etc. Just bring some according to your physical condition and habits. In this way, if you encounter minor illnesses, such as headaches, colds, or diarrhea, you don’t have to rush to go to the hospital.
If you find that the medicine is not brought and the symptoms are not serious, you can also go to a nearby pharmacy to explain the symptoms to the drug sales staff and purchase the medicine according to their suggestions. Be sure to pay attention to your food or medication allergies and inform the drug sales staff in time.
On-campus medical treatment
Many universities have their own clinics, medical rooms, etc., providing students with medical services such as outpatient clinics, laboratory tests, health consultation , psychological counseling, vaccine injections, etc. Some schools also have pharmacies. Pay attention to the opening objects and time of school clinics. Depending on different medical insurances, the fees charged by clinics to students are different, and they are usually not very expensive.
Doctor will judge whether you need to be transferred to an off-campus hospital for treatment based on your situation. If the school’s hospital thinks you need to go to the hospital for examination or treatment, it will issue a referral form, and you can just take this form to the designated hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Most of the expenses can be reimbursed with school medical insurance, otherwise you will have to pay for it yourself.
Off-campus insurance
The United States does not allow people to purchase insurance directly from insurance companies. They have to go through an insurance broker or intermediary, and the commission they charge is also a proportion stipulated by law. Schools generally have insurance requirements.
Some students have purchased the school’s student medical insurance plan, but they still cannot meet their needs. For example, some diseases are not covered by the medical insurance, and you can also purchase another supplementary medical insurance outside the school. Therefore, if you need to purchase off-campus medical insurance, you should observe and compare more. understand your rights and responsibilities as a policyholder, and choose an insurance type that best provides you with protection and meets the school's requirements.
Discussion process
1
Appointment
If it is not an emergency department, it is best to make an appointment 3 to 4 days in advance. If it is a school hospital, it usually takes 1 to 2 days in advance. Once the appointment time is determined, it must arrive on time and cannot be late. If you cannot go for your own reasons, you must call 24 hours ago to cancel or re-book, otherwise you will be fined.
The medical office may send a copy of information that new patients need to register and fill in, and they must be returned in time after filling in the information. If accepted as a new patient, you must tell the medical insurance company the name of the main doctor you selected so that the insurance company will pay. When choosing a doctor, it is best to determine the hospital you will go to in the future, and understand the hospital's evaluation, equipment quality, charging standards, etc. suggests that you can ask friends or people you know if there is a recommended hospital physician.
2
Check-in
Take relevant ID card, credit card and medical insurance card , go to the front desk Check-in registration portal to check in, and tell the receptionist your name and appointment time. Then you need to fill out two forms, one about your physical condition, including your medical history, and the other about your medical insurance information. After waiting in the waiting room for the nurse to call her name, she went to the arranged clinic to wait for the doctor.
3
check
If it is a new patient, the nurse will check the basic information such as height, weight, body temperature, blood pressure, etc. You should tell the doctor what discomforts you have. If you have any examination results and medical records from other hospitals, you should also bring them. Be sure to inform your doctor about your medication allergies in a timely manner. The doctor will give the diagnosis and treatment options needed and answer questions. If you don’t understand something, you must ask clearly and write it down by yourself.
4
Check-out
Finally, after you go to the front desk to confirm all the situation, including the fees or whether the doctor needs you to come again and set a new appointment time, etc., to complete the payment of the fee. Be careful to collect medical expense bills, medical diagnosis records from doctors and hospitals to facilitate possible insurance claims in the future. If you have any questions about the statement, please ask the hospital in time.
Tips!
- U.S. hospitals generally do not provide medicines . You need to sign a doctor's prescription to go to the pharmacy to purchase prescription drugs.
- U.S.
- date is very expensive to see teeth and the medical insurance provided by general universities does not include dental
. It is recommended to check your teeth before going abroad. If necessary, you can purchase dental insurance separately.- sudden high fever, mild/moderate injuries, etc. that need to be dealt with immediately, you can go to the emergency room (Urgent Care).
- If it is a life-threatening emergency such as serious injury, car accident, heart disease, etc., directly call 911 for help .
- If not absolutely necessary, do not go to the Emergency Room. Even with insurance, Emergency Room is still very expensive and is usually a critically ill patient.
- When charging, the hospital can use coupon (Coupon) . You can ask the doctor or search on the website.
- Don’t wait until the medical procedures are executed before bargaining with the charging department or doctor. as long as the approximate charging amount is calculated, you can ask for a discount with the other party (Discount). If you want a better discount, you can choose to pay in cash.
It is indeed more troublesome to see a doctor in the United States, so... the best way is to - fewer diseases! Daily health care! I hope all students can have a healthy body~
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