Every month, almost 170,000 students and scholars come on a J1 visa to study, work and teach in the US. As a J1 visa holder, a student or a scholar can come to the US to participate in an exchange visitor program. Whether you are visiting the US as an exchange visitor, scholar or a research student, having health insurance is a great option because most often, exchange visitors find it difficult to cope with health care expenses in US. Your insurance plan will help you deal with your hospital expenses in the best possible way, as it offers coverage for doctor visits, hospitalization and mental health. Whether it is getting ambulance services on urgent notice, buying prescription drugs or getting hospital care, health insurance offers total medical protection.
J1 visa health insurance is exclusively designed for exchange visitors to the US. It offers a great flexibility in terms of insurance duration. You can choose it for one month or you can get a plan for five years. All these plans are renewable which makes it easy to choose from monthly, quarterly or annual plans. It is easy to find a plan tailored to your specific needs to get several benefits. If you are traveling to the US on a J1 visa, you and any family members traveling with you will be required to have health insurance coverage for the entire duration of your trip. If you are traveling with your family, then you should consider an insurance plan that caters to the health needs of your family members.Most schools and sponsoring organizations provide mandatory health insurance that meets the J1 visa requirements. If your school or sponsor does not provide health insurance coverage, then you can purchase your own plan and take your pick from a variety of options. Remember, if you do not have visitor health insurance, your visa will no longer be valid and your sponsor will have no choice but to terminate your exchange visitor program. Do remember that there are some regulations concerning your health insurance plan. Your plan should provide benefit of a minimum of $50,000 for accidents and illnesses. There is a deductible limit of $500, which means that a deductible should be less than this limit for an illness or accident. The repatriation limit must be around $7500; the rating of your insurance company must be “A” or more. If the exchange visitor wants to satisfy the requirements of health insurance as per the rules of the home country, then such a plan must be backed by full credit and faith of the home country. However, you need not worry, as there are many insurance providers in the US who are specialized in providing health insurance policies that conform to all the regulations set by the Department of State.
With the wide range of benefits offered by health insurance, exchange scholars can get financial aid for medical expenses. This comes in handy especially in a country like the US, where medical care is very expensive. Before purchasing insurance, it is good to research your options and choose a plan that best meets your needs. Remember to read the plan brochure to understand the benefits and the coverage of the plan you are purchasing. Sometimes, pre existing conditions are not covered, that is, any injuries or illnesses that exist at the time or prior to the activation of the insurance plan. It is a good idea to go through the details of your plan for any conditions and exclusions. With a health insurance plan in place, exchange students and scholars visiting the US can pursue their academic programs in peace.