Unique Options with OPT Health Insurance Protection
Optional practical training insurance refers to the insurance taken by an international student and his/her dependents during the training period that usually follows graduation. Often, this is the first time the F-1 visa holder makes a decision on what insurance to purchase, and it can be confusing to navigate the world of insurance in the United States.
OPT insurance is designed as a short-term health insurance to help F-1 visa holders and their dependents tide over the optional practical training period with medical coverage for sudden and unexpected ailments and accidents.
As an international student, you might have been covered under the school-sponsored plan thus far. However, remember that plans that schools offer for a student under OPT are usually more expensive than your regular student insurance plans. OPT insurance offers you coverage for this period, which is usually a year.
You are however, not required by law to have insurance when under OPT period (yet), and the choice of whether to purchase insurance is entirely up to you. However, remember the high costs of U.S. healthcare, and remember that one accident or medical incident can scar your life forever.
Some of the typical benefits offered by OPT insurance include inpatient and outpatient care, emergency medical assistance, ambulance services, dental expenses (excluding routine care), emergency medical evacuation, accidental death and dismemberment, as well as repatriation of remains. Most plans also cover prescription drugs for new ailments.
Exclusions follow typical short-term insurance: pregnancy and related complications, optical and dental care, and previously existing conditions, with a set look-back period. The look-back period determines what constitutes a pre-existing condition, and is typically a year to three years.
You can choose maximum coverage from a range: $25,000 to $1 million. You can also choose from a range of deductibles-higher deductibles usually reducing the premium. The plan duration depends on how long you want to be covered, and can be purchased for five days to one year.
An international student must choose Optional practical training insurance wisely, considering future plans as well. Students planning to return home after their OPT period runs out will do well with the one-year plan, and those who are hoping to receive permanent employment and consequently, employer-sponsored insurance, might want to purchase insurance monthly, or for three months at a time.
Dan Miller often writes about OPT health insurance