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| Health Insurance In The United States |
As the saying goes: "Prevention is better than cure". A wise quotation worth! In the USA, it is essential to be covered by health insurance to best protect against incidents or accidents of life. Whether you are traveling to the United States or are planning to do so, you are not covered by your home country's Social Security. In addition, US medical expenses are among the highest in the world and your home country's social security coverage may not be able to refund your expenses against the exorbitant rates charged by US hospitals and specialists.
USA Health Insurance
Whether you are traveling or established in the USA, from the moment you set foot on US territory, your supplementary health insurance will not cover your health expenses in the USA, unless you have a specific contract mentioning This exceptional coverage.
So why and how best to choose your insurance for the United States?
Why choose good health insurance in the United States?
Traveling to the United States for a short or long stay, vacation or home, without health insurance coverage, would be a risk to your health and finances, which you will find difficult to recover. These are the 3 reasons that will motivate the choice of a good health cover:
- US medical expenses are among the highest in the world.
- Your financial solvency will have to be demonstrated before any medical act, at the risk of not being treated.
- In the country of the trial, do not risk a summons for sued at law which would cost you very dear ...
How to choose a good health insurance in the United States?
What are the indicators that will allow you to choose your health insurance in the USA?
- Large-scale repayments such as hospitalization or repatriation.
- Refunds of maternity expenses.
- Limits and ceilings (limits). This is the maximum amount refunded. We advise you in this case a minimum of 500 000 $.
- Deductibles to be paid (deductible or excessive). This is the amount to be paid as soon as your insurance comes in.
- If you pay for example a consultation with a general practitioner $ 100, the insurance will refund your consultation with a deductible of $ 50. You will have to pay $ 50 out of your pocket.
- Ophthalmological refunds or dental expenses.
- Insured persons (contractors) and their accompanying persons (spouse, spouse, children).
- The conditions of application (age, duration, geographical location ...).
- The rates charged.
Be careful to distinguish between individual accident insurance (amounts paid in capital as a result of an accident causing death or disability) and the civil liability that is your responsibility since you are responsible for the damage you cause to others . In this case, the insurance companies will distinguish between personal injury and property damage. Consulting a personal injury lawyer would be a sensible option.
Inventory of Medical Expenses in the USA
General practitioner, dentist, blood analysis ... How much does it cost?
In the US, health care costs are not commensurate with what we know in Europe, countries of abundance in terms of health coverage. If you happen to get sick or get hospitalized in the US, be aware that you can suffer financial consequences for many years or even a lifetime.
A consultation with a general practitioner will cost you between $ 70 and $ 300. At a dentist, count about $ 350 for a check-up and descaling. At a specialist, such as a dermatologist or gynecologist, the price of the consultation oscillates between $ 300 and infinity since there is no price limit. Medications are much more expensive in the US and a simple blood test will charge you about $ 150.
In permanent contact with your insurance!
If you enter a much longer medical process, it is the medical prescriptions that will cost you more and more expensive, when the consultation will see its price dwindle as appointments. If a first visit may be charged to a GP for $ 150, the following consultations may see their rates drop to $ 100. But no specific regulations exist in this area. At no time is US Social Security the equivalent of our social security. You will therefore have to choose an insurance that commits to provide you with a support as soon as possible and that has relays in the USA, as well as a contact platform available 24/24 and 7/7.
It should be noted, however, that with Obamacare, and this was already true before the law, hospitals have an obligation to provide a minimum emergency care service, including to persons without health insurance, To those who are illegally in the United States. But it remains very expensive and the wait can be very long.
Credit cards with health insurance, a good solution?
If you have a credit card with an optimal insurance, such as Mastercard, Visa Gold or American Express, do not consider yourself immune to healthcare expenses in the United States!
Indeed, the insurance provided by these credit cards are closer to the contracts of assistance in case of incident for a short duration and are not in any real health insurance.
If you choose to stay more than 3 months on American soil, you will need real health insurance. In general, credit card caps are very low, even ridiculous, in terms of medical expenses in the United States.
Whether you are staying 3 months or 3 years in the USA, you will need to take out health insurance. It is an imperative! Now you have to play and determine what will be the best insurance according to your personal situation and with regard to your actual expenses in terms of health.