Why health insurance is so important in the United States? - Insurance Requirements


Many friends have already immigrated to the United States, or are already waiting to land. In the United States, it is very expensive to see a doctor without insurance. Therefore, if you live in the United States, you must understand the medical insurance in the United States. Today, I will discuss medical insurance in the United States

Why do you need health insurance in the United States?

Medical expenses in the United States are very expensive. Without medical insurance coverage, a serious illness or serious injury can even bring ordinary American families into bankruptcy.

The visitor's health insurance generally covers the cost of some doctors' clinic visits, hospitalizations, surgical treatments, and prescription drugs. In particular, once a major illness or serious trauma occurs, the insurance company can pay the vast majority of medical expenses, so that individuals can avoid huge medical expenses.

US commercial private medical insurance and social medical insurance. American insurance is divided into two categories: commercial private medical insurance, social medical insurance.

Commercial Private Medical Insurance Two situations: 

1.  
  • (A) You Have a green card, but do not have a job, and do not meet the requirements of social insurance (over 65 years of age and 10 years of tax filing) can be purchased separately, according to the age and the type of insurance (platinum, gold, silver, copper ) The price is different. Generally speaking, the silver level is more than 300 US dollars a month. If you want better medical insurance, you can get more than 700 a month. The Bronze Plan insurance company will reimburse 60% of the cost of its guaranteed medical services. Pay 40%; Silver Plan insurance company reimburses 70% of medical expenses, individuals bear 30%; Gold Plan insurance company reimburses 80% of medical expenses, individuals bear 20%; Platinum Plan insurance company reimburses 90% of medical expenses, individuals bear 10 % But if the medical expenses per patient exceed $6800 a year, you do not need to pay any medical expenses. Therefore, it is very effective for many seriously ill citizens. 

  • (B) I have no job, but I have other investment income, I have a tax return, and the amount of tax return is relatively small. Between 16,000 and 62,000 US dollars per year, I can apply for Obamacare.

2. there is a green card, there is a work company, and an individual pay 50%, the biggest benefits are:

  • (A) There can be records of tax returns (because the company will pay wages)

  • (B) You can purchase PPO insurance.


Requirements for Social Health Insurance Participation: 

Participation in Medicare Senior Health Insurance requires 65 years of age and more and has worked in the United States and paid taxes for at least ten years. Elderly people who have obtained a green card in the United States can also purchase Medicare insurance at their own expense after immigrating to the United States for five years. Benefits of Insurance: Medicare falls into four broad categories. 

  • Type (A): Hospitalization insurance pays most of the hospitalization costs for the beneficiary, but the patient needs to pay part of the cost. Hospitalization insurance also includes the cost of professional nursing rehabilitation after the patient is discharged. 

  • Type (B): Supplementary medical insurance pays 80% Cost of treatment at a doctor's clinic. 

  • Type (C): Medical insurance concession plans are some additional medical service insurance designed for federal health insurance beneficiaries by government-chartered insurance companies. 

  • Type (D): Prescription drug plans are government-subsidized drug benefit plans, join these Beneficiaries of the plan pay additional insurance premiums, and can purchase prescription drugs at low prices. The Type A inpatient insurance portion of medical care insurance is compulsory, and funds are raised through the government's Medicare insurance tax levied on employee income. Employers and employees are required to pay 1.45% of salary income, and 2.9% of the total income is used to pay for hospital medical insurance. This way, when you turn 65, you can get Medicare hospitalization insurance without paying this part of the premium. If the low-income elderly cannot afford the medical insurance out-of-pocket expenses, the US government allows them to apply for low-income Medicaid insurance at the same time. Medicaid insurance helps pay for Medicare medical insurance.

How to apply for short-term insurance?


Native residents legally living in the United States, including U.S. citizens, green card immigrants, international students studying in the U.S., and foreign residents working with a work visa in the U.S., etc., some people may need short-term medical insurance, such as fresh graduate students taking jobs Temporary insurance was required before, or temporary insurance was needed during the transition to a new job. You can choose short-term medical insurance as a transition.

The 2018 U.S. Long-Term Medical Insurance application deadline is January 31, 2018. After this date, if you cannot apply for long-term insurance, you can also apply for short-term insurance as a transition. Short-term insurance is generally available for one to six months, and some insurance plans allow extensions for up to one year. The application for Short Term insurance is relatively simple. Generally, you only need to fill in some basic personal information, and the application will be approved soon. 

Short-term health insurance is not a metal insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. You cannot get government insurance subsidies when you apply for insurance. Short-term medical insurance usually covers medical expenses for sudden and unforeseen illnesses/injuries, including the emergency department and hospitalization, but generally does not cover medical expenses such as pre-existing conditions, immunization, and physical examination. The coverage of short-term medical insurance is not as comprehensive as that of the metal insurance plan required by the Affordable Care Act, but the insurance premium is relatively low, which is suitable for the transition period of applying for long-term insurance. Medical expenses.

 How Green Card Immigrants Obtain Social Security:

1. Those who have worked in the United States and paid medical insurance tax for more than ten years. If you work in the U.S. and pay Medicare tax for more than ten or forty quarters, then when you turn 65, you are eligible to join Medicare for free, and you can join Medicare A insurance, which means you don’t have to pay insurance premiums again. If necessary, you can purchase Medicare B insurance and Medicare D insurance as supplementary insurance.

According to 2016 standards, if an individual's annual income is less than $ 85,000, the minimum premium for Medicare B insurance is $ 104.90 per month. It is important to note that if you first participated in Medicare insurance in 2016, you will need to pay a Part B premium of $ 159.30 per month.

If the annual personal income is more than $ 85,000 or the annual household income is more than $ 170,000, then a higher Medicare Part B insurance premium will be paid in 2016, depending on the income, from $ 223 to $ 509.80 per person per month.

With Medicare D insurance premiums, if the annual income is less than $ 85,000, the average insurance premium for 2016 is $ 41.50 per month. Annual income is more than $ 85,000, and the average premium for Part D ranges from $ 60 to $ 120 per month. Different insurance companies have different prices.

2. Legal immigration to the United States for five years, but not working in the United States or paying medical insurance tax for ten years. If you have legally immigrated to the United States for five years and have not worked in the United States or paid Medicare for ten years, you will not be able to get free Medicare coverage after you turn 65. However, you can purchase Medicare at your own expense.

Immigrants who have not paid the medical insurance tax after holding a green card for more than five years, and have reached the age of 65, can pay insurance premiums to the government's Medicare project to purchase Medicare Medical Insurance Plan A, which is hospitalization insurance. At the same time, they can, like other Medicare members, pay Medicare's Plan B and other supplementary insurance plans such as prescription drugs at their own expense.

According to the 2015 year, the premium for Medicare Part A insurance is approximately $ 407 per month. If your annual personal income is less than $ 85,000, the minimum premium for Medicare B is $ 104.90 per month. It is important to note that if you first participated in Medicare insurance in 2016, you will need to pay a Part B premium of $ 159.30 per month.

If the annual personal income is more than $ 85,000 or the annual household income is more than $ 170,000, then a higher Medicare Part B insurance premium will be paid in 2016, depending on the income, from $ 223 to $ 509.80 per person per month.

With Medicare D insurance premiums, if the annual income is less than $ 85,000, the average insurance premium for 2016 is $ 41.50 per month. Annual income is more than $ 85,000, and the average premium for Part D ranges from $ 60 to $ 120 per month. Different insurance companies have different prices.

Therefore, if you have a green card, although you are 65 years old, you do not have a 10-year tax return record, and do not meet the conditions for applying for Medicare, you will have to pay nearly $ 600.

3. Immigrants to the United States under five years, or under 65 years of age (Cannot purchase Medicare) Overall, US insurance is better than in Hong Kong and China. 

  • (A) There is no upper limit of the policy, that is, once the annual maximum medical expenses are exceeded, the insurance company will cover all; 

  • (B) There is no intermittent risk. In China's medical insurance, many policies are that insurance companies have the right not to renew, so there will be insureds who have been buying insurance. Both China and Hong Kong have this problem, and the United States does not allow it. 

  • (C) If the insured has a previous medical history, U.S. insurance will not be insured. However, insurance companies in China and Hong Kong can choose not to sell insurance to patients if they find that the insured has a major illness.
How do Chinese students choose the most suitable medical insurance?

F-1 visa student schools require students to provide proof of medical insurance when they register each academic year, otherwise, they cannot register, which means that students on campus are compulsory to require insurance. For international students holding an F-1 visa, the first choice is definitely to participate in the school's student medical insurance plan, which is the school's exclusive insurance plan specially provided to students.

What does it mean to consider this type of insurance first? First, schools generally choose to cooperate with reputable insurance companies. The coverage of insurance plans is comprehensive and there are different options. This type of insurance plan is generally used for students seeking medical treatment outside the school, such as hospitalization, specialists, emergency off-campus, prescription drugs, laboratory tests to help students insured to reimburse some medical expenses. Some student health insurance plans even include dental, vision insurance, and medical expenses for sudden illnesses during travel. Second, the procedures are convenient. The tuition fee for many schools includes the medical insurance fee. 

When you register and pay each semester, you will automatically join the school's student health insurance plan. It is also a happy thing to not face the various insurance plans. Third, the price is reasonable. Because students are younger and healthier, the medical insurance premiums are relatively low. Coupled with the fact that most schools have on-site clinics, the medical costs of seeing a doctor at school will be much lower than conventional clinics, which is still very cost-effective. Fourth, there is no concern about pre-existing conditions, that is, whether you have a disease before you buy insurance. If you buy medical insurance as an individual, there may be a medical check-up. First, check your physical condition to determine the price of the insurance. Or the insurance part will be deducted due to your medical history at the time of the final payment. For students with a medical history, it is undoubtedly the safest and most reliable to apply for insurance in school. 

There are two questions to pay special attention to when enrolling in school medical insurance: 1. Does the date of medical insurance include school holidays? If the school's insurance does not cover holidays and you have to plan to stay in the United States, you must buy another insurance. 2. Is there a limit to the geographic scope of medical insurance? Some insurance plans are limited to the state, some plans are universal across the United States, and some insurance plans can even reimburse you for medical expenses while traveling outside the United States. It is important to note that you can take advantage of this and make the choice that suits you best based on your needs and insurance costs. 

However, it is not ruled out that the medical insurance plan of individual schools is very unscrupulous, or you prefer a lower price and more suitable insurance plan for you, then you can also give up the student medical insurance of the school and choose to protect the international students of private companies Medical insurance, please note that this type of insurance is only available to students enrolled in full-time schools.

There is also a proper term for giving up student health insurance, called a waiver. This is a form of proof that students are required to submit to the school if they buy off-campus insurance and use it instead of school insurance. Generally speaking, schools have minimum standards for medical insurance purchased by students outside the school. Only when this standard is met can the school be accepted. The waiver is to prove that you have purchased off-campus insurance and that it meets all the school's requirements for health insurance. And, be sure to buy insurance before filling in the waiver!

Insurance during graduation internship (OPT): International students holding an F-1 visa can obtain an Optional Practical Training (OPT) work internship license about 12 months after graduation. Although there is no compulsory medical insurance requirement during the OPT, given the high cost of medical care in the United States, you'd better prepare an insurance policy. Some schools allow graduating students to continue to participate in the school's student health insurance plan (about a year), and you can contact the school to extend your insurance before you graduate. 

Some internship units may provide you with medical insurance. If you can't get insurance from your school or internship, you can buy related medical insurance through a commercial insurance company. Many companies offer insurance plans designed for OPT, ranging from days to years. To choose this type of insurance, you need to submit a work permit (EAD) issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Here are the questions about medical insurance, I hope this helps you!