If you are a student going abroad for pursuing academics then take a moment to ponder on the need of medical insurance for international students. It is common for students to meet with medical emergencies. However if you are an insured international student then most of your medical expenses would be borne by international student medical insurance.

However, the international students insurance will not start paying your bills right away. At the very outset you will have to pay a certain amount of money from your own pocket towards your expenses. Only after that will you be able to claim a percentage of the remaining amount of the bill from the international student insurance company. This amount payable by you is known as deductible.

Once the deductible is met, the insurance company pays a percentage of the expenses, this is called Coinsurance. Typically comprehensive international insurance plans cover 80% of the first $5000 of the expenses, and 100% thereafter.

Deductible ranges from $0 to $2,500. Usually, the higher the deductible the lower is the amount of premium. The opposite is also true. Deductibles are included in international student’s insurance so that the insurance company does not have to process claims for relatively minor issues. It also encourages the insured to seek medical treatment only when essential and not in frivolous situations.

For example if you have chosen an international student insurance plan with a deductible of $150 then you will have to pay $150 in case of a medical emergency towards your medical bill. Only after you make this payment will you be eligible to claim the rest of the expense from the international student medical insurance.

Plans that offer international insurance for students usually waive the deductible if initial treatment is sought at the Student Health Center of the university that student is enrolled at. Some plans do not waive the deductible, but lower the deductible by 50% if the student seeks treatment at the University’s Student Health Center first.

Deductibles are of two kinds- one that is applied per injury or per sickness, and the other, which is applied per 12 months basis. In case of the first kind, the insurance holder has to pay the deductible amount every time he/she meets with a different illness or injury. Whereas in the second case, the medical bills would have to be paid by the insurance holder for as long as he/she doesn’t pay the entire deductible amount.

Very low or even zero deductibles is also offered by some international student’s insurance, but at higher costs. Read all the policy details carefully before deciding the international student insurance deductible.