CHAPTER 22

Health and Insurance

Good health is fundamental for a happy life and certainly a prerequisite for a successful experience for anyone coming to a foreign country. Due to inevitable changes in diet and climate, maintaining a healthy mind and body often requires a bit more effort when you're away from home.


Health care in the U.S. is not "socialized;" thus it is very expensive. In order to alleviate the financial burden of private health care, scholars, faculty members and their dependents are advised to obtain insurance (accident and hospitalization) and to use local clinics for minor and ambulatory care. Health insurance is mandatory for international students. This does not include dental. It is your responsibility to take care of your dental health. Ask around for information on local dentists, so when you need one, you will have one.


"911" is an emergency phone number, which can be used for any type of emergency. An emergency could include health emergencies (such as severe pain or bleeding, unconsciousness, or being in danger of dying) crime and fire emergencies. If you call 911 for a medical emergency, remember to ask for an ambulance and to give them the name and location of the sick or injured person. Remember, if you are covered by insurance, your cost will be lower and your coverage will be more complete. As a result, mandatory international student insurance started Spring 2003.? The premium will be paid each semester.


Filing An Insurance Claim

Before your insurance company will pay your health care provider, they must receive and review a written request for payment, which is called a "claim". In some cases, doctors and hospitals will complete and submit claim forms for you. In other cases, you must fill them out and submit them yourself. If you have a claim to file, contact your insurance company for forms and instructions.


Insurance Terms:


Benefits: The money the insurance company pays if you become sick.

Claim: The form and the procedure you use to request the insurance company to pay a charge (which is covered by the insurance policy).

Co-Payment: The portion of the expense, after the deductible is paid which must be paid by the insured individual. Usually expressed as a percentage. If the insurance company pays 80% of the charges, the co-payment is 20%.

Coverage: The condition under which the insurance company will pay or reimburse medical expenses.

Coverage Expense: A charge for which the insurance company will pay.

Deductible: The initial portion of a charge (covered by the insurance policy) which must be paid by the insured individual before the insurance company pays its part of the expense.

Exclusion: Any condition or expense that is not covered by the insurance policy (and for which the insurance company will not pay).

Insurance Policy: A contract describing/defining the insurance plan, its coverage, exclusions, eligibility requirements and all benefits and conditions that apply to individuals insured under the policy.

Insurance Premium: The amount of money required to pay for coverage by an insurance policy for a specific period of time. Premiums may be paid monthly, quarterly or annually, depending on the policy.  At Kennesaw, international students pay once at the beginning of the semester.

Managed Care: The practice of some insurance companies to try to contain costs by requiring the insured individual to see a primary physician before seeing a specialist for any condition. The primary physician must make a referral to the specialist for the charges to be covered by the insurance company.

Policy: The insurance contract.

Pre-Existing Condition: A condition (illness, injury, etc.) that existed prior to the beginning of coverage under the insurance policy. The definition can vary from one policy to the next. It might be considered pre-existing if symptoms were exhibited, treatment was sought, a diagnosis was made or the origins were before the beginning of the insurance coverage. It may not be covered by the policy.

Preferred Provider Network or Organization (PPN or PPO): A specified group of physicians and hospitals that work in coordination with an insurance company. Some insurance policies require the insured individual to use a specific PPO/PPN. For the insurance company to pay the maximum amount of an incurred charge, the insured person must use the PPO/PPN or be prepared to pay the additional expenses themselves.

Premium: The price you pay for insurance.

Health Insurance

According to the autumn 1995 issue of "The International Spirit Magazine" the cost of medical treatment in the United States is the highest in the world. If this were true in 1995, with added inflation just imagine the cost today. Mandatory insurance coverage for international students at Kennesaw State University started January 2003.


Key Factors:

DID YOU KNOW...

  • A woman's heart beats faster than a man's?
  • The right lung takes in more air than the left?
  • A person breathes 7 quarts of air a minute?
  • The average person takes from 12 to 18 breaths per minute?
  • Up to the age of 6 or 7 months, a baby can breathe and swallow at the same time? Adults can't do this.
  • Tongue prints are as unique as fingerprints?
  • The liver is a gland, not an organ?
  • The human brain is 80% water and more watery than our blood; it is also insensitive to pain? Headaches come from the nerves and muscles lining it.
  • Playing cards in India are round?

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