For many international students, their first brush with the U.S. healthcare system comes in the form of Optional practical training insurance. In the United States, an international student is allowed a particular period of time, usually 12 months, to hone the skills learned in college. Insurance for the student on F-1 visa during this period is called OPT insurance.

OPT insurance works like a typical short-term health insurance plan, and you can use it to get coverage for you and your dependent during the temporary OPT period. It is mainly used for unplanned medical issues.

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.

One thing to note is that unlike international student health insurance, OPT health insurance is not mandatory, but it is important to remember the high costs of healthcare in the United States before taking a decision to live without insurance. In the United States, it just takes one accident or health complication to empty out savings and destroy the credit report of a person.

Medical benefits and AD&D and repatriation benefits are provided by OPT health insurance for international students. Outpatient care and hospitalization, diagnostics, prescription drugs (unless used for pre-existing conditions), ambulance services, and medical evacuation are common benefits offered by most OPT insurance plans.

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.

There are a wide range of options to choose from for OPT insurance. Maximum benefits ranging from $25,000 to $1 million, deductibles which affect the premium payable, and plan durations lasting anywhere between five days and one year, are all choices available to the OPT insurance plan applicant.

An international student must choose OPT 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 international student insurance.

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