From: fmbutt@engage.sps.mot.com (Farooq M. Butt)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan,soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: Ridiculous Health Insurance Policy [part 1]
Date: 23 Jul 92 15:08:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: oakhill.1992Jul23.150838.24527
Organization: Motorola RISC Software, Austin, TX

In article <1992Jul23.003024.4534@ecl.psu.edu> l1z@ecl.psu.edu writes:
>... deleted 
>
>    The University's MEGA Health Insurance plan has a premium as high as 
>$600+ per year for the student itself, $1700-$1800 per year for the spouse,
>and $800+ per year for each child. So a couple with one child will have to
>spend nearly $3200.00 per year just on health insurance. Real expensive,
>isn't it?!!
>
>    For an insurance as high as $3200 per year, it should cover every thing
>when you get illness, right?  Nope! It has a $50 deductible and the coverage
>is only 80%. And there's numerous examptions in the 80% coverage. If you
>just get a cold and see a doctor to get some medicine. The total cost doesn't
>exceed $200 while you have to pay the $138 yourself! Having a baby will cost
>you at least $2000.
>
>    What about buying another insurance? The University has set very strict
>conditions as the waive standard for buying other insurance instead of the
>university's MEGA plan. They are:
>
>        1. Covers all illness and injuries.
>        2. Covers all pre-exist illness and injuries.
>        3. Has a deductible not exceeding $1000 per individual, per year.
>        4. Has a maximum benefit per illness not less than $50,000
>        5. Covers both in-patient and out-patient expenses.
>        6. Has maternity coverage.(No exceptions even for male). The coverage
>           of maternity should be the same as other illness or better.
>        7. Pay benefit worldwide.
>        8. Has some provision for medical evacuation to the home country.
>
>    We have done some investigation. If you want to buy insurance from any
>insurance company that fits into the 8 conditions, they would either refuse
>to sell it or ask a premium even higher than the University's MEGA plan. And
>very few Americans would buy such an expensive health insurance. What shows
>that this is a racial discrimination policy is that this policy only applys
>to international students and American students are not required on the 
>health insurance. 
>





It looks like some of you folks may not yet be aware of how lousy a place the 
USA is with regards to anything remotely medical.  The USA is the only 
civilized country in the world that regards basic health-care as a luxury
only to be available to those willing to pay for it.  Even for those 
of us in "real" jobs, most medical insurance is expen$ive (circa. $200 
a month for full family coverage with many employers), inadequate 
(most insurers in the USA gladly drop you if get a "catastrophic" 
illness like AIDS), and low-quality (you usually get to see a doctor for a
whole 5 minutes or so as (s)he rushes to see another patient.  The 
reason why people put up with these terrible premiums, bad service 
etc. is because they _have_ to.  Getting sick in this country without 
medical insurance is a nightmare.  Most foreign students come from 
relatively saner countries where, if they got terribly sick, _someone_ 
would pick up the tab and they would get medical attention. Not so in 
the US, unless of course it's an emergency.  If you just need, say, 
some outpatient surgery, prepare to be bused from hospital to hospital 
until some place decides to deal with you.

The point in the above diatribe is that if you do decide to bring your 
family over, make darn sure that they are insured, otherwise if 
munna needs his tonsils out, a week after arriving you are in 
deep trouble.  Given the option, I think many foreign students would
try to gamble on their health (i.e. not buy insurance) but I really 
think this is not a wise idea, beacuse the potential for disaster 
exists.  On the other hand, it does seem incumbent on the University 
to provide _some_ kind of affordable insurance.  Given the rates you 
quote above ($50/month) I do think they are making some effort.  And, 
$3200.00/yr. for medical insurance, while not deliriously cheap is 
pretty much close to the mark in terms of the marketplace for family 
coverage. USA'ans do not subsidize healthcare except to the absolutely 
indigent (via a nightmarish bureaucracy known as Medicaid). As a 
student you have to prove that you are NOT idigent, and therefore you 
pay, pay, pay.  I wish you folks success in your quest for cheaper 
healthcare and I do sympathize but realize that most residents  pay 
even more than you do for very similar coverage.









Sadly,
fmb











-- 
Standard High-Tech Disclaimer: NOTHING  in the above article has the slightest 
relationship to reality. If any reality correspondences are found, please 
notify me IMMEDIATELY. Any threats, abuse or stupidity of any kind is purely 
UNintentional. These are MY Opinions NOT my employer's.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan