If you are not a full time employee of Columbia University, you must obtain health insurance from an outside carrier. If you will not obtain acceptable health insurance before arriving in the U.S., the following information will be useful to you. Health insurance in the U.S. is mostly private. This means that you must apply to a private company in order to obtain insurance, your application must be approved, and you must pay your monthly premiums on time in order to remain insured. Health coverage for individuals is significantly less expensive than coverage which includes family members.
Some insurance policies are supplements to other policies.
The minimum coverage requirements specified by the EVP address a few, very general features that your health insurance policy must have. You must understand these details in order to make an informed choice. Insurance companies often use words in their policies with very specific meanings, relevant to their business. It is extremely important that, before purchasing any insurance policy, you understand as much as possible about your policy and its conditions. Most whole policies usually provide a standard set of benefits, but the provisions, conditions and benefits of different policies can vary widely.