Do I need international medical insurance??

[Hypiereon]

If you're under contract with a school, they are required by law to provide medical insurance for you, but as I noted in my thread in the "Teaching and Living in China" forum, medical coverage can be substandard based on varying factors. If you're going to be in China a year, maybe two at the most, it is a chance you might want to take just to go with the school's insurance and forget about it.

However; if you're really concerned about that 1 in a million chance that something could go wrong, it's better to be insured in a language you can understand. International Medical Group (http://www.imglobal.com/) is what my family uses. This company will cover you so long as you spend the majority of your time overseas. Coverage can be limited to a time frame as well, so if you're going to be here a year, they'll cover you for a year.

I would suggest that anyone staying longer than a couple of years take a hard look at getting additional coverage. You really need to have a policy you can understand in your own language, and something to fall back on in case the policy with the school falls through for ANY reason. The medical system and insurance companies in China are improving, but still under development. You just can't be 100% sure of anything, and the dual coverage could be worth the peace of mind.

That said, you need to have a reserve of cash for medical emergencies. Medical Insurance in China, as well as IMG, are reimbursement plans. You pay for treatment first, and get your money back later. Having an emergency credit card handy with a credit limit of 2,500 - 5,000 USD is a good plan if you'd like to spend your money.

A credit card is a GREAT idea for emergencies because it allows you to spend the cash you have as you want, and the credit is there only if you need it. A credit card also provides the paper trail and receipts you will need for reimbursment later, and the currency exchange is automatic so you don't even have to think about exchange rates.

The coverage my wife and I have is for year-round no matter where we are in the world, including the USA, but they still cover us because we spend the majority of our time here in China. Our deductible is $1,000 because we figure anything more than that and we're probably in some serious hurt and could use the financial help insurance is supposed to provide. Because of our higher deductible, we only pay about $1,000 per year per person (average) for full coverage medical insurance.

I'm not a rep of the group, so if you have specific questions you just have to visit the page I refferenced above and check them out for yourself. Amounts you will have to pay vary widely by age, physical condition, location in the world you will spend the most time, types of coverage, size of deductible, and any of a million other factors.

Is IMG the best? I dunno. My wife researched insurances on the web and felt she had come up with the best one and I just nodded and started cutting checks every year. I also don't know if IMG has offices or plans for those who are not US citizens - you just have to check out the site and ask someone.