Health Insurance Options For F2 Visa Holders In USA

If you join a family member studying in the US on an F1 visa, you’ll need F2 visa health insurance. Health insurance for F2 dependents is optional and will not affect your visa application, although it is strongly recommended due to the high cost of US healthcare.

International F1 students are usually automatically enrolled in a group health insurance policy by the US school, however F2 visa dependents may not be.

Here is how to get F2 visa healthcare coverage in the US without group insurance and what to look for when scouting the market.

There are many health insurance plans dedicated to dependents of international students in the United States.

F2 Visa Insurance Options

F2 Visa holders have two health insurance options:

• The F1 student adds the dependent (F2 visa holder) to the group insurance plan the school offers.
• The dependent gets a private F2 visa health insurance plan.

Group Health Insurance Plan

F1 international students at many US universities receive health insurance. Some cover the student but not the F2 visa dependent, while others allow students to cover their dependents for a fee.

University health insurance policies are comprehensive but pricey and can skyrocket if a student adds a dependent. The monthly premiums for F2 dependents can be 2-3 times higher than for international students.

This is why many F2 visa dependents opt out of school-provided health insurance and buy their own.

If they locate another insurance policy that satisfies the same standards, they can waive the university’s policy. Naturally, the F2 visa holder can too.

Private Health Insurance for F2 Visa

F2 dependents can purchase personal health insurance if they are unable to join the school’s insurance plan or if they choose to opt out. There are numerous insurance packages available in the United States for F2 visa holders, international students, and expats.

If the F1 visa holder is unable to waive the school’s insurance requirement, the F2 dependent can obtain a personal insurance plan through this website.

What Is the Best Health Insurance for F2 Dependents?
There are many great health insurance plans and companies for F2 visa holders, including:

• Cigna International.
• International Medical Group (IMG).
• GeoBlue.
• Allianz Worldwide.
• Foyer Group.
• Expacare Global Healthcare.

What to Look for When Buying F2 Visa Health Insurance?

When researching, make sure you look for the following factors:

• Are you comfortable with the policy maximum? The policy maximum is the most the insurance company will pay for your medical bills during the policy’s validity period. E.g You can obtain a one-year insurance coverage with a policy maximum of $100,000, $500,000, or more.
• How much is the deductible? Also known as how much you will have to pay till your insurance company pays the remainder. Some policies have a fixed deductible (for example, $100), whilst others work on a percentage basis (for example, you pay 20% and the insurer covers the remaining 80%).
  
• Does the insurance policy cover everything you need? Most health insurance policies cover routine doctor’s appointments, hospitalization, medication, diagnostics, and so on. Also, because most F2 dependents are the wives of international students, there is a considerable chance that one of you may require maternity coverage, which is not typically available with F2 insurance.
• Do they offer direct billing? Most insurance companies offer the option for the hospital to bill the insurers directly, as long as it is on their PPO network.

How to Buy F2 Visa Health Insurance?

You can buy F2 health insurance online, either through brokers such as Insubuy or directly with an international health insurance provider. The way it usually goes is:

• You select the amount of time you will be in the US for.
• You will be presented with one or several plans which offer that coverage.
• You read through the policies to look at the policy maximum, coverage, monthly premiums, etc., to decide which plan suits you best.
• Select a plan and purchase it.
• Receive the insurance confirmation.

Know that each insurance company has its unique PPO network and claims rules before buying a health insurance coverage.

Insurance companies work for PPO networks of hospitals, doctors, clinics, etc. PPO hospitals are cheaper and can bill the insurance company immediately instead of you paying first and then claiming reimbursement.

What Does F2 Visa Health Insurance Cover?

Health insurance for F2 visa holders in the US usually covers the following:

• Physicians visit.
• Urgent care.
• Emergency room.
• Prescription medication.
• Lab tests and X-rays.
• Surgery and anesthesia.
• Hospitalization.
• Complications of pregnancy, if you are already pregnant.
• Pre-existing conditions are usually covered up to a degree and only after a “waiting period” of about six months or so.

Health Insurance for F2 Dependents Covering Maternity

If you are pregnant when you acquire your F2 visa, health insurance will only cover pregnancy issues, not delivery, checks, or other maternity fees. Because F2 health insurance is short-term, F2 dependents usually don’t have maternity care.

This means you may need a pregnancy and maternity-only insurance coverage.

However, there is a 10- to 12-month wait time for maternity health insurance even if you are not pregnant. This means that if you get pregnant in the US or after buying the policy, you may not be covered.

If your partner’s school provides comprehensive health insurance and extends it to you, you may get maternity coverage. The university’s international student plans are more expensive but cover more.

Is F2 Visa Health Insurance Expensive?

You can expect to pay anywhere from $400 to upwards of $1,500 per year per person for F2 visa insurance, depending on how much coverage you want. The price of health insurance in the US will depend on:

• The deductible. The lower the deductible, the higher the price of the policy.
• Policy maximum. The price of the policy increases if there is a high policy maximum. For example, a policy covering $50,000 will cost less than one covering $100,000 or $1 million.
• If there is no coinsurance, the price of the policy is higher than if there is, say, a 20-80 coinsurance.
• The coverage duration. The longer you will stay in the US, the higher the price of the policy.

Does F2 Health Insurance Cover Dental?

Yes, F2 visa health insurance coverage do include dental treatment, however they differ. Some policies only cover severe pain or crises, not preventative care or checks. In this instance, you may need to obtain an extra dental coverage if you believe you will require it.

Does F2 Health Insurance Cover Vision?

Vision care, including as eye tests and glasses, is not generally covered by F2 visa insurance. This means you may need to purchase extra vision insurance if you believe it is required.