Study Abroad US Medical Insurance - anyone got tips or bought UK insurance?

[Fortysix]

Just that.

DC flies off to US mid August but either needs to be signed up to the US university's mandatory health insurance scheme or seek a waiver and prove an adequate alternative policy is in place The US scheme equates to two payments of $1270 so $2540 total.

We've seen specialist UK products that cover backpackers and offer students abroad worldwide travel and medical coverage from under £500. Anyone got relevant experience?
Will be coming home December and then going back Jan- May.

I've sent the money off too Fortysix. Are you taking out gadget insurance. Ds taking his laptop. Yet more money to fork out!

Not sure yet.

DC originally looked at gadgetcover.com that offers cover for US but laptop is nearly 2 years old and i think it had to be less than 18 months old so they were binned.
The PJ Hayman longstay insurance definitely covers gadgets up to 3 years old. DC is still deciding whether to go with this or the Outbacker silver insurance with or without added gadget cover.
Visa/ passport has now arrived from US embassy.
When does your DC fly off?

August 20th. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything still to do.

Aug 15th here. My to do list was the insurances, sorting the finance and creating an understandable spreadsheet of the budget. I'm virtually done but gosh there is a whole pile of stuff outstanding here, too. I feel I'm constantly on DC's back asking about dental appointments, dorm updates, extra suitcase for the outbound etc. Packing list has appeared so I suspect the last fortnight will whizz past and shortly I'll be lamenting how quiet it is ...

Still chasing up insurance here. Had to send the money off though so even if there is some insurance in place here and they accept it, not convinced they will give a refund. If I'd not seen your post on here Fortysix I'd never even have known to go chasing after it. Im a bit annoyed that ds's uni have not been upfront about the costs involved in the USA exchanges. If they had been, would most likely have let him go, but would have known what to expect. Sorry having a bit of a rant.

Don't blame you a bit to rant. I'm sorry if i have been a bit pushy on the insurance front. I've got more involved than i expected. Insurance payments for DC come in two dollops - semester 1 and semester 2 so maybe you can get a waiver for the second semester if this one fails?
My friend sent her DD to California two years ago so I had been briefed on the costs. [ I had also been saving here for this for the last two years as we knew it was going to happen.] Since I'm still in charge of the spreadsheet DC has already spent £5k of the budgeted £15k.
This afternoon the Outbacker gold insurance with gadget care was bought and the Monzo card apparently comes tomorrow.
[Friend's DD had such good fun that she racked up a $1000 taxi bill, flunked all her exams and wasn't invited back for the 2nd semester . ] I do know that sending them to California or Miami would have been another £5k on top as mine did budgets for the application.

Ha ha that's funny about your friend's dc fortysix. Don't suppose her parents think it's funny though 😬.
I appreciate the advice regarding the insurance. Just found out ds's uni have insurance which can be used in extreme emergencies only. Trying to clarify what all that's about. I'll be livid if it turns out we could have used it. Ds specifically asked on a number of occasions about this and nobody mentioned it.
You are very organised forty with the spreadsheet and all that. Eeeeekk £15k? That's a lot.

Good that your DS has made some progress on the emergency insurance. Last date for a waiver with the folk DC is dealing with is Sept 11 so if they operate broadly along the same lines, potentially there could still be time to get a refund on his student account, especially if he has still to pay for meal plan etc. Fingers, toes, ovaries etc crossed for you.
Mine has got seven more days of the summer job left. Yesterday we sat together sorting bank transfers and set up account payments for the 1st of each month so spreadsheet and all funds now out of my hands!
Honestly, I think some hand holding on all this is essential. Mine managed the actual application, the visa, the flights, the dorm application and the relentless class matches without help but this last bit of wiring funds and evaluating insurance was over whelming. This side-by-side time has really helped us both as i will miss mine. DC2 off to London in Sept so going to be quiet and moneyless soon....

I'm too involved I know but I know what Ds is like and because its the USA as well I want to make sure all is well. Europe I wouldn't be so bothered.

Exactly, Purple you want that he actually gets to take up the opportunity and not fall foul of all the hurdles.
Three of my DC's cohort have dropped out since being given their 'swaps' and others are in touch constantly for reassurance.
They will all learn so much about life when they eventually get there...

Ds tells me that the us health insurance wouldn't even get him back to the uk if he was seriously ill or injured. So whatever happens I'm going to have to take out a top up backpackers type insurance, unless his own uni insurance would cover that type of thing. This just gets better!! I'm trying to tell myself it's a wonderful opportunity and sod the expense ......

If it helps neither would the US policy we were asked to subscribe to but to be fair it is local healthcare for students in the immediate vicinity.

At least lots of choice on the UK backpacker front. And also consider 'long stay' products . Other posters suggested down thread that he needs to watch the length of stay he's allowed if he returns back to the UK...

Everything still crossed for you.

I'm not optimistic ☹️

Dc taken out uni's own health insurance but wondering whether to get gadget cover for laptop. The gadget cover on its own that I can find for usa seems to be around the same price as taking out travel insurance with gadgets added. Was going to take out insurance from now to December then again from January to May/June when he comes home. Any tips?

We weighed up cost of gadgets and age...

Laptop was £1050 when bought exactly two years ago & iPhone SE was bought in April and cost £400. Couldn't get cover from www.gadgetinsurance.com as laptop too old. However as laptop has CAD, fast processor, very light and very likely to travel with DC at weekends and DC really likes we decided to go ahead and buy.

Doing this from memory so apologies if figures wrong . Was offered PJ Hayman long stay insurance that covered both gadgets plus all DC's recreational travel etc for £495 for full year. Excess was £0.

In the end DC opted for the Outbacker Gold insurance with added on extra gadget cover which totalled £195 each semester and has a £50 excess. However I think there is a one item maximum of £500 and total limit of £1000.

Has yours sorted out phone contract or pay-as-you go? Mine is waiting until arrival (Tuesday) and going to see what others recommend.

We don't really need full travel insurance as such as got the uni health cover (££££££££) but it seems to be cheaper doing this than taking gadget cover on its own. Someone mentioned Endsleigh and we can get the basic cover for £120, with student union discount, up till Christmas. Ds taking iPhone so he can FaceTime and message us but is going to buy a cheap pay as you go phone when he gets there as I've cancelled his contract here until he comes home.

Sounds like you both have it all in hand.
Mobile contract cancelled here, too, but that added £3/ month to DC2's contract as had forgotten had discount for buying two contacts at once. So that one also got cancelled.

Well good luck to everyone setting off for their adventures in the USA. Hope all the dc's have a fabulous time. What an amazing opportunity it is for them. Fingers crossed it all goes well and they arrive safely at their uni's. Then I will finally relax 😳

Dc got US uni's own health insurance which is mega expensive but not sure whether to take out study abroad insurance as well. I'm thinking mainly for baggage cover for the outward journey and the return at Christmas and also for a little added security. Can get the basic cover for about £100 for now till Christmas whereas one way cover just for the baggage outbound will be £30 and I won't be able to insure for one way when dc comes back at Christmas as the journey has to start in U.K. Dh doesn't think I should bother but I'm unsure (and worried) and dc leaves very soon so need to get cracking.

Well just had a look more closely at intended study abroad insurance and baggage is not covered if the airline lose it so that's a waste of time ☹️

Ds took out usa uni's own health cover in the end. His own uni here have a policy to be used in extreme circumstances only but the US uni would not accept this in conjunction with a normal travel insurance policy.
We looked at the Endsleigh study abroad insurance but be careful. It does not cover luggage lost in transit and there could be complications if you have dual cover, which is in effect what we would have with the uk university emergency cover and any extra travel insurance that we took out. We were mainly looking at cover to get ds back to the uk in an emergency, which it seems that his home uni would cover and baggage cover for the journey, which now seems a waste of time.
It was the uni in the US that told us about the problems with dual cover and that the two insurance companies can end up fighting with each other over who would pay out.

Mine has been in US since Tuesday.
Loves the Monzo card, it works a treat.
Good luck to those on their way.
Forgot an old maths jotter and an Ikea paper measuring tape and no room for walking boots but all arrived safely

Pleased to hear dc arrived safely Fortysix. Ds goes tomorrow and I feel sick!!! Once he and his luggage arrive (2 flights involved) i will be ok. Why was a paper measuring tape required may I ask?

Need it to measure distance for room furniture ... needs to buy a mini fridge ... just helps decide which one is right size and where it can go.

Took a long time to go through US arrivals/ visa apparently but had all paperwork ready and to hand so no issues, just a bit slow. Departure day was less stressful than i thought. Face Time is an amazing for keeping in touch. Campus wifi is v good. Just feels like mine is Birmingham but with much better weather!

Had plenty of calls as no room mate arrived yet.

I'm sure it will all go really smoothly. The departure was less stressful than i imagined. I will be thinking of you though as it is a big step. I have DC2 going to London in Sept so got that to look forward to next...

Ah I see. Ds has a 5 hour wait before connecting flight departs so hopefully that's plenty of time to get through customs?