Healthcare, Health Insurance, Vitamins, Nutrition

August 14, 2009

International Students Medical Insurance – Student Secure Plan

Filed under: Health Insurance — Tags: , — @ 4:27 am

Students who are traveling abroad for the purpose of pursuing their higher education have to realize the importance of taking international student medical insurance. Medical expenses are really costly abroad and as such it is required that we make sure that we are covered with International Student Insurance before traveling abroad.

StudentSecure SM Medical Insurance is an international student health insurance plan, which is offered by HCC Medical Insurance Services. This plan offers several features and is also available in two levels- Select and Budget. Coverage for factors like Emergency Medical Evacuation, Acts of Terrorism, Medical Expenses and pre-existing conditions( covered after 12 months) , are included under these plans.

StudentSecure SM Medical Insurance provides coverage up to $300,000 under the select plan and $250,000 under the budget plan. This plan benefits include- Hospital Room & Board Local Ambulance Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Pre-Notification Penalty, Outpatient Treatment & Outpatient Prescription Drugs, Mental Health Disorders (one of the requirements for insurance for international students), Dental Treatment due to Accident, Dental Treatment to alleviate pain, Maternity Care for a Covered Pregnancy and Routine Nursery Care of Newborn.

Apart from the above mentioned aspects, even the aspects of Benefit Period for coverage after Policy Termination Date, Emergency Medical Evacuation, Emergency Reunion and Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Therapeutic Termination of Pregnancy, Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care, Intercollegiate, interscholastic, intramural, or club sports and Terrorism are included in International Student Medical Insurance plans.

Only full time students who are residing in a foreign country, holding a valid student visa (F-1) are eligible to take up these plans. It is important) that at no time these students apply or obtain a residency status in the foreign country they are pursuing their studies in.

We can extend the plan up to a year from the initial date of payment and afterward if we want, we can renew it to a time period of four years. Renewal of the plan is possible only if we continue to meet all the plan pre-requisites and is possible for maximum four years, after which we need to opt for a new plan.

There are many ways by which we can access this plan. We can either mail the application or fax it to the company. We can also e-mail the application along with the details of the payment method. Then the insurance documents can either be mailed to us by post or sent to our e-mail, depending on our preference.

Thus, these are a few highlights (features) of the StudentSecure SM Medical Insurance.

August 13, 2009

International Medical Insurance For Groups

Filed under: Health Insurance — Tags: , — @ 3:53 am

Successful business concerns depend on global logistics and overseas operations for a large chunk of annual revenue. Every year, companies deploy a considerable number of personnel with substantial work expertise to fortify their position in overseas markets. Naturally, the well-being, medical security and insurance coverage constitute a primary issue in any company’s employee gratification policies.

International health insurance corporations appreciate the employer’s concern for the security and medical well-being of employees deployed overseas. As a result, employee health insurance policies have become increasingly flexible, offering numerous options to suit particular budget structures. These international medical insurance policies offer medical coverage to employees deployed in long as well as short term projects.

The coverage offered by international travel health insurance policies includes extensive defrayment of expenses for employee hospitalization and physician’s consultation. The policy cover also offers vitally essential ancillary services like ambulance transport, diagnostic scans and life-support units (if prescribed).

These regular medical benefits could often be appended with a wide spectrum of other vital services, as per specific requirements of the employers. Provisions for thorough medical evaluations and check-ups for employees might be included in the coverage. Expenses for prescribed emergency medication and pharmaceutical administrations are also defrayed by the international medical insurance policy.

Employee’s group health insurance for international travel policies offer provisions for employee wellness benefits as per specific company budgets. The policy also defrays charges for prescribed therapeutic and psychological treatments and prescribed medical rehabilitation. Certain essential medical benefits for eligible accidents, unforeseen ailments and injuries are also administered by the policy.

International insurance coverage is provided by respected underwriting organizations like AIG, Lloyds and Sirius International. Employees are offered worldwide coverage options and a dedicated customer care section that is globally active round the clock.

A majority of insurance policies are affiliated to a definitive PPO network to facilitate prioritized cashless billing. As a conglomeration of employees, subscription to the international health insurance is extremely easy. Only the essential medical documents, medical history and documents pertaining to the company’s budgetary requirements are asked for. A well-equipped and knowledgeable medical insurance agent could then design and customize the insurance policy to best accommodate the company budget.

International health insurance for employees offers substantial policy defrayment options for an exhaustive spectrum of admissible medical causes. Teamed with personalized budget-oriented policies and unmatched customer support, employee’s insurance coverage easily constitutes the core of any company’s employee benefit program.

August 11, 2009

Body Ache – are you taking too much stress?

Filed under: Blog,Healthcare — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — @ 9:39 pm

Body Ache includes any kind of pain and throbbing in the whole of your body. There come situations in life when over stress or health disorder results in severe body ache. Fibromyalgia, meaning muscle and connective tissue pain, is a medically unexplained syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain. Fibromyalgia is a common condition characterized by long-term, body-wide pain and tender points in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep problems, headaches, numbness in hands and feet, depression, and anxiety.

Fibromyalgia can develop on its own or along with other musculoskeletal conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Although the cause is unknown, physical or emotional trauma are suspected to play a role in the development of this syndrome. It has been suggested that sleep disturbances, which are common in fibromyalgia patients, may actually cause the condition. Another theory suggests that the disorder may be associated with changes in skeletal muscle metabolism, possibly caused by decreased blood flow, which could cause chronic fatigue and weakness.

The soft-tissue pain of fibromyalgia is described as deep-aching, radiating, gnawing, shooting or burning, and ranges from mild to severe. Fibromyalgia sufferers tend to wake up with body aches and stiffness. Fibromyalgia pain can mimic the pain that occurs with various types of arthritis. However, the significant swelling, destruction, and deformity of joints seen in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis does not occur with fibromyalgia syndrome alone.

So, next time you have prolonged body pain, you might want to think over the stress factors affecting you and do something to de-stress yourself.

August 10, 2009

Swine flu continues unabated

Filed under: Blog,Healthcare — Tags: , , , — @ 9:53 pm

Swine flu could strike more than 100 million Americans over the next two years – and hundreds of thousands could die – if prevention measures fail, the nation’s top public health agency warned on Friday. The estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mean about twice the number of people who usually get sick in normal flu seasons would be struck by swine flu.

Officials admit the projections would drop dramatically if a new vaccine is ready in time, effective and widely available. Meanwhile, the CDC’s Dr. Anne Schuchat urged all kids 18 and under to get a seasonal flu shot this fall, whether or not an H1N1 vaccine is available. She said the agency is strengthening recommendations for children to get the shot, especially with fears that the new H1N1 virus could intensify during the influenza season.

The U.S. plans to have as many as 160 million doses of swine flu vaccine available sometime in October, and U.S. tests of the new vaccine are to start shortly, federal officials said this week. Kids, pregnant women and health care workers are at the top of the list to be vaccinated against swine flu this fall, the city’s top doctor says.

Swine flu was also at the top of President Obama’s agenda when he arrived in Mexico Sunday night. “Everybody recognizes that H1N1 is going to be a challenge for all of us, and there are people who are going to be getting sick in the fall and die,” deputy White House national security adviser John Brennan said ahead of the North American Summit.

August 7, 2009

Allergies, can we prevent or reduce occurrence?

Filed under: Blog,General,Healthcare — Tags: , , , , , , — @ 12:26 pm

An allergy is a reaction of your immune system to something that does not bother most other people. People who have allergies often are sensitive to more than one thing. Substances that often cause allergic reactions are pollen, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander, food, insect stings and medicines. Allergies can cause a runny nose, sneezing, itching, rashes, swelling or asthma.

Vitamin D is an important nutrient and hormone that is found naturally in only a few foods but is also made in the skin with sunlight exposure. Vitamin D plays an important role in the prevention of various allergic diseases, including asthma, by activating certain regulatory immune cells that prevent the release of chemicals that cause and worsen allergic diseases. Vitamin D deficiency, which is more common than once thought, may be one reason why allergies and asthma are becoming more common.

Unveiling the worst spring allergy cities in America has become an annual tradition. The lists are released by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, in Washington, D.C., and many factors are plugged in to figure out which cities will get the dubious honor each year, says Mike Tringale, a spokesman for the foundation. The top 10 cities that made to this dubious list are Lexington, Ky., Greensboro, N.C., Johnson City, Tenn.,   Augusta, Ga., Jackson, Miss., Knoxville, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., New Orleans, Little Rock, Ark. and San Diego.<

So can we prevent or reduce the occurrence of allergies? Well, the first step would be to get allergy testing done to be sure you know what triggers your allergies. Vitamin D and a fruit called mangosteen which is rich in Xanthones might be a good idea in improving your immunity against allergies. And incase you need to move, may be the list above will help in deciding your future home location.

August 6, 2009

Medical Insurance, Simplify please!!!!

Filed under: Blog,General,Health Insurance,Healthcare — Tags: , , , , — @ 12:26 pm

We all understand the importance, the need and benefits of medical insurance. There is absolutely no doubt in any citizen’s mind about this facility called medical insurance. With the rising costs of medical care its makes utmost sense to insure ourselves and our family for all medical emergencies. So when the public is so clear about it, why does the medical insurance fraternity make medical insurance sound like rocket science?

Just imagine how wonderful it would be if servicing a medical claim was as easy and “happy” as is buying a pair of shoes at Zappos. Zappos is a breathtakingly beautiful piece of marketing where the focus point is customer experience more than the product itself. The company sees its core area to be “customer service”. How ironical is that? For a shoe company, shouldn’t they be focusing on style and size and fashion? You know the answer if you have already experienced their selling.

Insurance is usually invoked when the family is already going through a difficult time coping with a sick member of the family. At that moment it really becomes intolerable when one has to go through the clauses and sub clauses of an insurance policy. Instead of checking into their fat books on whether the medical condition is covered under insurance or not, would it harm the insurance company to come out with a more human face and talk to the customer about the problems they are facing and comforting them. A patient hearing and a sweet good wish will go a longer way than actually picking the claim or refusing it.

Also the language, when I hold my insurance policy in my hands I feel like it’s possibly the Memorandum of Understanding between two nuclear countries. All that the policy is supposed to communicate is that “we are with you in your sickness and health.”

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