Health Insurance
The US does not have a national health care system. The cost of medical care is considered each person’s individual responsibility. All international students in the US are required to have some form of health insurance coverage.
Health insurance coverage is something you and your employer or school puts money into regularly, and in exchange it covers some of your medical expenses. Depending on the specific coverage you have, what is covered will be different. This can get very complicated and we encourage you to go over your plan with a local who is knowledgeable about health insurance (many of us are just as confused as you might be).
Understanding Health Insurance Terms:
Health insurance has its own language with different terms, like “deductibles,” “coinsurance” and “copayments.” Understanding these terms is a key part of understanding how health insurance works. Here, we define a few key terms:
Deductible: This is a set amount you have to pay toward your medical bills every year before your insurance company starts paying. It varies by plan and some plans have no deductible.
Premium: This is the amount you pay your health insurance company to keep your coverage active. Most people pay their premium monthly.
Coinsurance: This is the percentage of your medical bill you share with your insurance company after you’ve paid your deductible. Unless you have a policy with 100 percent coverage for everything, you have to pay a coinsurance amount. For example, if you have a $100 doctor’s bill and your plan covers 80 percent of it, your coinsurance amount due to the doctor’s office is 20 percent, or $20.
Copayment (or “Copay”): Your copayment, or copay, is the flat fee you pay every time you go to the doctor or fill a prescription. It’s usually a relatively small dollar amount. Copays do not count toward your deductible.
Where to get Medical Care
Before any health problem arises, an international student should learn from his or her school what kind of student health insurance is provided and where they should go to receive services.
UW, for example, offers Student Health Benefit Plans (SHIP) for international students and scholars. For questions about medical care, contact University Health Services (608) 265-5600 or visit the SHIP website: http://www.uhs.wisc. edu/ship/
Routine medical care should be handled through the health care provider connected to your health insurance plan. The major health care systems in the Madison area are:
UW Hospital and Clinics: http://www.uwhealth.org/
Dean Clinic: http://www.deancare.com/
Group Health Cooperative: https://ghcscw.com/
Meriter Health: http://www.meriter.com/
Urgent Care and Emergency Care
All of the health systems listed, except for Meriter, have urgent care centers that provide care for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses that require urgent medical attention, including persistent or unusual discomfort associated with an illness. For urgent health needs, this should be the first choice.
There are also a number of urgent care centers in Madison. Some of them are not affiliated with one of the major health care systems, so full costs of treatment would be charged. These are a locations of urgent care centers:
Concentra Urgent Care – Madison East: 1619 North Stoughton Road, Madison WI 53704; Phone: 608-244-1213; Hours of Operation: 8:00am-5:00pm (Monday-Friday)
Concentra Urgent Care –Madison West: 358 Junction Road, Madison WI 53717; Phone: 608-829-1888; Hours of Operation: 8:00am-5:00pm (Monday-Friday)
SSM Health Urgent Care – East: 1821 South Stoughton Road, Madison WI 53716; Phone: 608-260-6020; Hours of Operation: 7:00am-8:00pm (Monday-Friday); 8:00am-5:00pm (Saturday and Sunday)
SSM Health Dean Clinic – West: 752 North High Point Road, Madison WI 53713; Phone: 608-250-1525; Hours of Operation: 7:00am-8:00pm (Monday-Friday); 8:00am-5:00pm (Saturday and Sunday)
UW Health: 2402 Winnebago Street, Madison WI 53704; Phone: 608-242-6855; Hours of Operation: 8:00am-8:00pm (Monday-Friday); 8:00am-5:00pm (Saturday and Sunday)
UW Health: 7102 Mineral Point Road, Madison WI 53717; Phone: 608-828-7676; Hours of Operation: 8:00am-8:00pm (Monday-Friday); 8:00am-5:00pm (Saturday and Sunday)
Hospital Emergency Rooms
For a life-threatening or severe health crisis, call 9-1-1 or go to any of these hospital emergency rooms in Madison:
University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics: 600 Highland Avenue, Madison WI 53792; Phone: 608-263-6400
Meriter Hospital: 202 South Park Street, Madison WI 53715; Phone: 608-417-6000
St. Mary’s Hospital: 700 South Park Street, Madison WI 53715; Phone: 608-251-6100
**Please note that hospital emergency room charges are significantly higher than urgent care center charges (even with insurance), and waiting times may be longer for non-life threatening care. Rides in ambulances can also be very expensive, but should be used in life-threatening situations. Urgent care centers should be used wherever possible instead of hospital emergency rooms.
