Think about these questions before you start listening and find the answers in the recording:

Why is it important to have health insurance? What are the two types of health insurance plan mentioned in the recording, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? What are the names and services of different health insurance companies can you find online, and which appears to be the best option for you?

Obtaining good health insurance while you are studying overseas is a real necessity to protect you from minor and catastrophic medical expenses that can wipe out not only your savings, but you dreams of an education abroad.

There are often two different types of health insurance you can consider buying: international travel insurance and student insurance in the country where you will be going. An international travel insurance policy is usually purchased in your home country before you go abroad. It generally covers a wide variety of medical services, and you are often given a list of doctors in the area where you will travel who may even speak your native language. The drawback might be that you aren't reimbursed for your medical expenses immediately. In other words, you may have to pay all your medical expenses and then later submit your receipts to the insurance company.

On the other hand, getting student health insurance in the country where you will study might allow you to only pay a certain percentage of the medical cost at the time of service (commonly called a co-pay), and thus, you don't have to have sufficient cash to pay the entire bill at once.

Whatever you decide, obtaining some form of health insurance is something you should plan before you go overseas rather than waiting until you are sick with major medical bills to pay off.