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Things to do in Home Country before coming to USA – Dental, Vision, Health ?

After I got my visa to come to USA, I searched up online and also looked at some of the documentation that I collected at that time to identify things I have to do in home country before I arrive in US…just because either they were expensive in US or they were required. Let me share some of my experiences and why I think you have to get these done in your home country before you enter America.

Health Checkup, Dental, Vision Checkup in Home country before coming to USA.

As an international student or professional coming to USA, we have to understand one fundamental fact…we were born and raised in our home country, our body is used to certain weather, food, and most importantly medication. Medicines typically vary by country and the truth is, some of the medication your are used to in your home country may not be available….Also, as I wrote in article : Why NOT be without Health Insurance in US, health care is very expensive in America…So, here is what you have to do from your health perspective.

  • Full body Check up or Complete Physical Examination : Back in India, I was used to using the phrase “full body check up”… after I come to US and talk to insurance agent, she did not understand the phrase, in America people call “Complete Physical Examination”…Anyways, before you come to US, you should get a full body check up!  You may be very healthy person and never have been to a doctor before, but it is good to get a complete check up. Just go to the doctor and tell them you need to get full physical examination and they will take care of it.  The reason it is important to do this is, health care is very expensive in America…Also, medication that normally works on you can be prescribed by the doctor and you can carry those medicines to US.
  • Dental checkup – Cleaning, Filling, etc : Any kind of dental treatment is very expensive in America.  The matter of fact is, even if you have dental insurance, it may not cover you over $1000…so, if you have to get a root canal, you are screwed. Tooth Filling or even just cleaning teeth is expensive… My recommendation is, even if you never had any dental problems, please get full dental examination and fix any dental problems in your home country. It will be much cheaper. Also even if you take good care of your teeth, just get your teeth cleaned, it is good for your teeth and much cheaper !
  • Eye examination or Vision Checkup : Cost associated with eye or vision related treatment is no different than dental. You need to take separate insurance like separate dental insurance for vision and it is very expensive. On top of that, glasses or contact lens are very expensive as well. Even if you think you have perfect 20/20 vision, I would highly recommend to get your eyes examined. If you use glasses already, make sure you get through checkup and get at least 2 pairs of good glasses. I got 3 pairs…I recommend you get an un breakable and scratch resistant glass. Just in case you drop them down …

Health Insurance for Travel to US : Having visitors health insurance is important for you when you enter US for the first time to avoid any unforeseen health conditions, when you are on transit to USA and in the first couple of weeks until your employer or your school  provides you Health Insurance. It is always a good idea to get Health Insurance from a US vendor, who can support you, when you are in US. We recommend Buying Visitors Insurance at Visitors Coverage – Visitors Insurance as they have US phone support and you can compare all insurance plans to buy cheapest that fits your need.

From health perspective, these are very important…make sure you get these three done…Also, as read the article : List of things to carry to USA for full list of medicines and other items to carry to USA.

What else do you think you need to get checked from Health perspective ?

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7 Comments

  1. Hi Kumar,

    I am moving to USA (Oregon) for the first time. I have no idea how the health insurance works there? Could you please suggest some links etc through which I can get more info.

    Thanks a lot!

    Reply
    • RM, Well, I do not live in Orgeon, cannot advise. For now, take some travel insurance for first few days and then once you land you can check with someone local, they can suggest. In general, they are pretty standard, you can look at Bluecross or Aetna insurance providers websites.

      Reply
  2. Dear Kumar,
    Very helpful information. Thanks !!
    Any links to cover the financial aspects such as what type of accounts should we open in India, how to transfer money from India to American account to fund initial days, which Indian credit card to take.

    Reply
    • You can open NRE/NRO account in India, but I am not sure, if they will let you do that before you leave India. Typically, the best way to carry money for first few days is via travelers check or international cash card that some banks offer. Check with couple of banks, you should find a good option.

      Reply
  3. Thanks for the article, Day by day I am seeing so many vlauable info.
    Can you pls let me know if we don’t pay the medical fees incurred? Because in my case the Doctor had done so many irrelevant diagnostic tests and the final bill was so high even with Insurance.
    Somewhere I heard that it goes to collection agencies.But is there any issue or implication other than the credit history will be bad.Thanks in Advance.

    Reply

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