Health insurance is very important factor for international students if they want to live in the UK .
The international students have been in the UK increased rapidly over the past years, and growing continuously day by day.
United Kingdom is home to the famous health system also known as the National Health Service (NHS).
As of September 2019, there were a total of 276,889 Tier 4 (sponsored study) visas granted in the UK, the highest it has ever been ever since 2011.
If you are an International coming to the UK,then obviously yes ,you need health insurance.
More specifically, you can access the National Health Service (NHS) as an international student in the UK, only if your study programme is 6 months or longer. If otherwise, then you should opt for a private insurance company. The same goes if you are a student visitor, you should still take out private health insurance.
Firstly, having health insurance means you can gain access to high-quality service in hospitals, private offices, emergency rooms, and more. You won’t have to worry about the medical bills in case anything occurs, therefore you will enjoy a more comfortable stay while in the UK.
In addition, health insurance is one of the main requirements when applying for a visa, not only in the UK, but anywhere. Therefore, it is essential to obtain health insurance, be it from NHS or any other private provider.
International students are not the only ones who need health insurance, the service is available to residents as well. However, one of the reasons health insurance is specifically important to international students is because it ensures students won’t have to worry about medical costs while they are away from their home country and family.
The National Health Service, as previously mentioned, is one of the most popular health insurance services in the world. International students can also gain access to NHS, only if their study programme is 6 month or longer. Otherwise, they will have to check for other private insurance services. The National Health Service covers a large number of benefits, more specifically, you will be receiving the same services as UK residents. NHS offers free GP (General Practitioner) visits, office visits, emergency treatment, psychiatric treatment, and more. See below:
Although Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland do not charge for prescriptions; in England they might ask you to pay. However, you are entitled to free prescriptions if:
Dental care is usually not included in the Health Insurance. However, if the criteria below applies to you, then you will have access to free NHS dental care:
