EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Student Series 11: Health Insuran

EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Student Series¹ #11: Health Insurance
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, November 11, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series. Today, in part eleven, we talk about a cost that students who want to study in the United² States may not always consider. That is, the cost of health insurance.

Most Americans are responsible³ for their own medical costs. These can be extremely⁴ high if a person gets very sick or has an accident. So people buy a health insurance plan to make sure these costs will be paid.

Most American colleges and universities have student health centers. There may even be a teaching⁵ hospital that can treat more serious problems.

Some medical services may be included in the cost of attending a school. But health insurance is usually needed for extra services. So most full-time⁶ college students must have insurance.

Students may already be protected under their family's health plan. If not, many colleges offer their own plans.

The University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor⁷, will be our example. Students pay a health service fee⁸. Then there is no extra charge when they are treated for minor⁹ medical problems at the University Health Center. But the school wants students to have health insurance to pay for other services.

The insurance plan offered by the university costs about one thousand seven hundred dollars a year. Such health insurance plans generally pay for hospital services, emergency room care and visits to doctors. They usually do not pay for care of the teeth. And they usually do not pay for treatment of medical conditions that existed before the student arrived at school.

International students at the University of Michigan have two choices. They can buy the university health plan. Or they can have private insurance that is approved by the university.

The school also offers a special International Student Insurance Plan. This pays for most of the services offered by the University Health Center that are not included in the health service fee.

Students in the United States can also buy private insurance policies¹⁰ from independent companies. Whatever plan is right, schools want to know that all their students can pay for their health care needs.

Our Foreign Student Series is on the Internet at voaspecialenglish dot com. And for student information from the State Department, visit educationusa.state.gov.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Gwen Outen.

1 series   

n.连续；系列

参考例句：

• The students have put forward a series of questions.学生们提出了一系列问题。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

3 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

4 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

5 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

6 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

7 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

8 fee   

n.费（会费、学费等）；酬金，小费；所有权；vt.付费给

参考例句：

• Is this money enough for the tuition fee?这些钱交学费够吗？
• The lawyer undertook the case without a fee.这律师免费承办那个案件。

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

10 policies   

n.政策( policy的名词复数 )；策略；政府；策略性

参考例句：

• The Chancellor was forced into a humiliating climbdown on his economic policies. 财政大臣被迫狼狈地承认他的经济政策存在失误。
• an angry denunciation of the government's policies 愤怒谴责政府的政策