1. Take out health insurance
This is the first concern when considering a course of study abroad.
What happens if I need to be treated locally? If you go to a European country, no problem. You’ll be covered by the Luxembourg National Health Service (CNS) through the European Health Insurance Card. Medical expenses not covered by the CNS will be covered by your complementary health insurance. If your parents have insured you with AXA, you will continue to benefit from the coverage provided by the Optisoins contract as an insured. What does that mean in concrete terms? Imagine that you go to study in Vienna and head off skiing at the weekend... If you have an accident, your hospitalisation costs will be covered. Depending on your state of health, you will be repatriated to Luxembourg or transferred to a specialised hospital. The costs of an avalanche search are also covered.
If you’re leaving for a country outside Europe, things are a bit different. Depending on the quality of the local health care system you will have to join the country's health care system or choose a specialised insurance policy. In any case, your educational institution will be best qualified to guide you. This is what happened to Anne-Samia, who went to study for a year in Australia. “The school gave us really sound advice. We knew we had to join the student social security system there. When we arrived at the partner university, they explained everything to us, gave us a card with our insurance number and emergency phone numbers.” And she didn't wait long before using it. Three months after her arrival, she decided to see a bit of the country. “I travelled to a mountainous area with an organised mountain bike tour. I wasn't really used to big downhill runs. I hit a root and flew over the handlebars. I finished the ride next to the bike, one leg and one arm quite badly banged up”. All’s well that ends well, as Anne-Samia was taken care of by the local hospital and didn't have to pay anything