Two different categories of new immigrants health insurance are available.
Fixed benefit plans, also called schedule benefits plans, cover up to a certain fixed amount for each and every procedure and you will be responsible to pay the difference from your pocket, which can be very high.
On the other hand, comprehensive benefit plans pay at much higher rate such as 90% or even 100% up to the chosen policy maximum, after paying the deductible. Therefore, such plans provide you much better protection in case you needed to use the insurance.
Another important factor is to purchase the insurance that is extendable. Therefore, if you need the insurance for a longer duration, you can extend it.
Most comprehensive benefit insurance plans participate in a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) network which has an extensive list of healthcare providers such as physicians, labs, surgery centers and hospitals that participate with them. When you utilize such providers, they will typically bill the insurance company directly and also charge you the network negotiated fees, which are typically lower than their regular fees.
Also, news immigrants should purchase the insurance before they travel to the US. Not only it would cover you during the travel time, but the person may be ineligible to purchase some plans after arriving in the US. Some new immigrants health insurance plans allow you to enroll for a maximum of six months.