Health insurance cards for students in the USA

Q 1: As students in the USA, the embassy secures medical treatment for us through the insurance system. The embassy pays the insurance company a certain sum of money for each student. Thus, each student has their own health insurance card. What is your opinion on this, bearing in mind that treatment costs are exorbitant. (Part No. 15; Page No. 298) Moreover, some very poor Muslims in a very weak financial condition who study or live in the USA are sometimes afflicted with dangerous diseases whose treatment costs are exorbitant. They cannot bear the hospital costs and there is no one who can, or is willing to, bear such costs on their behalf. In such a case, may we help them by allowing them to go to the hospital using our health insurance card, or should we leave them helpless? I will give you an example of exorbitant costs: one is charged more than 4,000 dollars for staying in a hospital under care for one week.

A: First, health insurance falls under commercial insurance, which is prohibited. Second, giving a health insurance card to an unregistered person to be treated with is forgery and lying, which is not a permissible. However, you may help them by giving them some of your own money according to your capacity. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.