In most cases, J1 get a pretty well covered insurance from the employer. I have never heard anybody bought extra above it. It might be a little bit monthly premium, however.

以下是引用lihuang325在2004-8-31 9:39:59的发言：
J1一般都是雇主给买保险，如果不给买，你就得自己掏钱买，和工资水平无关，就是酱紫。

另外，如果可以申请h1，千万不要用j1代替，后患无穷。

Looks like that he is still in China. J1 is easier to get visa, however.