What is International Student Insurance:
International Student Insurance as the name suggests coverage and healthcare benefits tostudents, visiting faculties, scholars or other persons engaging in full-time educational or research activities outside their home country. These students/persons may be:
Most of the universities and learning institutions require foreign students to possess insurance and they check if students have it at the time of enrollment.
Eligibility for International Student Insurance:
Any person who is residing outside his home country for the purpose of pursuing international educational activities is eligible for international student insurance, given the following criteria are met:
1. Must be a full-time student at a college or university, excluding online colleges and universities; or must be within 31 days of being a full-time student at a college or university; or must be a student under age 19 enrolled in a secondary school; or must be a full-time scholar affiliated with an educational institution; or
2. Must be an F-1 or J-1 visa holder, including students on OPT; or
3. Must be residing outside home country for the purpose of pursuing international educational activities.
What does it offer:
International Student Insurance offers various benefits to the students or their family members. But it should be noted that the extent of coverage varies depending on the choice of plan, policy maximums and additional chosen coverages. Following are some of the offered benefits-
1. Coverage for medical expenses:
2. Emergency Medical Evacuation: The insurance company arranges for the emergency evacuation and cover the expenses to transport the policyholder to the nearest healthcare facility for treatment.
3. Repatriation of Mortal Remains: At the unfortunate event of the policy holder’s death, the insurance company provides help and relief by arranging for covering the costs associated with repatriation of his remains.
How to buy:
International student insurance can be bought either from the universities that have standard plans for enrolling students. Also, insurance can be purchased from outside the universities from authorized insurance agents. It should be remembered that at least the insurance requirements of the university should be met. There are universities/colleges that offers student mandatory insurance but also allow the students the option to waive the coverage if their chosen plan is a comparable international student insurance plan. To determine if the student purchased (from outside) plan is adequate or provides enough coverage, the educational institutions create a “waiver form”. Both the student as well as the insurance company has to complete some part of this form, and send it back to the college/university. Only then the college/university approves of the student’s insurance plan.
Student before choosing any plan should remember that the insurance company should be equipped to meet unique needs of their customers i.e. different kinds of students/persons engaging in education/research activities, they should be well versed to deal with foreign currencies and international doctors and hospitals. A company with years of experience in claim processing and administration is always recommended. For any further questions and assistance for purchasing insurance plans for international students, contact Multichoice Insurance Services (MCIS) today.
Category: Visitor Insurance
November 11, 2016 at 10:12 PM