If you are going to be an international student on Optional Practical Training, or OPT, you may no longer be eligible for your school’s health insurance plan. Depending on your employer, you may get health insurance through your company, or you may need to purchase your own individual health insurance policy. It’s important to remember that the US is one of the most expensive countries for health care services, and an emergency visit can add up to thousands of dollars. To make sure you are not paying thousands of dollars in medical bills, your new insurance plan should begin when your university policy ends.
At International Student Insurance, we offer different health insurance options for students on OPT. These plans are flexible, allowing you to purchase as little as 5 days (which can be especially important if your employer’s insurance plan will not start for a few months), and we offer different levels of coverage to suit your individual needs.
The Student Secure plan is available in four levels: Smart, Budget, Select and Elite, offering coverage including:
Student Secure
– Inpatient and outpatient services
– Prescription medications
– Mental health
– Pre-existing conditions (acute onset only with the Smart level)
– Emergency medical evacuation/ repatriation
– Maternity and Sports Coverage (Budget, Select and Elite plan only)
– Personal Liability (Elite plan only)
The Student Secure plan can be purchased from as little as 15 days up to one year, with the option to renew up to four years. Plans are flexible allowing you to extend coverage as you need it, and you can also pay monthly as well. This plan starts at as little as $29 per month!
*Quote provided for ages 18-24.
Atlas Travel
The Atlas Travel plan is an excellent option while on OPT and allows you to choose your deductible ($0 to $5,000) and policy maximum (from $50,000 to $2,000,000). You can have coverage for as little as 5 days up to one year, and benefits include:
– Inpatient and outpatient services
– Prescription medications
– Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation
– Extreme sports
– Personal liability and more!
If you want to know more about these plans or would like us to guide you towards the best plan option for you, please contact us! Any of our representatives will be happy to assist you and address any insurance questions you may have.
Do you enjoy the adrenaline of jumping from an airplane, with just a parachute attached to your back? What about the feeling of zip lining from tree to tree with the views of the jungle surrounding you? If you like to live life on the edge, then extreme sports are for you. Extreme sports are all about exhilaration, thrill, and the element of danger and are often a great activity to partake in while on vacation. With the excitement of planning your upcoming trip, you may not think about the importance of making sure you have health insurance in place that includes coverage for these high-risk activities.
While there is not a set definition of what makes a sport extreme, these sports are typically described as high-risk, athletic activities that are perceived as dangerous and get your adrenaline pumping.
Activities like bungee jumping, skydiving, whitewater rafting and kayaking, cave diving, zip lining, and paragliding are all considered to be extreme sports.
These sports are a great way to push yourself out of your comfort zone and to try something that you may have never dreamed of doing! The most basic extreme sports are normally supervised by a professional and may not be considered as dangerous as some other extreme sports, so it’s always important to remember your limitations and stick with what you’re comfortable with.
Generally speaking, most extreme sports are likely not covered under your standard travel insurance. For the daredevils out there, you’ll want to make sure that you purchase a health insurance plan that includes coverage for these types of activities so you’re protected in case of an unexpected accident or injury. But how can you tell if your health insurance plan will cover these activities? Before purchasing a plan, you should review the policy information to confirm the coverage details or contact the company directly to discuss the benefits and find out what your options are. If you already have a plan but are not sure what’s included, it’s best to call the number on the back of your insurance ID card to verify your benefits before you leave for your trip.
Here at International Student Insurance, we offer two great plan options that allow you to add additional coverage for select adventure sports.
The Patriot Plan is a travel medical plan that allows you to add an optional add-on rider to cover you while you are traveling anywhere outside of your Country of Residence. This is a great option for short term coverage while on vacation when you know you’ll want to experience the thrill of extreme sports.
The Student Health Advantage plan is a great option for students who are traveling outside of your Country of Residence. The plan allows you to add an optional add-on rider to cover select adventure sports and would be a great option if you are a full-time student and know you may want to participate in different extreme sports during your time abroad.
Before you embark on your next adventure, make sure that you have a health insurance plan in place to cover you for the unexpected. If you need help choosing the best option for you or have any questions about what adventure sports are covered under our plans, please contact our friendly customer service representatives.
As of May 15th, 2019, our popular Student Secure health insurance plan will offer more comprehensive coverage on select benefits. The main highlights of the plan updates include:
About the Student Secure plan
The Student Secure plan provides student health insurance to both international and study abroad students who are studying outside of their home country either in the USA or around the world. This comprehensive student health insurance plan comes in four different levels – Smart, Budget, Select, and Elite – and offers coverage on a monthly basis that will meet and exceed many school and government requirements. The plan is a perfect option for students on a J1 or F1 visa in the United States, and can even be purchased by OPT students.
For a full list of the newly updated benefits of the Student Secure plan, please visit our benefits section.
If you would like to receive a free quote:
If you have any questions about the Student Secure plan, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service team.
Beginning on May 1st, 2019, the Patriot Travel Standard and Platinum plans offer more comprehensive coverage at better rates.
For our Patriot Travel plan – Standard and Platinum levels, the plan now includes the following coverage:
New PPO Network in the United States
Of these changes, the most notable is that the plan now uses the UnitedHealthcare Network as the preferred provider organization when seeking treatment in the United States!
The UnitedHealthcare Network offers excellent plan recognition with over 7,700,000 contracted healthcare professionals and 6,600 hospitals! By going in-network, providers are typically able to direct bill the insurance company, meaning no upfront payments at the time of treatment.
You can find providers in your area that accept this network here:
https://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/network/img/uhc.php
About the Patriot Travel Plan
The Patriot Travel Medical plan is a great option for individuals and families who are traveling abroad and is designed to provide coverage for illnesses and injuries that happen unexpectedly. Both the Standard and Platinum levels of the plan now offer coverage for anyone who is traveling outside of their Country of Residence – no matter what their Country of Citizenship is!
The plan also includes travel benefits such as Emergency Evacuation, Repatriation of Remains, Identity Theft, Trip Interruption and more.
For a full list of the newly updated benefits of the Patriot Travel plan, please visit our benefits section.
If you would like to receive a free quote, click here:
If you have any questions about either plan, please do not hesitate to contact our team.
You will often hear that healthcare is expensive in the USA, and until you actually experience it, it may be hard for you to really understand how expensive it can actually be. One aspect of this is prescription medications, and in this blog post we are going to focus on this and how you can obtain free or low-priced versions.
You may not be familiar with this term, but we are pretty sure you will all have taken prescription medications at some point in your life. Prescription medications are any drugs that your doctor recommends you should take. If you are sick or injured, your doctor will give you a special document (the prescription) that you will need to hand over to a pharmacy so they can provide you with the medications. These medications are usually only available with a prescription from a doctor, they cannot be purchased or taken without one.
You should not confuse a prescription medication with an over-the-counter medication. The difference between the two is that an over-the-counter medication is one that can be purchased without the need for a prescription from a doctor. In many cases your insurance plan will not cover the cost of an over the counter medication, but only for specifically prescribed medications, so it’s important to know the distinction.
Insurance plans vary in what they will cover, and this is also true when it comes to prescription medication coverage. Some plans will only cover certain drugs, others will cover all drugs but only a fixed percentage, some plans will cover all inpatient drugs but only a portion of outpatient drugs, so you will need to review your insurance coverage to find out what your plan specifically covers.
For nearly all international insurance plans, the way you get reimbursed for your prescribed medications is usually always the same. Some plans may have a special drug card, but this it not that common, so that means you will have to pay for all your medications upfront and then submit your receipts with a claim form to be reimbursed. Oftentimes some drugs can be hundreds of dollars (depending on the drug) so this can be a hard pill to swallow!
The good news is that there are some good free or discounts drug options that are available to students. It could be dependent on your location in the USA, but with a little bit of research (and our handy blog post here) you might be able to save yourself some money!
Here is a list of some of the programs that are available:
The other way to get discounted prescription drugs is through a discount drug card, which are becoming more popular in many international student insurance plans. These drug cards work by giving you a discount on popular medications, and while they are not a direct insurance benefit, they do give you instant savings. To use your discount drug card, you will just need to show the card to the pharmacy and they will automatically apply the discount. You might need to register your card beforehand and the cards are oftentimes only accepted at certain pharmacies, so be sure to check ahead of time.
While the idea might sound nice, and you could be lured into great savings and discounts, we typically do not recommend that you use online pharmacies to fill your prescriptions. There has been a sharp rise in online, fake pharmacies that have scammed customers out of their money or provided the incorrect medications. With all the options listed here in the blog post, you should hopefully have a few options to lower your prescription medication costs.
Hopefully this has provided you with all the details you need about pharmacies, prescription drugs and how to get cheap or low-cost drugs! Please contact us if you have any questions, or would like to know how our plans work with prescription drugs.
The 2019 Atlas Travel Medical plan changes were rolled out as of April 1st, 2019 and there are some notable benefit updates.
The Atlas Travel plan is a great option for those needing coverage outside of their home country for as little as 5 days up to one year. Whether you need insurance for a quick vacation or a long-term study abroad trip, the Atlas Travel plan will provide you with the peace of mind to know you are covered in case something unexpected happens.
The plan updates for 2019 include:
Please note that children under the age of 9 were previously free on the plan when purchased with an adult, however, this is no longer available.
You can view a more detailed summary of benefits for the Atlas Travel plan on the benefits page.
The plan also works well for dependents or traveling companions, it will meet the J visa requirements, as well as the Schengen Visa requirements, and can be used during your OPT period!
To generate a quote or to purchase the plan right online, please click below:
Our insurance experts are on hand to help you with your insurance purchase, or to answer any questions you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the Atlas Travel plan!
If you get sick or have an accident while covered on the Student Health Advantage or Patriot plans, then you will need to file a claim with International Medical Group (or, IMG). This blog will walk you through the steps of filing a claim, which we hope you find quick and easy!
Step 1. Go In-Network
Both the Student Health Advantage and Patriot Plans use the First Health network. Bring your ID card when you go to the doctor, hospital, or clinic so that they have your insurance information. If you don’t have your card, be sure to contact the provider and give them your insurance information. You will likely only need to pay for the deductible when you go for treatment as long as you go inside the network.
Precertification: Please note that pre-certification is required for all hospitalizations, surgeries, CAT scans, MRI’s, maternities, treatment in an extended care facility, home nursing care, prosthesis, and durable medical equipment. This requires that you call the number on your ID card as soon as possible, or prior if possible. You can also pre-certify online through your MyIMG portal.
Step 2. Submit A Claim Form
Every new condition will require a claim form to be submitted directly to insurance@imglobal.com. If you had an accident, you will need to submit BOTH the claim form and the accident claim form. Prescription medication also requires you to submit the initial prescription from the doctor along with the pharmacy receipt as this is only paid via reimbursement.
A new claim form is needed for every new accident or illness, but you do not need to submit another claim form if it’s for a follow up visit. You will have 90 days to submit this, and you can send this along with any bills or receipts you received when seeking treatment.
IMG will accept claims in any language or currency.
Tip: If you paid out of pocket, ask your medical provider for an itemized bill and your medical records at the time of treatment in case this is requested.
Step 3. Wait for the Claim to Be Processed
Claims typically take 30 business days on average once all of the necessary documentation is received to be processed. After about a week, you can check the status of your claim in the MyIMG portal, emailing insurance@imglobal.com, or by calling the number on the back of your insurance ID card to see if they are missing any additional information.
Step 4. Receive Explanation of Benefit and Reimbursement/Payment
Once a claim is processed, you will receive an explanation of benefit (EOB) in the mail detailing what was and wasn’t covered, and why. If you went in the network and provided your insurance information, the insurance company will pay the provider directly. If you went outside the network, or paid out of pocket, then the money will be reimbursed to you either by check or wire transfer (you would indicate your preferred method on the claim form). The EOB will also be available for download through your MyIMG portal.
Step 5. Pay Your Provider
If you had any out of pocket deductibles, copays, coinsurance, or if there were uncovered benefits, you will be responsible for paying this directly to the provider. To know how much to pay, refer back to the Explanation of Benefits.
If you have any questions about your claim, please email insurance@imglobal.com or call +1 (800) 628-4664 (in the US or Canada)/+1 (317) 655-4500 (internationally).
When choosing health insurance for your time abroad, it’s important to make sure your plan includes all the benefits you need. Pregnancies can occur, planned or not, so if there’s a chance that you could become pregnant, you will want to make sure that your plan includes coverage for maternity. Pregnancy is an exciting time in one’s life but the added stress of uncovered medical bills can be overwhelming, so it’s important to make sure you have proper insurance coverage in place!
Maternity expenses in the United States are significantly higher than around the world, and the cost to have a baby can add up quickly. The price of health care varies dramatically by state and will even depend on which hospital you visit, so it’s nearly impossible to put a price tag on the cost of giving birth in the United States. Luckily, your health insurance plan will cover a large amount of your maternity expenses, so if you’re considering having a baby while you in the U.S., it’s very important to have a plan that includes comprehensive maternity coverage.
Maternity care encompasses a wide range of services, from prenatal care and delivery to postnatal care after the baby is born.
It is important to be prepared and do your research before coming to the United States, especially when it comes to finding the right insurance plan for you! Most insurance plans in the U.S. will not cover a pregnancy if you become pregnant before your policy becomes effective, so you’ll want to keep this in mind when considering your options.
The Global Medical Plan – offers maternity coverage on the Platinum level. This plan does have a 10-month waiting period before you can receive full maternity benefits. It is a great long-term plan option for both students and dependents in the United States.
The Student Secure and Student Health Advantage plans – also offer maternity coverage on certain levels of the plan. On the Student Secure plan, maternity coverage is available on the Budget, Select, and Elite levels. On the Student Health Advantage plan, maternity coverage is available on the Platinum level. To be eligible for these plans, you do have to be enrolled as a full-time international student with a valid student visa. It’s important to keep in mind that the plans will only offer coverage for maternity if you become pregnant after the effective start date of your plan.
Unfortunately, we do not have any plans that would cover your maternity expenses. However, our Atlas Travel Medical plan will cover the complications of pregnancy for the first 26 weeks should something happen.
Maternity coverage is just one of many important benefits to keep in mind when choosing your insurance plan. For more information on the best option for you, please visit our Insurance Explained section or contact our customer service team!