ISI Protect
FAQ

Who underwrites the ISI Protect Plan?

HDI Global is the underwriter of the ISI Protect Plan. They are rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s and A by A.M Best, meeting visa requirements for the USA and countries around the world.

Am I eligible for the ISI Protect Plan?

You are eligible for the plan if you are traveling outside of your home country and inside the United States as a full time international student or full time scholar and at least 12 years old and under 65 years old.

Inside the US, you are automatically eligible for this plan with a valid F1 status, OPT Status, M1 Status, or J1 status. For other types of visas, you must be enrolled as a full time international student at a secondary school, college, or university.

Where will this plan cover me?

The ISI Protect will cover you inside the US as long as you are an international student and hold a valid visa. If you are a US citizen, your home country is automatically the United States regardless of your principal residence, therefore, you wouldn’t be eligible for this plan. Please refer to the Student Secure plan if you need coverage outside of the US.

When can I purchase my plan online?

You may purchase your plan up to six months in advance of your selected policy start date, however please note that the full premium will be charged immediately at the time of the application. You are also able to purchase coverage even if you have departed for your travels and you are in another country other than your home country. The plan can be purchased in full for your entire period of coverage, for up to 364 days, or you can choose to pay monthly. If you do choose to pay monthly, a $5 monthly administrative fee will be included in your monthly installment. You can purchase the plan online.

When does my coverage become effective?

Your coverage becomes effective on the latest of:

• 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time on the date indicated on the Certificate issued to the Insured Person; or
• The moment the Insured Person departs from the individual’s home country

When does my coverage end?

Your coverage will end on the earliest of:

• The Certificate Termination Date; or
• The moment the Insured Person returns to the individual’s Home Country (except as provided under Part II, E. Home Country Coverage); or
• 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time on the last day of fully paid premium; or
• 12:01 am Eastern Standard Time on the date the Insured Person first fails to meet the Eligibility requirements set forth in Part II, A. Eligibility

Will I get my documents immediately?

Yes, when you apply online, we will send all of your documents immediately via email. You can download these documents, print them off and show them as proof of coverage. If you have applied for a plan and haven’t received your policy documents, be sure to check your spam or bulk folder. If you are still not able to locate your policy documents after purchase, you can contact us for further assistance.

Will I get my ID card and documents in the mail?

No, all documents are automatically emailed to you, and there is no option for a hard copy to be sent to your home.

How do I get a visa letter?

You will receive an email that will include your visa letter with the rest of your fulfillment documents. You can also access your visa letter by logging into the "Student Zone" and selecting the "Visa Letter" option after you have applied.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit and debit cards online. You are also welcome to use a friend or family member’s credit or debit card with their permission.

Can I extend or renew my coverage?

You can purchase coverage and extend up to 364 days. The plan can be renewed for an additional 4 years. You can extend or renew your plan through your online Student Zone or contact us for further assistance.

My plan has expired, how can I reinstate it?

Once a plan has expired or lapsed, it cannot be reinstated or restarted. You can instead purchase a new plan and begin coverage as soon as the next day. Apply now for the ISI Protect if you’d like to purchase a new plan.

Can I cancel my ISI Protect Plan?

Yes, to be eligible for a full refund the cancellation request must be received prior to the effective date of your insurance plan. Cancellation requests received after the effective date will be subject to the following conditions:

• a $25 cancellation fee; and
• only the unused portion of the plan cost will be refunded; and
• only members who have no claims are eligible for premium refund
• refunds will not be issued after the policy has been active for 60 days or more
• if the plan is paid in monthly payments, no refunds are issued but instead the plan will be cancelled at the end of the billing cycle and no future charges will be charged

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing, and a cancellation fom must be completed. No cancellation requests can be accepted over the phone. You may send this request and completed form to info@internationalstudentinsurance.com.

What is a new, eligible illness or injury?

A new, eligible illness or injury refers to a condition that is not pre-existing and is not tied to any exclusions of the plan.

What is a pre-existing condition?

A pre-existing condition is any:

• (1) condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment (includes receiving services and supplies, consultations, diagnostic tests or prescription medicines) was recommended or received during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the Certificate Effective Date;
• (2) condition that had manifested itself in such a manner that would have caused a reasonably prudent person to seek medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment (includes receiving services and supplies, consultations, diagnostic tests or prescription medicines) within the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the Certificate Effective Date;
• (3) Injury, Illness, sickness, disease, or other physical, medical, mental, or nervous condition, disorder or ailment (whether known or unknown) that, with reasonable medical certainty, existed at the time of the Insured Person’s Application or within the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the Certificate Effective Date

Pre-existing conditions are excluded from coverage on the Economy level. Eligible pre-existing conditions will be covered after a 12 month waiting period on the Economy Plus and Business Class levels. Eligible pre-existing conditions will be covered after a 6 month waiting period on the First Class level.

Does this plan have vision or dental coverage?

The ISI Protect does not cover routine vision or dental services, however, it does offer limited coverage for dental accidents and emergency dental treatment for unexpected pain. Please see the plan benefits page for full details.

What is the deductible and co-pay on the ISI Protect plan?

The ISI Protect plan does not have a deductible you will have to pay. Instead, the plan has different co-pays that you will need to pay each time you get medical treatment. Please see the plan benefits page for full details.

What is a co-pay?

The copay is the amount you are required to pay to the doctor or hospital each visit before the insurance company pays toward your eligible expenses. On this plan, the copays vary based on the plan level you choose and where you seek treatment. The following are the co-pay amounts of this plan:

• ER Co-Pay: Co-pay due for any visits to the emergency room inside a hospital.
• Student Health Center or Teladoc Co-pay: Co-pay due each time you go to your school’s student health center, or if you use a virtual consultation service through Teledoc.
• Physician Office Co-Pay: Co-pay due for a doctor's office visit.
• Urgent Care or Walk-In Clinic Co-Pay: Co-pay paid each time you go to an Urgent Care Clinic or Walk-in Clinic, such as CVS MinuteClinic or Walgreens Healthcare Clinic.
• Physical Therapy or Chiropractic Care Co-Pay: Co-pay due for each visit to a physical therapy or chiropractic care appointment (medical treatment plan is required for these visits).
• Outpatient Prescription Drug Co-Pay: Co-pay due for medication prescribed by your doctor and filled a pharmacy.

What is coinsurance?

After any co-pays, you may then need to pay coinsurance, which is a percentage you will have to pay out of pocket for your eligible medical expenses and the percentage the insurance company will pay. For example, if the coinsurance of the plan includes 80% coverage, the insurance plan will pay 80%, and you will need to pay the remaining 20%.

Inside the USA

The coinsurance of this plan is as follows:

• Economy: 80% coverage up to Maximum Benefit
• Economy Plus and Business Class: 80% coverage up to $5,000; 100% thereafter up to Maximum Benefit
• First Class: 100% coverage up to Maximum Benefit

Policies purchased before November 6, 2023 will continue to use the MultiPlan Network inside the US. Any policies purchased on or after November 6, 2023, will now use the UnitedHealthCare network. While you are welcome to choose the doctor, hospital, or clinic of your choice, you will pay less if you go inside the network since those providers have agreed to negotiated rates.

What does Usual, Reasonable and Customary (URC) mean?

What does Usual, Reasonable and Customary (URC) mean? URC — which stands for Usual Reasonable and Customary — is a typical and reasonable amount of expenses for similar services, medicines or supplies within the area in which the charge is incurred, so long as those expenses are reasonable.

What is defined as Usual, Reasonable and Customary charge following factors, without limitation: the amount charged by the provider, the amount charged by similar providers or providers in the same or similar locality,the amount paid by other payors for the same or comparable services, medicines or supplies in the same or similar locality, whether the services or supplies were unbundled or should have been included in the allowance of another service, the amount charged by the providers for the same or comparable services,medicines or supplies in other parts of the country, the cost to the provider of providing the service, medicine or supply,the level of skill,extent of training,and experience required to perform the procedure or service, the length of time required to perform the procedure or services as compared to the length of time required to perform other similar services;the length of time required to perform the procedure or services as compared to national standards and/or benchmarks, the severity or nature of the Illness orInjury being treated, and such other factors as Underwriters, in the reasonable exercise of discretion, determine are appropriate.

For example, if a particular procedure costs $5,000 on average in New York City, the insurance company will not pay your provider in New York City $10,000 for the same exact procedure. Instead, they will limit their payment to "Usual Reasonable and Customary" — in this example, $5,000. If you go inside the MultiPlan Network or the UnitedHealthCare Network, these rates are already negotiated and within the URC.

Does the ISI Protect Plan provide any home country coverage?

Yes, the plan provides the following home country coverage options:

Incidental Home Country Coverage

For every three months of coverage, the ISI Protect will provide you with 15 days of medical expense coverage for incidental trips back to your Home Country. Return to your Home Country must not be taken for the purpose of obtaining treatment of an Illness or Injury that began while traveling, and you must return to your host country to be eligible for this benefit. If the Insured Person remains in the individual’s Home Country for more than fourteen (15) days during an Incidental Trip Home, all coverage, including coverage of Eligible Medical Expenses, automatically terminates at 11:59pm Local Standard Time (location of Insured Person) on the 15th day.

Benefit Period Medical Coverage A Benefit Period begins on the first day you receive a diagnosis or treatment of a covered Illness or Injury while outside your Home Country and lasts for 60 days. If you started a Benefit Period while this insurance was in effect, you are covered only for Medical expenses for the duration of the Benefit Period, regardless of whether you are at home or abroad.

What doctors or hospitals (providers) can I go to?

You are free to visit any provider you wish with the ISI Protect plan; however, the plan does have an optional Preferred Provider Organization in the USA. By going to an in-network provider, you will have less out of pocket expenses and in-network will typically be able to direct bill the insurance company so you won’t have to pay for the services up front at the time of treatment. Direct billing is always up to the provider, so we suggest calling the provider before seeking treatment to be sure.

• To find providers in your area that accept your respective PPO network, please visit our online provider search tool.
• Please note that policies purchased before November 6, 2023 will continue to use the MultiPlan Network inside the US. Any policies purchased on or after November 6, 2023, will now use the UnitedHealthCare network.

How are claims paid?

Claims are paid depending on where you are located and where you seek treatment:

In-network while inside the USA

When you visit a provider that is part of the Preferred Provider Organization, your insurance bill is typically paid directly. You will need to complete a claim form and email this to Point Comfort for processing.

Out-of-network while inside the USA

When you visit a provider that is outside the network, you will need to pay for all services up front and then submit your bills and receipts, along with a claim form for reimbursement to Point Comfort.