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Temporary coverage for accidents, sicknesses, & emergency evacuations when visiting or traveling outside of your home country.
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Annually renewable international private medical insurance coverage for expats and global citizens living or working internationally.
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Coverage designed to protect you from financial losses should your trip be delayed, interrupted, or cancelled.
Choosing the Best International Student Insurance Plan for You
Aug 20, 2019, 16:07 PM
Most U.S. colleges and universities require students to have medical insurance in place before you can enroll. And while most universities offer a group health insurance plan, many allow you to choose your own plan instead.
With health insurance plans designed specifically for international and study abroad students and scholars, IMG has done the homework, so you don't have to. In this article, we compare IMG's international student health insurance plans, so you can spend less time worrying and more time focusing on your education.
University Requirements for Health Insurance
While the U.S. does not require health insurance for F-1/F-2 or M-1/M-2 visa holders (unlike J-1/J-2 visa holders, which do have requirements), your school or university likely has their own set of requirements for enrollment.
To ensure students have access to healthcare that meets their own requirements, many schools offer a sponsored group health plan. Some schools require students to use their sponsored health plan, while many others allow students to waive the coverage and choose their own plan. If the latter is the case, consider waiving out of your school's group plan for an international student insurance plan from IMG, which can be a less expensive alternative that still meets many schools' coverage requirements.
Shopping around for the perfect health insurance plan can be daunting, but we are here to help. We’ve compiled a brief comparison of IMG’s international student insurance plans: Student Journey Medical Insurance, Patriot Exchange Program, Student Health Advantage, and Student Health Advantage Platinum. IMG’s plans were specifically designed for international students and scholars traveling away from their country of residence, and they vary mainly by cost and coverage level.
Compare International Student Health Insurance Plans
Student Journey Medical Insurance
Student Journey Medical Insurance is designed for cost-conscious students and scholars, offering three plan options to suit various medical and budgetary needs: Student Journey Lite, Student Journey Plus, and Student Journey Platinum.
Student Journey can be a less expensive alternative to a university’s group health plan and includes a range of medical benefits for injuries and illnesses, hospitalization, and medical emergencies. If you're a healthier student seeking lower up-front insurance premiums with potential for some higher out-of-pocket costs in the case of seeking treatment, Student Journey could be the plan for you.
Beyond standard coverage requirements, Student Journey covers pre-existing conditions after a six-month waiting period and includes telehealth services for 24/7 access to doctors via video or phone consultations. View the full Student Journey benefits table.
Patriot Exchange Program
Patriot Exchange is designed for students and cultural exchange participants that are looking to satisfy U.S. J-1/J-2 visa health insurance requirements or a school’s waiver requirements (for F-1/F-2 and M-1/M-2 visa holders) and are seeking a more benefit-rich plan than Student Journey Medical. Patriot Exchange has several benefits that allow coverage up to the maximum limit selected for the plan (maximum limits per injury/illness are available from $50,000 to $500,000), and then the insured is responsible for the remaining cost. Coverage includes medical benefits for student health center visits, physician visits, hospitalization, and medical emergencies.
Beyond the standard coverage requirements, Patriot Exchange covers pre-existing conditions up to $500 after 12 months of coverage and includes coverage for mental and nervous disorders. View the full Patriot Exchange benefits table.
Student Health Advantage
Student Health Advantage is designed to meet the needs of international students, scholars, and people involved in long-term educational and cultural exchange programs. This international student insurance plan offers a robust package of benefits and builds upon the benefits included in the Patriot Exchange Program by offering full pre-existing condition coverage after the first 12 months of the plan. This plan can be renewed for up to five years and spousal/dependent coverage can be accommodated. Student Health Advantage also includes mental and nervous disorder coverage as well as organized sports coverage. View the full Student Health Advantage benefits table.
Student Health Advantage Platinum
Student Health Advantage Platinum provides our maximum amount of coverage for students and scholars. Building on the coverage provided by Student Health Advantage, there are two main factors that set Student Health Advantage Platinum apart from IMG’s other international student health insurance plans: maternity coverage and a six-month waiting period for pre-existing condition coverage. If either of these situations appeal to you or are required by your school’s student health waiver requirements, then Student Health Advantage Platinum is the plan for you. View the full Student Health Advantage Platinum benefits table.
Real World Examples
Daiyu is preparing for upcoming university exams, and she starts to come down with flulike symptoms. She doesn’t have a car on campus and needs to speak with a doctor quickly so she can get feeling better before her exams, but she doesn’t feel her symptoms warrant a visit to urgent care or the emergency room. Daiyu has a Student Journey Medical Insurance plan, which includes virtual telehealth services, so she arranges a video consultation with a doctor in just minutes—from the comfort of her dorm room.
Aditya is in his junior year of college and has always been healthy with no major medical issues in his past. During the second semester, his throat starts to feel bad, so he decides to go to an urgent care facility. He is diagnosed with acute pharyngitis, or a sore throat. All of IMG’s international student insurance plans would provide coverage for this unexpected event.
Li Na is preparing for her freshman semester at Indiana University. She has a history of kidney stones but has not had a flare up in over a year, though her doctor warns that it could happen again in the right circumstances. With a Student Health Advantage plan, an unexpected kidney stone would be covered (even as a pre-existing condition) after the first year of coverage. The Student Health Advantage Platinum plan would provide the same coverage after only six months. Both plans are renewable up to five years, so either option could potentially be a good choice for Li Na.
Have Additional Questions?
If you're ready, go ahead and get a quote today! If you have questions regarding different scenarios and what’s covered between IMG’s different student health insurance plans, please contact our Sales Service Center at +1 (317) 655-4500 and the team will be happy to help you.
These are illustrations only and are not a promise or prediction of how any claim would actually be administered. Actual claims will be determined after a consideration of all facts and circumstances and a review of the applicable plan language.
This is a summary of a selection of plan benefits offered only as an illustration and does not supersede in any way the Certificate of Insurance and governing policy documents (together the “Insurance Contract”). The Insurance Contract is the only source of the actual benefits provided.
These materials are for informational purposes only and do not contain legal advice. The laws and regulations regarding healthcare and the need or requirement to have health insurance in foreign countries are diverse and their application to your situation depends upon many facts. You should contact your attorney to obtain legal advice on any particular issue.
This is a summary of a selection of plan benefits offered only as an illustration and does not supersede in any way the Certificate of Insurance and governing policy documents (together the “Insurance Contract”). The Insurance Contract is the only source of the actual benefits provided.
These materials are for informational purposes only and do not contain legal advice. The laws and regulations regarding healthcare and the need or requirement to have health insurance in foreign countries are diverse and their application to your situation depends upon many facts. You should contact your attorney to obtain legal advice on any particular issue.
Through this website and our social media updates, we are providing content, hyperlinks and references to information and articles, some of which has been created by third parties ("third-party content"). International Medical Group, Inc. and its parents, subsidiaries and affiliates ("IMG") neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any information, statement, opinion or advice within this third-party content. It is the responsibility of every user to evaluate the accuracy, currency, completeness or usefulness of any information, statement, opinion or advice within the third-party content. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, statement, opinion, or advice within the third-party content. Any concerns regarding such third-party content should be directed to the third-party. You acknowledge that under no circumstances will IMG be liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on this third-party content.
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