Payment Options & Financial Forms

• The majority, if not all, local health care providers are not willing to accept/bill a plan that does not have a United States-based address (for claims submission, questions, etc.).
• We have had some experience with insurance plans domiciled outside the U.S. and they have not proved sufficient.
• Do you have any experience with your policy paying benefits for claims incurred in the U.S.?

Travel polices tend to perform best for short-term (2-4 weeks) trips. Often, these policies do not provide the needed benefits for someone residing in the United States for a period of 9 or 10 months. Here are some of the more typical features that can create issues:

• A relatively low maximum benefit ($25,000 - $30,000 per incident or policy period).
• Exclusions on Interscholastic sports or internal limits/caps on specific benefits (e.g. outpatient surgery, mental and nervous conditions, physiotherapy)
• Limited to no prescription drug coverage

The majority, if not all, local health care providers are NOT willing to accept a credit card as the payment method to establish a relationship. The health care provider does not know the credit limit and cannot confirm insurance coverage (i.e., insurance provides a guaranteed payment). As the service to be provided grows, the health care provider has no guarantee that the family will pay. Most, if not all, health care providers require insurance so they can ensure all service is pre-approved and collection guaranteed.

Once again, that puts your child at risk of not receiving immediate care. The majority of local health care providers are not willing to accept a good-faith statement that you are willing to cover all expenses and will seek reimbursement through your local insurance plans. This means the guarantee of coverage/payment becomes your credit card (see point above).

Ultimately, a comprehensive plan helps protect the school/family by ensuring two things:

• Access to care – Depending on the health care provider, they may be unwilling to see/treat a student if they do not have proof of adequate coverage. At a minimum, this can cause significant delays in treatment.
• Medical expenses are covered – Even if the health care provider is willing to treat the student, many plans can leave significant unpaid balances (exclusions, deductibles, co-insurance, co-pays, etc.). In turn, this can become a financial and administrative burden for the family and/or school.

Given these dynamics, most schools are now requiring International students to purchase the student insurance plan (the plan is mandatory). They communicate this requirement early on in the process, through the Admissions and/or Business Office, in order to avoid a family's trying to secure coverage on their own. This helps avoid any confusion with the family and reduces the potential “time drain” when families request school personnel to review their plan to see if it is sufficient (a virtually impossible task).