What Is International Student Health Insurance?

International student health insurance is medical coverage designed to meet the needs of students studying abroad. Not only can insurance be an important part of the student visa application process, but it can also help reduce out-of-pocket costs for unforeseen medical expenses.

Though it's easy to get overwhelmed by study abroad planning, one item that should not be overlooked is your international student health insurance plan. StudentSecure® could be the student health insurance plan for you with a variety of plan levels and overall maximum coverage options and the option to pay in monthly installments. 

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Why Should I Get Health Insurance for Students?

There are several reasons to consider an international student health insurance plan like StudentSecure for your study abroad experience:

1. You may need insurance to meet visa requirements. Most countries require international students to possess a valid student visa. Some visas require proof of insurance that meets specific requirements. StudentSecure meets the insurance requirements of most visas, including the J-1 visa. As a policyholder, you’ll have access to a visa letter you can use as proof of coverage.

2. You may need insurance to meet your study abroad program or school requirements. Your program or university may require you to have student health insurance. Some programs and schools provide their own insurance plans, but many allow students to purchase alternate coverage that meets certain requirements. Upon purchase of a StudentSecure policy, we can provide a completed waiver form and visa letter to you and your program or school.

3. Your regular health insurance may not cover you outside of your home country. That’s why the U.S. Department of State recommends that you “understand what medical services your health insurance will cover overseas before traveling.”

4. There’s always a chance you could encounter a travel mishap, accident, or illness while studying abroad. International student health insurance like StudentSecure can cover eligible medical expenses such as hospital room and board, intensive care unit, local ambulance, sutures, surgery, and other treatment required to get your study abroad trip back on track.

DID YOU KNOW? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the following steps to prepare for a safe and healthy study abroad venture:

  • Learn about your host country’s health and safety concerns using the destination tool
  • Schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor and make sure you’re up to date on your vaccinations
  • Consider international student health insurance that provides coverage for emergency healthcare and medical evacuation abroad
  • Pack a travel health kit with your prescriptions, first aid supplies, and your travel health insurance ID card
  • Monitor travel warnings and alerts for your destination

What Is Covered With Health Insurance for International Students?

An international student health insurance plan like StudentSecure can reduce your personal expenses if you face an unexpected injury or illness throughout the course of your international studies. All four StudentSecure plans include multilingual travel assistance services and access to our Member Portal, where you can download your visa letter, renew your coverage as needed, and manage your policy online.

 

Some StudentSecure Highlights Include:

  • Up to $5,000,000 of overall maximum coverage
  • Up to $500,000 for an emergency medical evacuation
  • Coverage for recreational sports and activities
  • Coverage for outpatient prescription drugs and mental health treatment
  • Coverage for hospitalization, physician charges, X-rays, sutures, surgery, and more
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Additional StudentSecure Insurance Highlights

  • Emergency Medical Evacuation Benefit

  • Benefits for Unexpected Inpatient Medical Expenses: Local Ambulance, Hospital Room & Board, Intensive Care Unit, Mental Health Disorders

  • Benefits for Unexpected Outpatient Medical Expenses: Outpatient Treatment, Outpatient Prescription Drugs, Mental Health Disorders, Outpatient Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care, Emergency Dental Treatment

  • Repatriation of Remains Benefit  

How Do StudentSecure Benefits Work in Action?

See examples of how an international student health insurance plan like StudentSecure can provide coverage for your study abroad trip.

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You experience a serious bout of food poisoning that requires inpatient hospitalization.

With an international student health insurance policy like StudentSecure, you’ll be covered for the cost of a local ambulance to transport you to the hospital for covered injuries or illnesses that result in hospitalization as well as hospital room and board. You’ll also have coverage for all other eligible medical expenses, including physician charges, diagnostic testing, and more.

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You lose a tooth when you fall during a recreational basketball game.

Thankfully, all four StudentSecure plans include a benefit for emergency dental treatment. This benefit pays up to $500 for emergency dental treatment necessary to restore or replace the natural teeth you lose or damage in a covered accident.

medical-emergency

You come down with a serious infection that leads to sepsis. Your condition is deemed life-threatening and you’re hospitalized for several weeks.

All four StudentSecure plans cover eligible medical expenses resulting from hospitalization and medical treatment. They also include an Emergency Reunion benefit. If you are hospitalized for 5 days or longer, this benefit can cover roundtrip transportation (up to the benefit maximum) to bring one of your relatives to the area where you are hospitalized. It also covers reasonable costs of lodging and meals for your relative for up to 15 days.

Why Choose StudentSecure Insurance?


Four Levels of Coverage

The StudentSecure Series offers four levels of coverage—Elite, Select, Budget, and Smart—so you can choose the coverage and cost that best fit your needs and budget. Overall maximum coverage ranges from $200,000 to $5,000,000, with maximums per injury or illness ranging from $100,000 to $500,000. 

All four plan levels meet or exceed most government and visa requirements, including J-1 visa requirements.

Flexible Payment Options

Choose a monthly payment option or get savings for paying your full premium in advance. 

Ease-of-Use

Your policy documents will be sent to your email address immediately upon purchase. Log into Member Portal, your online policy management portal, to extend or renew your coverage as needed. Or visit our Find a Doctor page to find qualified medical providers in your host country.

Multilingual Travel Assistance

As a StudentSecure policyholder, you’ll have access to our multilingual travel assistance services 365 days a year. Emergency services are available 24/7. Travel assistance services include referrals, translation assistance, help replacing lost or stolen travel documents, medical monitoring, coordination of emergency travel arrangements, and more.

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“WorldTrips is the best travel insurance company of 2024, based on our in-depth analysis of travel insurance policies."

Are There Any Exclusions To Keep in Mind?

Certain types of expenses are excluded under StudentSecure insurance. Here are some of the more asked-about exclusions:

  • *Pre-existing conditions are excluded during the first 6 months of coverage under StudentSecure Elite and Select and during the first 12 months of coverage under StudentSecure Budget. Pre-existing conditions are excluded throughout coverage under StudentSecure Smart, except charges resulting directly from an **Acute Onset of Pre-existing Condition, Emergency Medical Evacuation, or Repatriation of Remains.
  • Immunizations and routine medical examinations, except under StudentSecure Elite as provided for under the Vaccination and Preventative Care benefits
  • Routine prenatal care, pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal care, unless directly related to a covered pregnancy or diagnostic testing related to a covered injury or illness
  • Medical expenses for injury or illness resulting from participation in specifically excluded extreme sports


For a full list of exclusions, be sure to review the StudentSecure Description of Coverage.


*A pre-existing condition is any injury, illness, sickness, disease, or other physical, medical, mental, or nervous disorder, condition, or ailment that, with reasonable medical certainty, existed at the time of application or at any time during the 12 months prior to the effective date of this insurance, whether or not previously manifested, symptomatic or known, diagnosed, treated, or disclosed to us prior to the effective date, and including any and all subsequent, chronic or recurring complications or consequences related thereto or resulting or arising therefrom.

**An acute onset of a pre-existing condition is a sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence that is of short duration, is rapidly progressive, and requires urgent care. A pre-existing condition that is a chronic or congenital, or that gradually becomes worse over time, is not acute onset of a pre-existing condition.

The Acute Onset of Pre-existing Condition benefit will only apply if all of the following conditions are met:

a) The acute onset of a pre-existing condition does not directly or indirectly relate to a chronic condition or congenital condition; and
b) Treatment must be obtained within twenty-four (24) hours of the sudden and unexpected outbreak or reoccurrence; and
c) You must not be traveling against or in disregard of the recommendations, established treatment programs, or medical advice of a physician or other healthcare provider; and
d) You must not be traveling with the intent or purpose to seek or obtain treatment for the pre-existing condition; and
e) You must be traveling outside your home country

Why WorldTrips

Who is insuring you is just as important as the insurance plan you choose. For the past 25 years, WorldTrips has provided travel insurance and compassionate service to help our customers travel fearlessly. Our knowledgeable customer representatives are available 24/7 to respond to your travel emergencies, no matter the situation, time zone, or spoken language.

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WorldTrips international travel medical insurance products are underwritten by Lloyd's. WorldTrips is a service company and a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of companies. WorldTrips has authority to enter into contracts of insurance on behalf of the Lloyd's underwriting members of Lloyd's Syndicate 4141, which is managed by HCC Underwriting Agency, Ltd.