Health Insurance - Host Institution Outside the United States

Due to this location’s specific health insurance requirements, students studying here are eligible for waivers of the full ISEP health insurance policy. These students can instead opt for a policy with less coverage. The MEDEX supplemental policy – MER-Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of remains, ensures access to emergency medical assistance and coordination of benefits.

All ISEP students going to Australia are required to purchase the Australian health insurance, Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), in order to obtain a student visa for Australia. You will receive OSHC enrollment information from your host institution. Your host institution will only issue your Confirmation of Enrollment (COE) after you have enrolled in the OSHC.

The OSHC covers between 85-100 percent of costs for doctor visits, laboratory services and x-rays. Students may be expected to make a co-payment for any difference between the amount payable under the Medicare Benefits Schedule and the amount actually charged for the medical service; the plan covers 100 percent of hospital services.

Students are advised to review the information listed on the OSHC Worldcare site

Also See your Institutional Information Sheet (IIS) for further information. As a result of Australian law requiring all international students to enroll in OSHC, ISEP's full insurance policy is not required but is still recommended for the following reasons:

1. OSHC does not include periods before and after your program start date;
2. OSHC does not include periods of travel during your program. Unless you have coverage through another insurance provider for these items, ISEP advises you to purchase the full ISEP health insurance plan.

If you choose NOT to enroll in ISEP's full coverage policy, you must STILL complete the ISEP online enrollment process to purchase the repatriation/medical evacuation supplement (MER) which costs $8/month.

Due to this location’s specific health insurance requirements, students studying here are eligible for waivers of the full ISEP health insurance policy. These students can instead opt for a policy with less coverage. The MEDEX supplemental policy – MER-Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of remains, ensures access to emergency medical assistance and coordination of benefits.

For ISEP participants going to Austria, Full ISEP student health insurance coverage may be waived. However, students must still enroll in the Medex MER Medical Emergency coverage for the duration of their stay. Additionally, students will be required to enroll in Austrian National Health Insurance upon arrival. Although you are not required to purchase full ISEP health insurance, please carefully consider the following:

1. You may not be able to enroll in host country health insurance until after you register at your host institution.
2. National insurance coverage may not cover you when you travel outside of the host country
3. National insurance policies do not include medical evacuation and repatriation of remains

ISEP therefore encourages students to purchase full ISEP health insurance coverage for any time they will be in their host country before or after their program dates, and during any periods of travel that are not covered by the Austrian National Insurance program. See your Institutional Information Sheet (IIS) for further information.

Due to this location’s specific health insurance requirements, students studying here are eligible for waivers of the full ISEP health insurance policy. These students can instead opt for a policy with less coverage. The MEDEX supplemental policy – MER-Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of remains, ensures access to emergency medical assistance and coordination of benefits.

ISEP participants traveling to Brock University and Laurentian University in Ontario, Canada are required to enroll in the provincial university health plan. ISEP participants traveling to Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, are required to enroll in the ISEP health insurance plan. See your Institutional Information Sheet (IIS) for further information.

If you plan to study at Brock or Laurentian, you are not required to purchase the full ISEP health insurance, but might consider doing so for the following reasons:

1. You may not be able to enroll in the host country health insurance until you register at your host institution;
2. Provincial insurance coverage may not cover you when you travel outside the host country. Unless you have coverage through another insurance provider for these items, ISEP advises you to purchase the full ISEP health insurance plan.

If you choose NOT to enroll in ISEP's full coverage policy, you must STILL complete the ISEP online enrollment process to purchase the repatriation/medical evacuation supplement (MER) which costs $8/month.

All students going to the Czech Republic are required to purchase full ISEP health insurance, as well as local health insurance with a Czech company in order to get their visa. All insurance companies must be authorized to provide insurance services in the Czech Republic. Students will receive a list of appropriate insurance companies from the Czech Embassies abroad.

The list is also accessible at the web pages of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Approximate cost of local Czech insurance companies is $125.00 for the duration of a 1 semester stay. Students must enroll in both ISEP health insurance and Czech insurance upon acceptance of placement. Students will not be able to obtain their visa without valid health insurance. The coverage provided by the Czech travel health insurance plans includes the following:

• costs incurred as a result of injury or sudden illness
• medical repatriation to the state whose travel document you hold or where you hold a residence permit
• coverage up to the amount of at least 30,000 EUR
• coverage for the entire Schengen territory and the entire period of your stay in the Schengen area.

All foreign students in France are required by law to enroll in Sécurité Sociale (sécu), the French national health insurance program, at a cost of €180, which will be paid upon arrival in France. This is in addition to the required ISEP health insurance.  The ISEP insurance primarily covers emergency medical care; the Sécurité Sociale is necessary in order to see a doctor or dentist for general treatment while in the European Union.

The Sécurité Sociale covers some, but not all, medical expenses (on average about 70%). It supplements the ISEP insurance because it covers:
1. the $25 deductible
2. dental care
3. eye exams and glasses
4. 100% of prescriptions

The Sécurité Sociale does not cover:
1. medical evacuation
2. repatriation
3. medical emergencies during travel to and from France and outside the European Union

The ISEP insurance is required because it covers medical expenses above the $25 deductible as described in the ISEP insurance information. If you did not have the ISEP student health insurance, you would have to purchase even more additional French insurance.

Due to this location’s specific health insurance requirements, students studying here are eligible for waivers of the full ISEP health insurance policy. These students can instead opt for a policy with less coverage. The MEDEX supplemental policy – MER-Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of remains, ensures access to emergency medical assistance and coordination of benefits.

See your Institutional Information Sheet (IIS) for further information.

For ISEP students going to Germany on a Reciprocal Exchange program: Students going to Germany on an exchange basis will be required to purchase German National Health Insurance upon arrival on campus and may therefore waive FULL ISEP Health insurance coverage for the duration of their program. National insurance policies do not include medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. Purchase of ISEP MER Medical Evacuation and Repatriation coverage for $7 a month is required. It is also recommended that students purchase full coverage for any time they will be in their host country before or after their program dates, or during any travel that is not covered by the German National Insurance plan.

Students going to Germany on a Direct program must purchase full ISEP health insurance for their duration of stay, including any periods of stay before or after program dates.

Due to this location’s specific health insurance requirements, students studying here are eligible for waivers of the full ISEP health insurance policy. These students can instead opt for a policy with less coverage. The MEDEX supplemental policy – MER-Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of remains, ensures access to emergency medical assistance and coordination of benefits.

IMPORTANT! Due to changes in the Icelandic Immigration Law, anyone applying for a resident permit must present proof that s/he has enrolled in a licensed Icelandic health insurance company.

Medical must cover at least 2.000.000 ISK and shall be issued by an insurance company authorized to provide services in Iceland. If your insurance company is not on this list: http://fme.is/lisalib/getfile.aspx?itemid=3219 you need to buy an Icelandic insurance. The name of your insurance company has to be 100% correct in the list i.e. if you see Sun Life, London on the list but you are insured at Sun Life, Canada, it is not valid. If you are unsure of whether your insurance company is on the list you can send an enquiry to The Financial Supervisory Authority in Iceland (http://fme.is), the address is: Suðurlandsbraut 32, 108 Reykjavík, phone number: +354 525 2700, Fax: +354 525 2727 and email: fme@fme.is.

ISEP recommends that students apply for insurance coverage with the SJOVA-ALMENNAR insurance company. To enroll, please contact Gudny Gunnarsdottir (gg@sjova.is) to obtain an application form. Please note that Sjova-Almennar insurance solely covers medical expenses within Iceland. It does not cover medical evacuation or repatriation. Please see Sjóvá at: http://sjova.is

Due to this location’s specific health insurance requirements, students studying here are eligible for waivers of the full ISEP health insurance policy. These students can instead opt for a policy with less coverage. The MEDEX supplemental policy – MER-Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of remains, ensures access to emergency medical assistance and coordination of benefits.

In order to enroll at the host university, ISEP participants destined for New Zealand must purchase insurance that meets the New Zealand Ministry of Education's minimum guidelines. Students need to consult their host university for insurance policy recommendations and enrollment procedures. Students will not be allowed to register for classes until they have submitted proof of sufficient insurance coverage to the host university.

Further information on this insurance requirement can be found on the Massey University Web site.

PLEASE NOTE: You must STILL complete the ISEP online enrollment process to purchase the repatriation/medical evacuation supplement (MER) which costs $8/month.

ISEP participants studying abroad at ISEP member institutions in Switzerland are required to enroll in health insurance policies at Swiss government-approved levels. Students at Fribourg, Lausanne, and Zurich can enroll in a Swiss-based health insurance company or another acceptable health insurance plan according to the local cantonal authorities. For some policies, students may need a supplemental policy to cover regular or unique medical needs such as allergies, diabetes, and psychological visits. Costs vary based on the policies chosen. Students should anticipate paying a minimum of roughly $80USD per month. Students going to Bern have the Swiss health insurance requirement arranged and covered by the Universität Bern at no additional cost.

Students can attempt to have their home country-based health insurance validated, but they should be aware that cantonal government requirements are quite high and coverage for search and rescue are mandated. If students plan to do this, they should verify with their insurance company that the policy can be used in Switzerland (or elsewhere while traveling abroad) as well as obtain as much information about their policy as possible, including such documents as a policy manual, member card, and certification letter from the insurance company. They should also consider the possibility of a supplemental Swiss-based insurance policy.

If students don't have any health insurance coverage before their arrival to Switzerland, they must consider the risks of not having any medical coverage while traveling. If students choose NOT to enroll in any coverage under the ISEP student health insurance program, they must still complete the ISEP online enrollment process by enrolling in ISEP’s MEDEX supplemental policy (MER-Medical Evacuation Repatriation) online.

In order to ensure that all ISEP students have access to emergency medical assistance and coordination of benefits, medical evacuation and repatriation, all students going to Switzerland must enroll in the MEDEX supplemental policy that provides these services at a cost of $8 per month.

Insurance resources for students going to ISEP’s Swiss member institutions can be found on the websites of individual member institutions: Fribourg, Lausanne, Zurich. Students can compare policies and premiums using the Comparis Search Tool. A common policy chosen by students is “Student Care” with CSS. For students going to Bern, please consult section 16 (Medical Requirements/Health Services) of the Informational Information Sheet (IIS) about health insurance arrangements; this document can be obtained from home ISEP coordinators. Students are responsible for researching, paying for, and enrolling in any insurance they take out for their exchange to Switzerland. They are also responsible for the validation process of their health insurance with the local Swiss authorities. Neither ISEP nor its Swiss member institutions are responsible for the services provided by any health insurance company selected by the student.

EU students going to another EU school are exempt from enrolling in the ISEP insurance program.

DAAD Scholars are exempt from enrolling in the ISEP insurance program