Good Neighbor Insurance, www.gninsurance.com, provides international student insurance coverage in the U.S. for non-U.S. citizens studying in the U.S.  Our web page at www.gninsurance.com/students.asp provides many student plans for international students studying in the U.S.

It is not a US. Federal requirement to have student insurance for your students but it can be and should be a financial requirement.  Not having international student coverage for your students here in the U.S. not only is a moral obligation but also keeps the college and university from possible liability concerns;  especially when your international student does not have financial pockets to pay for possible medical bills.

Today, most colleges and universities either require international students to carry medical insurance, or they are in the process of implementing a mandatory medical insurance requirement. When asked why, the schools have responded with the following reasons:

1.   It reinforces the federal policy requiring international students to be financially responsible.   A medical insurance requirement is a logical and legal extension of this government requirement.

2.   The school must protect itself from medical providers that might look to the host school for payment of medical bills on uninsured or underinsured students, especially for those schools who have an insurance requirement that is not being properly enforced.

3.   The college has a moral obligation to the community, the medical profession, and its students to make sure the international students can afford the high cost of medical care. Host families require coverage with Major Medical Benefits for liability reasons.

4.   International students come from countries with some form of socialized medicine and don’t understand how the health care system in the United States works.

5.   International students are not insured under a parental policy nor are they eligible for public assistance in the United States.  Travel insurance is short-term coverage and inadequate.

Doug Gulleson is one of the two principles of Good Neighbor Insurance, Inc and does enjoy traveling the world to scuba dive.  He travels overseas throughout the year with his underwater camera in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.  Doug never forgets to have his travel medical insurance with him at all times.