|
Legal
Counsel > Frequently Asked Questions > J-1 Visa Program > Health
Insurance Coverage
The applicable United States Department of
State (USSD) regulations '62.14, Insurance (copy attached) mandate
that a sponsor shall require each exchange visitor and dependants
who accompany the exchange visitor to maintain in effect certain
minimum health and accident insurance coverage, as specified in
subparagraph (a) of these regulations. This insurance must be
secured from an insurance company that meets specified ratings from
one of several nationally or internationally insurance rating
companies, as specified in subparagraph (c) of these regulations.
An exchange visitor who fails to maintain
this insurance coverage, or who makes a material misrepresentation
concerning such coverage is in violation of the regulations and shall be
subject to early termination.
An exchange visitor, or the institution at
whose request the ELCA has issued the Form DS-2019, must satisfy these
requirements in one of the following ways:
1. The ELCA has in place arrangements with an
insurance broker, HTH Worldwide Insurance Services (HTH Worldwide) under
which exchange visitors can secure insurance from an approved carrier
that meets the minimum coverage. The cost of this insurance, effective
July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006, is:
- Monthly Premium for Exchange Visitor Only
[Participant]: $148.00
- Additional monthly premiums
applicable for dependents accompanying participant are:
- Spouse Only: $370.00
- Child Only: $222.00
- Children Only: $444.00
Attached are the
online instructions which you
need to follow to request medical coverage through HTH Worldwide. This
coverage must be inclusive from the actual arrival date through actual
departure to his/her home country. Contact Loraine Shields at
773-380-2401 should you have any questions. Please note that the ELCA
Responsible Officer must receive written confirmation that this required
insurance is in place.
2. The exchange visitor (and dependants, if
any) may be covered under insurance programs maintained by the
institution at whose request the ELCA issued the Form DS-2019,
provided such insurance program meets or exceeds the minimum
coverage required by the regulations and is underwritten by an
insurance company that has or exceeds the minimum ratings. Certification
as to both of these points must be provided to the ELCA Responsible
Officer by the institution's vice president who has responsibility for,
or supervises the staff who are responsible for, administration of the
institution's health insurance benefit programs. This written
certification must be provided prior to the exchange visitor's
departure from his/her home country.
3. The regulations provide that insurance
coverage backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the
exchange visitor's home country shall be deemed to meet the rating
requirement. An exchange visitor who wishes to meet the insurance
requirements in this manner must furnish certification in English,
satisfactory to ELCA's Responsible Officer, that while in the United
States he or she (and his or her dependants who also come to the U.S.)
is covered by an insurance program, that the coverage meet or exceed
those required by the regulations, and that the insurance program is
backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the exchange
visitor's home country. ELCA does not recommend proceeding in this
manner and reserves the right to require additional documentation in the
judgment of the Responsible Officer.
Two additional comments are in order. First,
the coverage specified in the regulations are minimums. An institution
may conclude that this coverage is inadequate and that the exchange
visitor should have the higher coverage available under the
institution's regular benefit plan. If the institution's benefit plan is
not underwritten by an insurance company meeting the minimum rating
requirement, this institutional coverage must be in addition to
the insurance meeting these rating requirements, such as that available
through HTH Worldwide, no matter how generous the benefits.
Second, an institution's regular benefit plan
that is self-funded does not meet the minimum rating requirement. While
the regulations do provide (in subparagraphs (e) and (f)) a process by
which an institution's self-funded program can be determined to meet the
requirements, the ELCA does not utilize this process.
Updated: June 2005 |
frequent
questions