J-1 medical insurance

U.S. Department of State regulations require all J-1 Exchange Visitors to have medical insurance for themselves and any accompanying J-2 family members for the duration of their program. In addition, J-1 Exchange visitors and their J-2 dependents may be subject to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.

Willful violation of the insurance requirements can result in termination of your J-1 program by the ISSC, in accordance with immigration regulations. Fulfilling this insurance requirement is essential, not only because of the U.S. Department of State regulations, but because medical treatment in the United States can be very expensive, especially without proper insurance coverage.

It is the J-1 Exchange Visitor’s responsibility to notify the ISSC of dependents who are currently in the United States or who arrive later and present evidence of appropriate insurance coverage for them. It is your responsibility to provide proof of continuous insurance coverage to the ISSC.

ASU Health Insurance

Review your department invitation letter to find out if you are eligible for the ASU Faculty and Staff Health Insurance Plans. If so, note that current ASU employee benefits guidelines reflect that insurance policies will be effective the first day of the pay period following completion of enrollment.

Please note that ASU medical insurance does not cover medical evacuation or repatriation of remains to the home country. Thus, eligible ASU Exchange Visitor employees electing an ASU health insurance plan will also need to purchase a separate insurance policy for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains.

Medical Insurance Requirements

Coverage:Requirements: 
Medical coverage $100,000 per accident or illness
Medical evacuation$50,000
Repatriation of remains$25,000
DeductibleNot to exceed $500 per accident or illness

 

Where can I buy insurance?

The following sites provide some examples of plans ranging from 15 days to unlimited duration that should meet J-1 regulatory requirements. Disclaimer: ASU does not endorse or recommend insurance companies — these are just suggestions.

Here are a few tools to compare different insurance policies:

International Student Health Insurance

American Visitor Insurance
iVisitor Insurance
Visitors Health

Below is a list of insurance providers:

Academic Risk Management
American International Group 
Anderson Insurance Services 
Betins International Health and Travel Insurance 
Gateway USA 
HTH Worldwide 
International Medical Group 
INSUBUY
PGH Global 
The Harbour Group 
UnitedHealthcare  

There is also a local company that can assist in finding a suitable policy. The company is called ASA.