Health insurance is required for all St. Mary’s College of Maryland International Students and their dependents (if applicable).
St. Mary’s College requires health insurance for international students for several reasons, including:
- Health care can be very costly in the US.
- The US does not have a national health care plan.
- Health services may be restricted if you do not have health insurance.
Fulfilling the Health Insurance Requirement
The requirement may be fulfilled in one of two ways.
If you already have a comparable health insurance plan, you must complete an Insurance Waiver and provide the Office of International Education at St. Mary’s College of Maryland with documentation.
If you don’t already have a comparable health insurance plan, you may purchase the policy through St. Mary’s College’s provider for international insurance or you may buy coverage other than our plan, but it must meet established waiver criteria.
Waiver Standards for International Students and Their Dependents
For international students and their accompanying dependents, a comparable health insurance plan will:
- Include coverage for both accident and sickness;
- Include coverage for all pre-existing conditions;
- Have a deductible not in excess of $100 per injury or sickness per individual
- Have medical expense coverage of not less than 80% of reasonable expenses.
- Include prescription drug coverage of no less than 50% of actual charge
- Have maternity benefits-these benefits should be the same as benefits for an illness. If they are not the same, the maternity benefit must meet all applicable waiver standards (e.g., deductible, maximum benefit, etc);
- Have a maximum benefit of not less than $250,000 per incident;
- Have inpatient and outpatient, mental and nervous disorder benefits;
- Pay benefits worldwide (exemption from coverage in an international student’s home country is acceptable);
- Have provision for medical evacuation of not less than $100,000 to an international student’s home country; and
- Have provision for repatriation (after death, removal of remains) of not less than $25,000 to an international student’s home country.
The deadline to submit the Insurance Waiver is August 15.