J-1 Health Insurance Requirements

Forms

Student Insurance FormScholar Insurance Form

What is the Health Insurance Compliance Form?

Federal regulations require all J-1 Exchange Visitors and their J-2 dependents to maintain comprehensive medical insurance meeting specific minimum requirements from the start date of the J-1 program (indicated in item 3 of the DS-2019) and continuing to the end of the J-1 program. Coverage must continue without breaks or lapses even if the J-1 visa holder travels outside of the US for an extended period of time during their J-1 program.

J-1 students are automatically enrolled in the CSU student health insurance plan, which meets all the J-1 requirements. However, their J-2 dependents are not eligible to enroll in the CSU student health insurance plan (unless the J-2 dependent is also enrolled as a CSU student.) This means that J-1 students must submit this form for any J-2 dependents who are accompanying them in the U.S.

Please note that ISSS does not review specific policies to determine compliance or appropriateness for your situation. We recommend that you consult directly with your insurance company regarding compliance with J-1/J-2 regulations. Furthermore, ISSS does not endorse or recommend one insurance program over another.

Instructions for Completing This Form

  1. Fill out Page 2 (students) or Page 3 (scholars) with the requested insurance information.
    • If dependents have different health insurance policies, submit one copy of the form for each dependent.
  2. Submit the completed form to ISSS by email.

Information About Health Insurance for Employees

If you will be working for CSU in a position that makes you eligible for CSU employee health insurance, please be aware of the following:

CSU offers employees four different health insurance options.  The only CSU health insurance plan that meets the J-1 deductible requirement is the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield POINT-OF-SERVICE (POS) Plan. If you purchase this plan, you will still need a separate policy that covers you for repatriation and evacuation expenses. CSU offers an add-on Travel Assistance plan through The Harford Life Insurance that includes adequate repatriation and evacuation coverage.

CSU employees may choose to enroll in one of the lower cost plans, including the CSU GREEN Plan, CSU GOLD Plan, or CSU RAM PLAN-HDHP.  If you do, please be aware that none of these plans meet the J-1 minimum requirements.  Therefore, you will need to purchase an additional comprehensive health insurance policy that meets all the J-1 minimum requirements including repatriation and medical evacuation.

CSU Benefits Plans

Additional Information

Regulations

As per the regulations, ISSS is required to terminate the SEVIS record of a J-1 Exchange Visitor who:

  • Does not provide ISSS with a valid Insurance Compliance Form by the start of the J-1 program
  • Does not submit an updated Insurance Compliance Form after the previously reported insurance changes or expires.
    • An exchange visitor seeking to extend his or her J-1 program must submit an updated Insurance Compliance Form.

22 C.F.R. §62.14 describes exchange visitor health insurance requirements as follows

  • Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per person per accident or illness;
  • Repatriation of remains in the amount of $25,000;
  • Expenses associated with the medical evacuation of exchange visitors to his or her home country in the amount of $50,000; and
  • Deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness; and
  • Co-insurance not to exceed 25% of covered benefits per accident or illness.

As per the regulations, CSU is required to terminate the SEVIS record of any J-1 student whose J-2 dependents do not maintain the appropriate health insurance for the duration of the program.

Insurance policies secured to fulfill the requirements

  • May require a waiting period for pre-existing conditions that is reasonable as determined by current industry standards;
  • Must not unreasonably exclude coverage for perils inherent to the activities of the exchange visitor’s J-1 program.

Please remember that healthcare services in the US tend to be very expensive. No responsible individual should work or live in the US without insurance.

The following is a list of companies offering health insurance online:

*These companies offer repatriation and medical evacuation insurance that you can purchase separately