Health and Safety

At Bellevue University, the wellbeing of our students is of utmost importance. We have a responsibility to make sure our students are able to access appropriate health services while they live and learn as part of the community. In addition, students with J-1 status and their J-2 dependents are required by U.S. federal law to have sickness and accident insurance, including coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains, in effect for the duration of their participation in the Exchange Visitor Program.

To ensure that students are appropriately covered for medical emergencies and health exams, we have investigated options and selected a single health insurance solution for students studying on an F-1 or J-1 visa. For this reason, if you are a Bellevue University student on a Bellevue-Sponsored F-1 or J-1 visa, you are required to purchase health insurance through a single University-approved provider and pay for the insurance through your student account.

Details about coverage can be found on the Bellevue University Dissinger Reed Insurance webpage.

Waivers or exceptions may be approved by Bellevue University (subject to specific terms and conditions) only when a student independently purchases and maintains enrollment in health insurance provided. Students with J-1 status must certify that their coverage meets the legal requirements of 22 C.F.R. § 62.14. Please see the “BU Insurance Plan Waiver” section below for details on waivers.

Bellevue University has entered into an exclusive partnership with Dissinger Reed to provide health insurance for our international students. As part of this agreement, Dissinger Reed will be the provider of health insurance for the Bellevue University student plan. Students on an F-1 or J-1 visa and who have their I-20 or DS-2019 issued with Bellevue University as a sponsor are eligible for the plan.

Because health insurance is mandatory, Bellevue University will automatically enroll you in the Bellevue University student plan and the insurance fee will be added to your student account balance each term. You do not have to find health insurance for yourself while in F-1 or J-1 status or show proof to your Student Coach to register for classes. You will also be able to enroll in current and future terms without issue when working with your Student Coach.

If you choose to use other coverage, you may request to waive the BU plan and the charges on your account. Please see the “BU Insurance Plan Waiver” section below for details.

Your required coverage will begin the term you start classes at BU. Charges will automatically be placed on your account on a term-by-term basis. If you are a new student from outside the United States or if you are a new transfer student, your coverage starts approximately one month before your first term of enrollment. Each term thereafter, you will be enrolled in and charged the insurance each term you are enrolled in classes. Because summer is the default break period, summer charges will be billed and due with Spring term charges, unless Summer is your first term of enrollment. Students graduating after the Summer term will be charged one additional month’s insurance coverage.

You will need to make sure that the insurance fee is paid two weeks before the start of each term of enrollment. Missing this date can result in being dropped from your classes for non-payment and can affect your I-20 or DS-2019 status for failing to meet University requirements.

If you are submitting a Waiver of Mandatory Health Insurance, you will still be charged for BU insurance each term until the waiver is approved. Please see the “BU Insurance Plan Waiver” section below for details.

The health insurance requirement applies as long as you remain under an active F-1 or J-1 status with an I-20 or DS-2019 issued with Bellevue University as a sponsor, even during your annual vacation (typically summer). Early cancellation/refunds of the BU insurance coverage will not be permitted.

Bellevue University generally requires all students with F-1 visa status to purchase health insurance through a single University-approved provider and pay for the insurance through your student account. Exceptions will be made only when a student has purchased and enrolled in a separate health insurance plan and has received approval for a waiver from International Student Services. Waivers are not permitted on any other basis. Students who do not have an approved waiver will be automatically enrolled in the BU-provided health insurance plan.

Students who request and are approved for a waiver must purchase and maintain their own health insurance for the duration* of the approved waiver.

International students seeking a waiver must request it prior to the start of each academic term in order to avoid being responsible for insurance charges on their student account. Waivers are approved for one academic term only and must be requested and approved each term. Waiver requests will be denied as untimely if they are not received by this waiver deadline.

A waiver request form can be requested and submitted in person at International Student Services during normal business hours (8am-5pm Monday-Friday). Submission of a waiver request does not constitute or guarantee waiver approval. A waiver is not considered approved until International Student Services provides you with written notification that a waiver has been approved. BU reserves the right to revoke waivers for non-compliance with this Agreement.

*Please note that health insurance coverage maintained by a student for a waiver must have a coverage effective date no later than August 1 for Fall term waivers or a coverage effective date no later than the first date of the BU academic term for Winter/Spring/Summer term waivers. New students starting their first term must have coverage starting the first day in the United States.

Legal Insurance Requirements of the Exchange Visitor Program

As a student with J-1 status, you and your J-2 dependents are required by U.S. federal law to have sickness and accident insurance, including coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains, in effect for the duration of your exchange visitor program. A willful failure to carry insurance is an extremely serious violation of law and will result in immediate termination of your J-1 status.

Because of the importance of the insurance requirement, the law is reproduced below:

U.S Code of Federal Regulations Title 22 Section 62.14:

• Sponsors must require that all exchange visitors have insurance in effect that covers the exchange visitors for sickness or accidents during the period of time that they participate in the sponsor's exchange visitor program. In addition, sponsors must require that accompanying spouses and dependents of exchange visitors have insurance for sickness and accidents. Sponsors must inform all exchange visitors that they, and any accompanying spouse and dependent(s), also may be subject to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
• The period of required coverage is the actual duration of the exchange visitor's participation in the sponsor's exchange visitor program as recorded in SEVIS in the “Program Begin Date,” and as applicable, the “Program End Date,” “Effective Program End Date,” or “Effective Date of Termination” fields. Sponsors are not authorized to charge fees to their sponsored exchange visitors for the provision of insurance coverage beyond any demonstrable and justifiable staff time. Sponsors are not required to, but may, offer supplemental “entry to exit” coverage (i.e., coverage from the time the exchange visitor departs his or her home country until he or she returns). If the sponsor provides health insurance, or arranges for health insurance to be offered the exchange visitor, via payroll deduction at the host organization, the exchange visitor must voluntarily authorize this action in writing and also be given the opportunity to make other arrangements to obtain insurance. These authorizations must be kept on file by the sponsor. Minimum coverage must provide:
  • Medical benefits of at least $100,000 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
  • Deductibles not to exceed $500 per accident or illness.
• Insurance policies secured to fulfill the requirements of this section:
  • May require a waiting period for pre-existing conditions that is reasonable as determined by current industry standards;
  • May include provisions for co-insurance under the terms of which the exchange visitor may be required to pay up to 25% of the covered benefits per accident or illness; and
  • Must not unreasonably exclude coverage for perils inherent to the activities of the exchange program in which the exchange visitor participates.
• Any policy, plan, or contract secured to fill the above requirements must, at a minimum, be:
  • Underwritten by an insurance corporation having an A.M. Best rating of “A−” or above; a McGraw Hill Financial/Standard & Poor's Claims-paying Ability rating of “A−” or above; a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of “B + ” or above; a Fitch Ratings, Inc. rating of “A−” or above; a Moody's Investor Services rating of “A3” or above; or such other rating as the Department of State may from time to time specify; or
  • Backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the exchange visitor's home country; or
  • Part of a health benefits program offered on a group basis to employees or enrolled students by a designated sponsor; or
  • Offered through or underwritten by a federally qualified Health Maintenance Organization or eligible Competitive Medical Plan as determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Accompanying spouses and dependents are required to be covered by insurance in the amounts set forth in paragraph (b) of this section. Sponsors must inform exchange visitors of this requirement, in writing, in advance of the exchange visitor's arrival in the United States.
• Exchange visitors who willfully fail to maintain the insurance coverage set forth above while a participant in an exchange visitor program or who make material misrepresentations to the sponsor concerning such coverage will be deemed to be in violation of these regulations and will be subject to termination as an exchange visitor.
• Sponsors must terminate an exchange visitor's participation in their program if the sponsor determines that the exchange visitor or any accompanying spouse or dependent willfully fails to remain in compliance with this section.

The law above and Bellevue University policy requires all students with J-1 visa status to purchase and maintain insurance coverage as listed above. Bellevue University generally provides such coverage through a single University-approved provider, which is paid through your student account. Exceptions will be made only when a student has purchased and enrolled in a separate health insurance plan and has received approval for a waiver from International Student Services. Waivers are not permitted on any other basis. Students who do not have an approved waiver will be automatically enrolled in the BU-provided health insurance plan. Please see the “BU Insurance Plan Waiver” section above for additional details about the waiver procedures.

Bellevue University does not require or automatically enroll you in health insurance during the OPT stage, but it is recommended and encouraged that you carry your own health insurance either with a private policy or an employer-sponsored policy. If you want to take out a plan like your student health plan, consider taking out the OPT insurance plan through Dissinger Reed. If you are interested in signing up for this plan, please contact Dissinger Reed with the contact information listed on the Bellevue University Dissinger Reed Insurance webpage. If you have questions or need assistance, you may contact [email protected], and we will provide you with further instructions.