Effective Jan. 1, a new health insurance plan — HTH Worldwide Travel Abroad Health Insurance — will be required for all undergraduate students and selected other students participating in University for-credit or administered programs outside of the United States.
|
HTH Worldwide, also the travel abroad health insurance vendor for Michigan State University, is a nationally known product leader, says Robert Winfield, chief health officer and director of the University Health Service (UHS). “The program was created in response to an awareness that some of our students were traveling abroad with no or inadequate health insurance, and we felt obliged, as a university, to address this gap,” Winfield says.
The new plan will be required for all undergraduates participating in education abroad programs for which in-residence credit is granted or that U-M departments organize. Insurance premiums will be included in the respective program fees. “Coverage before and/or after the formal program may be purchased as an option by the student,” Winfield says.
The current HTH insurance premium is $35 per month for the first month and $30 a month thereafter for all travelers. The plan also can be purchased for a minimum of two days at a $1 per day plus a $5 administrative charge. Optional participants may purchase the plan directly from the company when registering their trip on the ITOC Web site.
The Travel Abroad Health Insurance program has an oversight committee co-chaired by Karen Klever, managed care and student insurance manager at UHS, and William Nolting, international opportunities program director with the International Center, along with representatives for a variety of study abroad programs and administrators from the Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn campuses.
The new travel abroad health insurance policy fills a major gap in University-sponsored insurance for the more than 2,500 students traveling abroad for purposes related to their degree studies — studying, research, internships, volunteering or working abroad, Nolting says. “They will be able to purchase coverage, including emergency assistance abroad, superior to that available to students at other peer universities, yet which is low in cost. As an additional benefit, students, staff, faculty and their dependents will also be able to purchase this insurance for leisure travel abroad.”
The new plan also will be required for all graduate students participating in Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training Grant and selected Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy programs, with premiums included in program fees. Other graduate and professional schools are considering requiring it for participants in their education-abroad programs.
Each dean has the option of requiring select graduate student travel abroad programs to purchase the travel abroad health insurance plan. If a program is so designated, however, all participants must be covered by the HTH plan. The Office of Risk Management has indicated any waivers would significantly increase U-M’s liability. Insurance premiums will be included in the program fee.
HTH insurance also is available for optional purchase for University or personal leisure travel abroad by other current students, active employees, their spouses, domestic partners or other qualified adults and dependents. They will register and purchase the insurance through the University’s International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC) Web site: www.umich.edu/~itoc.
Active faculty and staff members traveling on official University business (excluding vacations and everyday travel to and from work) will continue to be covered by the University’s Travel Accident Insurance and Secure Travel programs, which provide services anytime travelers are more than 100 or more miles from home. Information can be located at the Benefits Office Web site at: www.umich.edu/~benefits/plans/travelacc.
For further information regarding travel insurance, contact Karen Klever at the Health Service Managed Care/Student Insurance Office at 764-5182 or by e-mail at [email protected].
