Insurance Requirements for
J-1 Exchange Visitors
The U.S. Department of State requires all Exchange Visitors and their accompanying spouse and children to maintain medical insurance which meets all of the requirements below for the entire length of their program:
Minimum Coverage Requirements
- Medical Benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness AND
- Repatriation of Remains in the amount of $25,000 AND
- Expenses associated with the medical evacuation of the exchange visitor to his or her home country in the amount of $50,000 AND
- A deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness AND
- 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; or a Moody's Investor Services rating of "A3" or above; OR
- Backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the exchange visitor's home country.
Important: To satisfy regulatory requirements, the medical insurance policy must meet ALL of the above requirements for the Exchange Visitor, their spouse, and any children who might accompany the visitor to the U.S. Medical insurance must be maintained for their ENTIRE STAY in the U.S. It is a serious violation of the law if the Exchange Visitor and all children are not covered by medical insurance.
You will be automatically charged for health insurance when you enroll at Wichita State University. If you would prefer to use another insurance company that provides you with equal or greater coverage, you will need to request a Medical Insurance Waiver before the deadline. Information about the waiver process and current deadlines is available online at www.wichita.edu/insurancewaivers.