In order to waive out of purchasing a health insurance plan under the umbrella of the GBS J1 / J2 Visa Health Insurance Plans, you must provide proof of insurance coverage that meets the the Department of State’s requirements.

Please note: U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents are not subject to to the Department of State’s health insurance requirements listed below and do not need to provide Gallagher Benefit Services (GPA) proof of health insurance coverage.

The Department of State’s requirements for minimum levels of health insurance coverage are:

• $100,000 USD per accident & illness in medical coverage
• Deductible cannot exceed $500 per accident or illness
• Coinsurance cannot exceed 25%
• Medical evacuation coverage must be at least $50,000 USD
• Repatriation coverage must be at least $25,000 USD
• Carrier must be at least A- rated or backed by the full faith and credit of the Exchange Visitor's government
  
  
• For scholars residing in the United States for more than 12 months, pre-existing conditions must be a covered benefit, with the waiting period for coverage no more than 12 months. If the insurance policy has the pre-existing conditions benefit as a set amount, benefit coverage must be the same as illness coverage.

If you have dependents accompanying you to the U.S. (i.e. spouse, domestic partner, child(ren)). You must purchase insurance that meets the U.S. State Department requirements for your dependents.

If you have insurance from your home country or purchased insurance that meets the above requirements, you may submit a waiver request to opt out of the GBS J1 / J2 Visa Health Insurance Plans.

Evacuation and Repatriation Coverage Only

Does your current health insurance cover everything except Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains? Betins offers this stand-alone coverage at an affordable price to top-up your current coverage. Choose either the BETA Scholastic or BETA Public option; both meet the requirements of the Department of State.

Sign up with Betins here

See the video below for step-by-step instructions on how to complete a Waiver

Waiver Request Checklist

To proceed with submitting a Waiver, please review your insurance policy or schedule of benefits to determine if your policy meets your university’s health insurance requirements listed below.

Instructions: Select whether or not you have dependents, then click Yes or No to each requirement, and then click Check My Waiver Eligibility. You will see a message at the bottom of the screen stating whether your policy does or does not meet the requirements. Then follow the prompts to continue to the Waiver Login page. Note: Gallagher will review your documents thoroughly and determine if your insurance actually meets the requirement or if additional information or coverage is required.

Do you have any dependents?

Yes

No

University’s Health Insurance Requirements		Why is this Required?	My Policy Covers this Requirement		My Dependent’s Policy Covers this Requirement
1	$100,000 USD per accident & illness in medical coverage	U.S. Department of State requires that all J-1 Visa holders have at minimum $100,000 USD medical coverage in case of an accident or illness	Yes No		Yes No
2	Deductible cannot exceed $500 USD per accident or illness	A deductible is a specified amount of money that you must pay before an insurance company will pay a medical claim. U.S. Department of State requires that deductibles be less than $500 USD	Yes No		Yes No
3	Coinsurance cannot exceed 25%	Coinsurance is a type of insurance in which the insured pays a share of the payment made against a medical claim. If you go to the hospital and receive a bill for $100 USD and the coinsurance is 25%, you are responsible to pay $25 USD of the hospital bill. U.S State Department requires that coinsurance cannot exceed 25%	Yes No		Yes No
4	Medical evacuation coverage must be at least $50,000 USD	In the event of a medical emergency in which you need to return back to your home country, the U.S. Department of State requires that your insurance policy has coverage for the minimum amount of $50,000 USD	Yes No		Yes No
5	Repatriation coverage must be at least $25,000 USD	In the event of death, the U.S. Department of State requires that your insurance policy has minimum coverage of $25,000 USD to return your remains back to your home country.	Yes No		Yes No
6	Carrier must be at least A- rated or backed by the full faith and credit of the Exchange Visitor’s government	U.S Department of State wants to ensure that all insurance policies are legitimate and from a reputable company.	Yes No		Yes No
7	For scholars residing in the United States for more than 12 months, pre-existing conditions must be a covered benefit, with the waiting period for coverage no more than 12 months. If the insurance policy has the pre-existing conditions benefit as a set amount, benefit coverage must be the same as illness coverage.	Generally, the U.S. Department of State wants to make sure that everyone coming into the U.S. will have their medical conditions treated and covered by their medical insurance. Regardless whether or not you have a pre-existing medical condition, your insurance policy must include language that all pre-existing conditions will be covered after a reasonable waiting period, as required by the university. Please note: Pre-existing conditions must also have a $100,000 per illness medical coverage. Policy’s with coverage for only “Acute onset of pre-existing conditions” do not meet this requirement.	Yes No		Yes No

Check my waiver eligibility