Federal Health Insurance Requirements

U.S. government regulations [22 CFR § 62.14] require all J-1 Scholars and J-2 Dependents to obtain health insurance that meets the following requirements:

  • Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness
  • Payment for repatriation (preparation and transportation of remains to home country) in case of death in the amount of $25,000
  • Payment for medical evacuation (transportation to home country on advice of attending physician) in the amount of $50,000
  • A deductible amount not to exceed $500 per accident or illness
  • Coverage of pre-existing conditions after a reasonable waiting period
  • Payment by the insurance company of at least 75% of the costs of medical care (the patient must not be required to pay more than 25% of medical care costs)
  • Continuous coverage for the duration of the program

To comply with these regulations, health insurance policies must be underwritten by corporations having one of the following:

  • A.M. Best rating of A- or above
  • McGraw Hill Financial/Standard & Poor’s Claims- paying Ability rating of ‘A- or above
  • Weiss Research, Inc. rating of ‘‘B+’’ or above
  • Fitch Ratings, Inc. rating of ‘‘A-’’ or above
  • Moody’s Investor Services rating of ‘‘A3’’ or above.
  • Note: Insurance backed by the full faith and credit of the exchange visitor‘s (J-1 scholar’s) government meets this requirement. 

If you purchased health insurance in your home country or have insurance from your home institution or home government, please ensure that it covers all of the J-1 requirements listed above and covers you and any J-2 dependents during your entire period of time in the U.S.

The Department of State requires the Office of Global Services (OGS) to confirm that all J-1 Scholars have health insurance that complies with the federal regulations. OGS reserves the right to request proof of health insurance at any time during the J-1 Scholar’s program.

Important Note for Northeastern Benefits-Eligible J-1 Scholars

Postdoctoral Fellows/Associates, Non-Tenure Track Faculty, and some other J-1 eligible positions at Northeastern are benefits-eligible, meaning you may choose to enroll in the Northeastern Employee Medical Benefits. Please note that Visiting Appointments (Visiting Students, Visiting Scholars, and Visiting Faculty) are NOT benefits-eligible.

  • If you are a benefits-eligible employee, and plan to enroll in NU health benefits, please note that the high deductible Northeastern health insurance plan does NOT meet the J-1 insurance deductible requirement ($500 per accident/illness). J-1 scholars should NOT enroll in the high deductible plan.
  • Please note that the Northeastern health insurance plans do not cover repatriation or medical evacuation. J-1 Scholars will either have to purchase repatriation and medical evacuation insurance separately or select a health insurance plan through a provider other than Northeastern (see next section below). An affordable plan for just repatriation/medical evacuation coverage is available here.
  • If your appointment start date is not on the first day of the month, please note that your Northeastern health insurance plan may not go into effect until the following month. We strongly recommend you have a separate private insurance plan to cover you from your date of entry to the U.S. and for the first few months of your program until you have confirmation of the effective date of your NU benefits.

Health Insurance Resources

The following vendor has created a health insurance plan specifically for Northeastern J-1 visitors that meets all of the J-1 visa requirements:

Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk

  • NOTE: if you elect to enroll in this plan, you must choose the plan “with wellness benefits” as this includes both medical evacuation and repatriation.

The additional vendors below also offer plans for international students and visitors. OGS is not affiliated with these companies and does not endorse any one specific provider.

Cultural Insurance Service International (CISI)
Compass Benefits Group
Gateway
The Harbour Group, LLC
HCC Medical Insurance Services
Insubuy
Insurance Services of America (ISA)
International Student Protection (ISP)
Visitors Insurance

Evacuation/Repatriation Coverage-Only Plans: The vendors above may offer plans that exclusively cover the evacuation/repatriation requirement. The vendor below also has a standalone plan that only covers evacuation/repatriation. If your health insurance does not cover this requirement (i.e. Northeastern benefits-eligible employees with NU employee health insurance), you will need to also purchase a standalone plan to meet this requirement.

Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk

Below, please find additional health-related resources: