Health Insurance

Healthcare in the U.S. may differ from what you are used to as there is no universial healthcare nor nationalized health insurance. The cost of medical services can be expensive and each person is expected to pay for the cost of their own treatment at the time of service. It is essential that international students have adequate health insurance to help offset the potential enormous costs of medical care. Due to this, all international students attending Bradley on an F-1 visa are required to maintain insurance year-round until you graduate.

Prior to being able to register for classes, F-1 students must enroll in the university-approved comprehensive insurance plan. This is provided by LewerMark Student Insurance and is paid for by each student the time of enrollment. International students will not be able to register for classes until International Student Services (ISS) has verified that you have successfully enrolled in the mandatory plan. There are no exceptions to this policy. Waivers might be considered only for certain government-sponsored arrangements, and for students with a parent or spouse who has a U.S. employer-based policy that covers the student.

Students may visit the plan website at www.lewermark.com/bradley to view a full plan description, plan benefits, exclusions, limitations, and terms of coverage.

Enrollment

Please follow the instructions on this Payment Portal Guide to purchase your student health insurance.

To waive the LewerMark insurance, your policy must meet one of the following criteria:

• Your parent/spouse is employed by a United States based company that provides Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliant coverage that you are covered under.
• You arrived in the United States with health insurance because you participate in a government exchange student program, such as SACM.
• You are currently covered by a plan provided in your home country. This plan must meet or exceed the LewerMark plan and be valid in the United States. An emergency-only and/or travel plan will not be accepted.

If you meet one of the above criteria, you can submit the completed Waiver Request directly to LewerMark at waivers@lewermark.com and they will review your qualifications. The deadline for submitting your Waiver Request to LewerMark is the 3rd Friday of each semester.

Things to Consider about U.S. Health Care

• One of the most important things to know about your insurance coverage is which in-network provider your insurance company works with.
• The LewerMark Student Insurance Plans covers you for both of the major Peoria hospital systems: OSF Saint Francis Medical and Carle Health – Methodist.
• Different insurance companies work with different hospital and medical networks. If you go outside the medical network your insurance uses, you can accrue major medical expenses even if you have insurance.
• While enrolled as student at Bradley, list Bradley University as your Primary Care Physician if you are seen by a medical professional outside of campus and within the United States.
• In general, even if you have insurance, you still need to expect to have a "coinsurance" or "copay" for some medical expenses.
  • With the LewerMark plan, most covered benefits are paid 100% after a copay. So if you visit a doctor, you would have to pay $20 for the copay, but then the insurance plan would cover you for 100% of the visit if it is deemed medically necessary.
  • For coinsurance, this would be if an insurance plan has 70% coinsurance, then the plan only would cover you for 70% of the costs, and you would be responsible for paying the remaining 30% of the medical expenses.
• Some health insurance plans do not cover prescriptions, so if you have medicine that you need to take regularly, make sure you have a provider that covers it.
• Pharmacies within walking distance of campus are: CVS in Campustown and Walgreens or Alwan Pharmacy on Western Ave.
• Pharmacies within driving distance or the CityLink line are: Target, Walmart, or Kroger in East Peoria and Walgreens or Walmart on University.
• Most health insurance plan will not include dental or vision coverage.
• If you wear glasses, you will want to make sure you pack an extra pair with you. If you need a new prescription, you should have this done at home.
• If you wear contacts, you will want to make sure you have a supply of contacts for the time you are in the U.S. If you need more, you should purchase them at home.
• If you need a routine dental exam or a dental procedure, you should have this done at home.
• Some health insurance plans will not cover sports-related injuries, so if you wish to play intramural or intercollegiate sports, make sure you have insurance that covers it.
• Some health insurance plans do not cover preventative medical care such as a yearly routine doctor’s visit or vaccines/immunizations or a woman’s wellness check-up.
• Some health insurance plans do not cover maternity benefits. Others only cover pregnancy if the conception is during the period of insurance coverage. Others will cover the delivery but not the routine pre- or post-natal care.