For international students studying in the United States, privatized medical insurance can cause medical as well as financial problems.
“Most students aren’t really familiar with the system,” said Indrajith Senevirathne, physics graduate student from Sri Lanka and the president of the International Cultural Center and the International Student Association. “In most countries, the health care system is public. They don’t expect to pay that much money. They also expect more things, such as dental insurance, to be covered.”
The ISA conducted two anonymous surveys of international students to gauge the students’ satisfaction with LSU’s medical coverage. The University requires all international students to have basic medical insurance coverage, which costs $350 per semester. Because of high medical insurance costs for students – many are graduate students with spouses and children – international students must spend their money wisely.
Additional insurance for a student and spouse is $628, and medical insurance for a spouse and children is $879.
Janice Goodloe, administration program specialist at the International Service Office, said basic coverage also covers extreme medical cases, like medical evacuation, sending a student back to his home country to be treated, repatriation or returning a student’s remains to his country of origin.
Senevirathne said 448 students – 13 percent of international students on campus – completed the online survey in 2004, which asked questions about satisfaction with medical coverage and filing insurance claims.
Of the students who visited the Student Health Center in the 2003-2004 year, 10 percent reported that they were “very satisfied” with their insurance coverage, and 38 percent were “not satisfied at all,” according to ISA records.
Of the 21 percent who filed a claim with an insurance company in the 2003-2004 year, 10 percent reported that they were “very satisfied” with the insurance claim process and 49 percent were “not satisfied at all.”
“International students are surprised when they have to pay a premium for insurance and a co-payment at the doctor’s office,” Goodloe said. “They think the basic medical insurance is going to pay for everything.”
After international students pay medical insurance bills for themselves and their families, some barely have enough money to pay for other necessities, like the phone bill and apartment rent, Senevirathne said.
Senevirathne also said students and their families often do not save enough money when preparing to study abroad because currencies in different countries are not worth the same amount. Senevirathne said many students are reluctant to ask their families for money because the cost of living in the United States is more expensive than in their countries.
“In Sri Lanka, one dollar equals 100 rupees, and a dollar is a lot of money,” he said. “If you are responsible, you think twice before asking for money,” Senevirathne said.
Senevirathne said one of his friends, an international student, transferred from LSU to a different university because he could not afford medical coverage.
Senevirathne said the former ICC president, Francisco Aguilar, and other international students began meeting with insurance directors at the Student Health Center to work out a better medical plan for international students.
The Student Health Center put additional information, including frequently asked questions, on its Web site to help international students choose the best medical insurance plan, said Richard Vlosky, the ICC’s faculty adviser and professor in the renewable natural resources department.
“We want to elevate awareness,” Senevirathne said.
The ISA conducted a 2005 survey which indicates that the ICC and Student Health Center’s efforts have increased medical insurance knowledge for international students, though there is room for improvement.
The 2005 study found that 13 percent of international students who completed the survey said they were “very satisfied” with their coverage, and 24 percent were “not satisfied at all.”
Twenty-one percent were “very satisfied” with the insurance claim process and 33 percent were “not satisfied at all.”
“We also want to become aware of what the specific problems are,” Senevirathne said.
The ICC will send an e-mail this semester to all international students encouraging them to contact the health center as problems arise. The ISA will also conduct another survey during this semester with more personalized questions to focus on the main problems international students are having with medical insurance.
“It’s important that international students respond,” Senevirathne said. “Only 13 percent responded to the 2004 survey. These surveys are to see what is going on.”
Contact Leslie Ziober at [email protected]