If you need to seek medical treatment, please be sure to seek care appropriately for the condition/ situation. To give you an example, here are a few common ways to seek treatment:
- Cold/ Flu – most of the time, you can walk to the nearest pharmacy and purchase standard over the counter cold and flu remedies that will help alleviate your symptoms. If your condition worsens or you need to seek medical treatment please DO NOT go to the Emergency Room, but locate a provider using the online search tool to find a doctor in your area, call them up and make an appointment.
- General Sickness/ Feeling Unwell – unless your symptoms are severe, please DO NOT visit the Emergency Room for general sickness, but rather locate a provider using the online search tool to find a doctor in your area, call them up and make an appointment.
- Acute Sickness/ Emergencies – if you experience an accident or an acute illness that comes on very quickly and you need medical attention immediately please make your way to the nearest Emergency Room or call the emergency services in your country for immediate help and assistance.
CHI recommends that all travelers get international medical insurance before departure:
International medical insurance will allow you to visit a doctor or hospital while you are abroad. You may need to pay for your care out of pocket, but traveling with insurance will assure that you can be reimbursed once you file a claim when you return home. We
How much does it cost?
CHI can enroll you in an international plan with our affiliate provider Seven Corners. Their extensive international plan offers coverage benefits up to $250,000 (with a $100 deductible) and costs less than $2/day! They even offer a Student Zone where you can file your claims online.
Follow these 5 steps if you need to seek medical attention while abroad:
1. Find a Provider:
When traveling around the world, outside of the USA, you are free to seek medical care from any provider you wish. In many cases, a quick Google search or recommendation from your local friends will help you locate a provider quickly. In many cases these providers may be able to accept direct billing, meaning you might not have to pay upfront your medical expenses – but this is not guaranteed and down to the individual provider.
2. At the Provider:
Hand over your insurance ID card at the time of treatment, as this will ensure your provider knows about your insurance plan. In most cases the provider will ask to be paid at the time of treatment. You should pay the provider directly and keep copies of all your receipts, invoices and records they give to you.
3. Prescriptions:
If your doctor has prescribed any medications, fill them at your local pharmacy and pay for these upfront. Keep all your receipts, download a claim form from your Student Zone and submit them for reimbursement to the claims team.
4. Claims:
Making sure your bills are paid is your responsibility! If you have received a bill or paid anything out of pocket, complete a claim form (available in your Student Zone) and submit that with all your documents to Seven Corners. If your provider is billing direct, or you have already submitted your claims you should track the status of your claims through My Account (our online claims tracking system) in your Student Zone. The claims team may need further information to process your claim.
5. Claims Closed:
Once you have followed all these steps, and checked the status of your claims, the process should be complete!
