Health and Insurance

All students participating in HECUA's programs based in the United States are required to show that they have adequate health, accident, and hospitalization insurance coverage for the duration of their HECUA program. Paperwork documenting coverage will be requested by HECUA once students enroll in their programs. It is important that students inform HECUA of any changes in their insurance coverage (provider, policy number, policy holder, etc.) during the course of their program. Accurate information on file with HECUA allows prompt response by program staff in case of a medical emergency.

An abrupt relocation can be disorienting within one’s own culture. Differences in language, unfamiliar foods, and a variety of new expectations can increase the level of emotional stress when studying abroad. Before travel and immediately upon arrival in the host country, HECUA’s extensive and specific orientation materials and sessions provide site-specific strategies for maintaining intellectual, emotional, and physical health while participating in the program. Students are taught to recognize travel- and adjustment-related stresses in themselves and others, and program staff are trained to offer coping strategies and to refer students to professionals if necessary. Reflection exercises are also built into the curriculum of all HECUA programs, in which students regularly write about and discuss challenges they face and the adjustments they make in their studies, internships, and daily lives.

All students participating in an international program with HECUA are covered by a Seven Corners / Insurance Services of America plan, which includes provisions for routine care, major medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, and emergency reunion, and has an associated hotline service with multilingual health care personnel available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Further, HECUA's connections with local institutions mean that relationships have been established with clinics at each international program site. HECUA makes copies of the plan and health insurance cards available to enrolled students, and their families upon request. Students may also be covered by their family's or home institution's insurance, and should confirm additional coverage status well before departure.