Medical Insurance
For complete information regarding AFS's medicual insurance program for hosted students, please consult your Hosting Manual.
Medical coverage
All AFS participants are covered under the AFS Participant Medical Plan. This coverage is comprehensive and will cover any medical need that may arise during the student’s program. There are, however, certain “uncovered” items that are important to be aware of. Pre-existing conditions are not covered under the AFS plan and natural families have been informed in advance that they will be financially responsible for all medical costs related to these conditions. Routine eye exams, glasses, and contact lenses are not covered. Routine physical exams including those needed for athletic participation and immunizations are not covered. Dental care, except as the result of injury, is not covered. All dental and eye problems must be reported to the Regional Service Center before any medical procedures are performed to ensure that arrangements for payment are made in advance with the natural family.
Going to the doctor
If your participant needs to see a doctor, please ensure that the participant brings his or her Medical ID card to the appointment. The Medical ID card contains the participant's ID number and the insurance billing information for Global Benefits. Please be sure the doctor knows to submit the bill to Global Benefits and does not send the bill to AFS. Sending the bill to AFS will delay payment. Colds, sore throats, flu, upper respiratory infections, sprains, and uncomplicated childhood diseases need not be called into AFS unless, even after seeing a doctor, it appears to linger for an unusually long period of time.
Please note some participants may be reluctant to seek care from a medical doctor, or to take medications that are common in the U.S., including pain relievers and cough medicine. They may have a distrust of physicians in general, or feel that it is better to heal oneself in time through non-medicinal measures, such as more rest, or eating a healthy diet. If you feel it is necessary to take your participant to the doctor, keep in mind that this may be a less routine occurrence for him or her than in would be for you, or the typical U.S. student. As such, he or she may need additional support and encouragement in the process.
Parental authorization
AFS has written authorization from natural parents to act on behalf of AFS participants in the event of serious illness or accident where authorization for treatment of surgery is required. Both the participant and natural parents have signed an AFS Participation Agreement, which is kept in the national office of the participant’s home country. The AFS Participation Agreement contains the following clause: Should any medical emergency arise, if time permits, AFS will communicate with us through the National Office and request permission for surgery or other necessary treatment; however, if in the sole judgment of AFS, time and circumstances do not permit communication with us, we authorize AFS to consent to medical treatment, the administration of x-ray examination, anesthetics, blood transfusion, medical or surgical diagnosis or treatment and hospital care which is deemed advisable by, and is to be rendered under the general or special supervision of any physician and surgeon.
In addition, natural parents have signed a separate authorization form containing the same clause which is kept in each participant file in the Regional Service Centers. If participants or host families do not have a copy of this form and it is requested by a doctor or a hospital, contact your Regional Service Center.
Serious illness and hospital admittance
Serious illness and hospital admittance must be reported immediately to AFS Regional Service Center staff or the AFS Duty Officer (if after hours). The information will be conveyed to the participant’s natural family via the AFS Partner office in the participant’s home country. If an AFS participant is admitted to a hospital, this must be reported to an AFS office immediately in order to inform natural parents in the partner country. It is important to have the following information when making the report:
Name and country of participant
Date of accident or commencement of illness that led to hospitalization
Date and approximate time of hospitalization
Name, address and phone number of hospital
Name and telephone number of attending physician
Diagnosis of illness/injury and prognosis for recovery
Treatment – what medication is being given, what other tests are planned
Automobile accidents
Automobile accidents must be reported to the AFS Regional Service Center as quickly as possible. Even if there is no apparent injury, the AFS participant must be seen by a physician. The accident form included in the appendix to the manual on the back of the Medical Claim Form (and also in the Host Family Handbook and below) should be completed and forwarded to the Regional Service Center. Your Regional Service Center must be called if there is a medical emergency (800-876-2377). If the RSC is closed, it is necessary to contact the Duty Officer (800-876-2376). AFS-USA has power of attorney to act on the behalf of the participant in the case of medical emergencies. Minor illnesses or routine treatments need not be reported to the Regional Service Center.
Immunizations
Participants should have all required Immunizations prior to traveling to the US. However, complete records are not always included in the application. If the school informs the student of a missing immunization, the first step is to ask your Local/Area Team contact for a Health Addendum form. If the immunization is missing from the Addendum, please contact your Regional Service Center so your Staff Support Coordinator can request complete records from the partner country. If the coordinator confirms that there is no record, the participant will be required to get the immunization with payment being the responsibility of the natural family. It is often very much appreciated if a participant can receive this service from a free or discount clinic.
Please Click Here for a copy of the Medical Insurance Claim Form.