Health Insurance and Health Form

The second step in preparing to arrive at St. Ambrose is all about your health!   

Health Insurance

All St. Ambrose international students are required to have health insurance. If you are a J-1 visa holder, immigration law requires that you have a minimum level of health insurance coverage during your entire stay in the US. 

Important note: Health insurance plans in the US vary greatly.  Generally, plans that cost less provide you with less coverage, and plans that cost more provide you with better coverage.  Student health insurance plans are often designed to cover emergency medical expenses for a low price, and these plans often do not cover all possible medical costs.  Many plans do not cover your costs if your illness existed before you purchased the plan (these are called "pre-existing conditions").   Therefore it is very important that you understand what is covered by your insurance policy.

You have a couple of options regarding health insurance, and you must choose one before arriving at St. Ambrose:

1. Enroll in the St. Ambrose student insurance plan. First, review the plan to see if this coverage is suitable for you. If you wish to purchase the plan, you do not need to do anything. On the first day of classes you will automatically be enrolled in this policy and the charge will appear on your university bill.  If you are a student athlete, you will require a different insurance plan and we will put you in contact with the agent for our athlete policy. 
2. Choose your own student health insurance plan.Many companies offer health insurance for students travelling abroad, and they are competitively priced.  We do not recommend one company over another, but some examples are:
   • Rust and Associates
   • ISO Student Health Insurance
   • Trawick International

If you purchase your own plan, you must let St. Ambrose know this by scanning a copy of proof of insurance to global@sau.edu. If you do not do this, you will automatically enrolled in the St. Ambrose plan, and this cost will appear on your university bill. 

St. Ambrose Health Form

The Health Form provides our on-campus nurse with the information necessary to understand your medical needs while you are here.  You should complete pages 2 and 3 of this form to the best of your ability and bring it with you when you come to campus. During orientation, you will meet with our on-campus nurse, who will collect this from you. If you have any questions on health insurance or the health form, please contact us!