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As many of you might know, the Italian Embassy requires non-European citizens to have proof of health insurance. The policy needs to provide coverage specifically in Italy and meet the specific health insurance requirements the Italian Embassy has set forth.
The Italian government requires a signed declaration from the insurance company, also known as the certificate of coverage, that is accepted by the Italian Embassy as proof of insurance. This letter must include the following:
-The dates of coverage must be for the entire trip
-The policy is valid in Italy
-Emergency Medical Evacuation, Hospitalization, Medical Expenses and Repatriation are included in coverage
-The policy provides at least $45,000 (or 30,000 euros) in coverage
To further elaborate, Italy is part of the Schengen Treaty countries. Thus, your health insurance plan must meet Schengen visa requirements. You will need to provide a visa letter from your insurance company that states you are particularly covered in Italy. You will also need to show proof that you have coverage for medical expenses, hospitalizations, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation. Coverage for these benefits must not be less than 30,000 euros. When you go to your visa consulate appointment, make sure you bring your visa letter from the insurance company. The visa letter must show that you are covered for all the above benefits as well as the particular dates you are requesting the visa for. We offer two policies that meet and exceed the visa insurance requirements for Italy.
The Atlas International plan provides coverage for inpatient and outpatient services, prescription drugs, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, doctor office visits, etc. This plan allows you to choose your maximum coverage limit (from $50,000 to $1,000,000) and your deductible (from $0 to $2,500). This plan provides worldwide coverage excluding your home country. To be eligible for this plan, you do not have to be a student but you must be outside of your home country.
The Student Secure plan is for full time college students. Student Secure comes in two levels, budget and select. The plan provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical coverage up to $250,000 (budget) or $300,000 (select). The plan also includes maternity, mental health, prescription drugs, sports coverage, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, doctor office visits, etc. You have the option to pay for it all at once or on a monthly basis.
You can apply directly online for these plans. After you purchase the plan, you can receive all of your insurance documents immediately via e-mail. This e-mail will include your visa letter, receipt, insurance card and policy details. You can simply print these documents out, particularly your visa letter, and provide them to the Italian Embassy. Many plans, including the Atlas Travel and Student Secure, provide these letters once the policy has been purchased.
What are insurance ratings and why are they important to me?
Nothing is more important to a policyholder than the financial strength of their insurance company. You should always make sure that the plan you purchase is underwritten by a carrier with a great rating. By doing this, you can feel confident that your eligible claims will be paid. In fact, this is even a requirement to obtain most visas, including the J-1 visa.
Some of the world’s largest insurance carriers, such as Lloyds of London and IHI, provide clients with peace of mind knowing that they have a stable and secure carrier behind them. The Atlas Travel and Student Secure plans are underwritten by Lloyds of London. Lloyd’s of London is the largest and oldest insurance market in the world, with 317 years of experience insuring individuals and corporations internationally. Rated A (Excellent) by AM Best Company, and A (Strong) by Standard and Poor’s.
One plan that is insured by Lloyd’s of London is the Citizen Secure plan. This plan is a comprehensive annually renewable plan. It provides up to $5,000,000 worth of coverage and includes coverage for doctor office visits, prescription drugs, maternity, surgery, hospitalizations, diagnostic testing, lab work, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, etc. You have various deductible options: $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 that you can choose. This plan comes in two levels, Citizen Secure and Citizen Secure Economy. The main difference between the two plans is that the Citizen Economy plan has capped benefits (this means each benefit has a certain limit it pays up to). This plan will cover you all over the world and you can chose to include or exclude the US and Canada in coverage
Insurance benefits and terms can be tricky to understand at first even to seasoned insurance buyers. However, it’s important to understand fully what your policy covers and doesn’t cover. If you don’t, you may be caught in a situation where your policy doesn’t cover it and you may have a high medical bill to pay all yourself.
Let’s take for example, maternity benefits. These benefits will vary in most insurance policies you look at. Some policies may cover it after a 12 month waiting period, some may cover it right away and others might not cover it at all. You also want to make sure how much it covers and what the actual limit it is covered up to. For instance, the Citizen Secure policy offers maternity benefits after 12 month of continuous coverage. Covered maternity benefits include pre-natal, delivery and post-natal care. The insurance company will pay 50% of the next $100,000 worth of eligible expenses after the deductible, then 100% to a lifetime maximum of $250,000. On this policy the deductible is per certificate period and you must meet it before the insurance company will pay towards your eligible expenses. You will also have coinsurance if you choose not to go within the PPO. If you choose to go within the PPO, then you would have 0% coinsurance.
Maternity benefits for the Student Secure policy are quite different. If you are not pregnant before the policy is effective, then you receive full maternity benefits from the first day your policy starts. Covered maternity benefits include but are not limited to pre-natal, delivery and post-natal care as well as expenses for miscarriage and complications of pregnancy. Like all benefits on this policy, maternity benefits are first subject to the deductible and coinsurance. The deductible for this policy is $100 per injury or illness. Coinsurance is dependent upon which level you purchase. On the budget level, the insurance company will pay 80% of the next $10,000 worth of eligible expenses (after the deductible), then 100% to the overall limit ($250,000). On the select level, the insurance company will pay 100% of eligible expenses (after the deductible) up to the overall limit ($300,000) if you go within the PPO or to the student health center.
Finally, the Atlas Travel series policy does not offer maternity benefits. However, if you are already pregnant then this may be the only option we offer. The Atlas series does offer coverage for complications of pregnancy up to the 26th week. This is defined as illnesses whose diagnoses are distinct from pregnancy, but are adversely affected by pregnancy or cause by pregnancy, and not associated with a normal pregnancy. Like the other two plans, benefits are subject to the deductible and coinsurance. With this policy, you have the freedom to choose your deductible (ranging from $0 up to $2,500) and your policy limit (from $50,000 up to $1,000,000). Coinsurance is 100% of eligible expenses while outside the U.S. and inside the U.S. (if you go within the PPO).
