Participant Insurance
CIEE is pleased to provide all program participants with insurance coverage under the group sickness, accident, and travel insurance policy maintained by CIEE and administered by AIG Travel Guard (pdf), the industry’s leading provider of travel insurance plans. The policy is designed to supplement private insurance by providing additional coverage for the cost of accidents and routine sicknesses while abroad. Additionally, the policy offers Emergency Evacuation and Emergency Medical Transportation coverage, 24-hour Medical, Legal, and Travel Assistance Services, Travel Document Replacement, as well as limited Travel Delay, Baggage Delay, and Baggage and Personal Effects coverage.
Before you depart for your program it is important that you understand that the coverage provided by AIG Travel Guard begins only when you leave the U.S., and ends immediately upon your return to the U.S. For coverage in the U.S., you must purchase or maintain a separate insurance plan. CIEE strongly recommends that you consider retaining your U.S. health insurance, including hospitalization, even while abroad. This will cover you both before you leave and after you return from your program; and should you have an accident or illness abroad that requires long term care, you will have insurance upon your return to cover these expenses. Otherwise you may find it difficult to purchase a health plan if you return to the U.S. with what an insurance company considers to be a pre-existing condition.
Like all travel insurance policies, the coverage provided by AIG Travel Guard is supplemental or secondary to any other coverage in existence. In other words, if you are covered by another insurance policy – e.g., a personal policy or a policy maintained by your parents – then that policy is your primary policy. Prior to departure, you should contact your primary insurance carrier concerning coverage for accidents, illnesses, and liability cases that occur outside the U.S. Check your policy’s limitations before making any assumptions about coverage.
A complete description of the benefits and basic provisions of the insurance policy is included with participant acceptance materials. It is important to read the policy carefully and note exactly what coverage it provides, noting the items that are excluded from coverage. Please note that CIEE does not cover medical expenses on-site. Students pay for any medical costs incurred and then file a claim directly with the insurance company for reimbursement. CIEE does not act as an intermediary between participants and the insurance company.
As a service to participants who may choose to travel independently before or after their CIEE program, CIEE is pleased to extend coverage under its group sickness, accident, and travel insurance policy for 365 days from the participant’s effective date of coverage. The effective date of coverage is generally two weeks prior to a participant’s CIEE program start date.