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With 42 institutions, the Texas Medical Center in Houston is one of the
largest incorporated medical centers in the world.
Office of International Students & Scholars
Lovett Hall, Entrance A, Second Floor
Rice University, Houston TX Phone: (713) 348-6095 Fax: (713) 348-6058
Medical Care Requirement and Cost
Medical costs in the United States are very high. All students at Rice University are required to have health insurance coverage, and show proof of coverage before registering for classes. All non-immigrant visa holders and their dependents are required to carry insurance for the duration of their program.Health insurance is necessary for everyone in the United States.
For students: As stated above, the yearly individual cost for health insurance is about $1500-$2200(without any doctoral student departmental subsidy), depending on the coverage desired. Family coverage is also available and is absolutely necessary for married students. Please see the information about family coverage listed below. A Health Service Fee of approximately $207 per semester is also required by Rice University. This fee pays for your use of campus health service only. It is entirely separate from the health insurance which helps pay for hospital or physician bills off campus.
For new students: The Health Data Form
must be completed and mailed to the Student Health Service at Rice University before August 1st. The address is:
RICE UNIVERSITY STUDENT HEALTH SERVICE
6100 MAIN ST. MS#760
HOUSTON, TX 77005
USA
For scholars: If you are going to be paid by Rice for a “benefits eligible” position, you may apply for coverage under the Rice employee group health insurance plan. Under this plan, you will pay a portion of the insurance charges for yourself and your family. *Note: J visa holders will still need to buy additional insurance for Repatriation and Medical Evacuation for a small cost, information may be obtained at OISS. If you are coming in “complimentary” status, or for some other reason will not be considered eligible for benefits, you will need to buy an alternate insurance policy to cover yourself and your family. In addition to the Rice University policies, there are other insurance plans available for short and long-term visitors to the United States. Information about health insurance as well as some alternative insurance policy brochures are available in the OISS.
Estimated Insurance Charges as of July 2007 (all charges subject
to change)
:
Rice Plan (Student)
Student only
$2193/year
Student and spouse
$5206/year
Each child
$2217/year
Rice Plan (Employees)*
Scholar only
$60-$140/month
With spouse or children
$200-$410/month
With family (spouse and children)
$335-$700/month
Alternate plan available to meet J-1 scholar health insurance requirements
Student/scholar
$960/year or $80/month
For spouse
$3840/year or $320/month
Each child
$1440/year or $120/month
*(Only if Benefits Eligible-However, additional
insurance coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation is required.
For more information, please contact the Office of International Students & Scholars)
For Rice University student plan details, click here.
For Rice University student health plan discount information for doctoral students, click here.
There are three insurance options available to Rice internationals:
1) University-approved insurance plan
2) Alternate insurance plan meeting all minimum requirements – Rice internationals may choose to participate in an alternate insurance plan of their choice, so long as the insurance plan meets all the requirements listed below. If an insurance plan does not cover medical evacuation and repatriation, please select option #3.
3) Alternate insurance plan + supplemental medical evacuation & repatriation plan – Rice internationals may choose to participate in an alternate plan that does not cover medical evacuation & repatriation, however, they will need to purchase a separate supplemental plan to meets all the minimum insurance requirements. The cost of this additional insurance plan is $18 (individual) or $40 (family) per year.
Minimum requirements for alternate insurance plan**:
Medical benefits of at least $50,000 for each accident or illness (a higher benefit is better)
Medical evacuation in the amount of $10,000, should you need to be sent home on the advice of a doctor
Repatriation of remains in the amount of $7,500, should you die while in the U.S.
Coverage must include the semester for which you are at Rice University
Minimum 75% coverage for each accident or illness
Maximum deductible of $100 per condition per plan year
A pre-existing “wait period” limitation of no more than six months
The policy must be backed by the full faith and credit of home country government (for those covered by their home country's national insurance plan), or the company providing the insurance must meet minimum rating requirements established by the U.S. government (an A.M. Best rating of "A-" or above, an Insurance Solvency International, Ltd. (ISI) rating of "A-i" or above, a Standard & Pool's Claims-paying Ability rating of "A-" or above, or a Research, Inc. rating of B+ or above).
Policy must be in English
** NOTE : Minimum requirements, by law, must be met for all F-1 and J-1 visa holders and their dependents. Although other visa categories are not required by law to meet these minimum requirements, we highly recommend purchasing insurance using these guidelines.
Important note
for all Rice University J-1 visa holders:
When you register with the OISS, you will be required to certify that you will purchase health insurance for you and you family. Failure to maintain adequate health insurance can, by law, result in the termination of your J-1 status. The Rice employee or student plan plus the supplementary plan, or the alternate insurance plan, should be satisfactory for the legal visa requirements. The Rice employee plan needs to be supplemented by another policy to cover insurance for medical evacuation and repatriation expenses. The cost of this extra insurance plan is $20 (individual) and $40 (family) per year.
Dental and eye examinations
The health insurance charges listed above do not include routine dental and eye examinations nor charges for dental work and eyeglasses. You must pay for these procedures yourself. The normal charge for a full dental exam is about $100. Dental work is quite expensive. Eye examinations cost about $100. Glasses can cost $125 or more. It is highly recommended that you have your eyes and teeth cared for before coming to Rice.
All students should complete the medical form
required for admission in his/her home country, as medical check-up in the
U.S. is very expensive.
For Chinese speaking students/scholars:
A medical terminology handbook has been created to assist you when you go to the doctor in the U.S. This terminology handbook was designed to translate the most common symptoms and complaints in both Chinese and English, to assist the patient - doctor communication. Please click here to print out a copy to take with you to the doctor.
