medical insurance
LOS ANGELES HARBOR COLLEGE
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM
Medical Insurance
All full-time international (F-1 Visa) students are required to participate in the Los Angeles Community College District approved medical insurance plan for international students studying in the U.S. Participation is mandatory and there are no waivers. The medical insurance, which is a Blue Cross PPO plan, offers coverage at the exceptionally low rate of $498* for six months of coverage. (*Subject to adjustment once per year.)
Students enrolling in the fall semester receive medical insurance coverage from August 15th through January 31st. Students enrolling in the spring receive coverage from February 1st through August 14th. Students starting as full-time students outside of the normal semester periods will be charged a monthly rate until the next semester cycle begins.
Part time international (F-1 visa) students from other colleges enrolling at L.A. Harbor College are not expected to pay the medical insurance fee. However, because the fee is automatically charged upon enrollment, part-time students need to visit the International Student Office (ISO) each semester they attend--as required for part-time admittance or continued part-time attendance--with a letter of permission from their current school's ISO, their current passport, and their I-20. At that time, the medical insurance charge will be manually blocked. Unless the charge is blocked or removed shortly after enrollment, it may not be impossible to remove the charge. As a result, part time students should check the Student Information System to ensure that they are not being charged for this medical insurance. If they are, they need to contact the ISO immediately.
The medical insurance fee must be paid at the time of enrollment. Medical insurance identification cards are distributed by the insurance agent (Renaissance Insurance; tel.: 1-800-537-1777; www.renstudent.com) on behalf of the provider (Anthem Blue Cross of California). The cards are mailed directly to the student at the student's local home address listed on the college's student information system. If student has not received his or her medical insurance card within two or three weeks of enrollment, student should contact the ISO or Renaissance Insurance at 1-800-537-1777. (The Renaissance representative will ask for the name of the student's school, the student's full name and date of birth, student college identification number, and date of enrollment at the college.) If student needs medical attention before receipt of medical identification card, student can contact Renaissance for his or her medical identification number.
L.A. Harbor College students who have completed the education component of their programs and are on OPT may make arrangements with Renaissance directly if they wish to continue their student medical insurance. OPT students who take class part time will be automatically charged the medical insurance fee unless the student has contacted the International Student Office in a timely manner to have it blocked or removed.
Medical Insurance Type: Anthem Blue Cross PPO
Co-Pay: The amount of money the patient is required to pay when visiting a doctor or hospital. The LACCD Blue Cross PPO plan has a co-pay of $25 per doctor's visit and a co-pay of $100 for an emergency room visit. Co-pays can be waived or refunded if the student receives a written referral from Nurse Carole Stevenson in the Student Health Center at Los Angeles Harbor College.
Finding a Doctor: Go to www.renstudent.com. Click on "Student." Select "Los Angeles Community College District" for school.
Urgent Care: Many hospitals have Urgent Care Centers where patients are treated by a doctor and the co-pay for Urgent Care is the same as that for a doctor. Emergency Rooms should only be used if the medical condition appears to be an emergency. If a patient goes to an emergency room and the condition is not life threatening as determined by a nurse practioner in the emergency room, the patient may wait an hour or more from treatment especially if the emergency room is filled with patients with life and death emergencies.
Detailed information about this policy can be found at Los Angeles Community College District .
Campus Student Health Center Information
Location: CA (Cafeteria) 110
Tel: (310) 233-4520
Office Hours:
Mon & Wed: 8:30 - 4:00
Tues & Thurs: 9:30 - 4:00
Fridays: 8:30 - 12:00
Visit the Student Health Center page for more information.