In addition to CISI, all students studying through a Canadian, German, or Japanese university are required by the foreign government to carry additional health insurance. You will receive instructions and the necessary paperwork to obtain your insurance card at your host university’s orientation.

• Canada & Germany: purchase health insurance offered through individual universities
• Japan: join the National Health Insurance (NHI) system

If you are on a UW Oshkosh-sponsored program and you will arrive at your destination prior to your official program start date and/or return after your official program end date, you may need to extend your insurance coverage.  Check your insurance dates using the MyCISI Participant Portal (dates won’t post into the portal until after orientation).  If portions of your travel are not covered, contact your advisor in the OIE or email the OIE at oie@uwosh.edu to discuss your insurance dates and the potential need to extend coverage.

You must pay for any additional coverage directly to CISI at the time that you request the extension.

To extend coverage, follow the instructions in the MyCISI Participant Portal.

If studying on a UW Oshkosh-sponsored program, yes. UW System does not allow for exemption of any participant for any reason.

If you are studying through a program not sponsored by or affiliated with UW Oshkosh, sickness and accident coverage may be included in your personal health insurance plan, but it is rare for personal health insurance plans to cover medical evacuation, security evacuation, repatriation or emergency medical reunion. BEFORE you travel you should be familiar with the type of coverage you have and the steps you need to take in order to use your policy. If you are not satisfied that you have sufficient coverage, you can purchase additional coverage on your own.

Your insurance company may require you to be a full-time student in order to take advantage of lower premiums. IF you are NOT enrolled in classes at UW Oshkosh for a full semester (i.e. you are transferring credits back to UW Oshkosh at the end of a semester or year study abroad/away program), AND you are NOT enrolled for full-time credit through another accredited U.S. institution, this may affect your premiums. Information on your enrollment status is automatically extracted from UW Oshkosh records and sent to a Clearinghouse, which many insurance companies monitor. You will show up in the Clearinghouse as “not enrolled” at UW Oshkosh IF you are not enrolled for courses AT UW OSHKOSH, and your premiums may be affected.

In order to avoid problems, contact your insurance company BEFORE leaving for your study abroad/away destination. Your insurance company will either give you a form or a list of information which they need. You can fax this form/list to the institution abroad/away for verification of full-time status while studying there.

Please note that if you are on Academic Leave of Absence, you are being reported by UW Oshkosh as “not enrolled.”

Medical evacuation, security evacuation and repatriation benefits cover the insured when the insured is moved to a location outside of the host destination or returned to the U.S or home state. because a medical condition cannot be treated locally, because of a security risk at the site or because of the death of the insured. Medical reunion benefits cover a family member who travels to the location where the insured is undergoing medical treatment. If you have medical reunion, identify one or more family members who have a valid passport as your emergency contact. Anyone not holding a valid passport will need to apply for one before being able to take advantage of emergency medical reunion.

Two comprehensive security evacuation options are Global Rescue and International SOS.

At $25, the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) offered by STA Travel is a popular option for students going abroad, but is not as comprehensive as the Global Rescue or International SOS plans. The ISIC can be purchased on line; policy details are available from the link. To call STA Travel: 1-800-329-9537 (menu option “Student, youth and teacher identity cards”). A second option is to search on the internet or contact your travel agent. There are many other insurance companies that will cover you during your time abroad.

CISI insurance is not 100% comprehensive. It is each participant’s responsibility to review the policy for sufficient coverage. If you feel that coverage is insufficient, purchase additional coverage through your insurance agent. Do not cancel your current health insurance policy in the U.S. if you are going abroad. Your temporary CISI policy will cover you while you are gone and/or bring you back to the U.S./your home state, but once you return, your domestic policy will need to provide coverage.