Health Care & Health Insurance
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICESOrientation
- The US Health Care System
- University of St. Thomas Health Service
- Mandatory Health Insurance
- Health Examination
- Immunizations
The US Health Care System
The American system of health care is a private system; the government does not run it. Each person is responsible for paying his or her own medical bills. Medical costs in the US are extremely high. For example, it would cost $500 to spend one night in the hospital, not including any fees paid to the doctor or to the laboratories for testing. The cost of a simple broken arm could be anywhere from $500 to $5,000. Since medical bills would be a great financial hardship for students, the University of St. Thomas requires all international students to buy health insurance.
University of St. Thomas Health Service
http://www.stthomas.edu/studenthealth
The University of St. Thomas has its own Health Service. Their staff and services will meet most of your routine health care needs. The Health Service is open from 8:00 am-4:30 pm, Monday-Friday, when school is in session, and at reduced hours during summer. The clinic is staffed by nurse practitioners, physicians and nurses. These services are open to all registered UST students. UST Student Health Services will bill your insurance company for the cost of these services. Any UST Student Health Services costs not covered by your health insurance will be added to your UST student account.
Mandatory Health Insurance
The University requires all international students to have health insurance. Click here for more information.
This health insurance offers good coverage for medical problems for a reasonable price. We have enclosed the “Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan” brochure. Buying health insurance ensures that, in case of a major medical problem or emergency, most of your medical costs would be paid for by the insurance company (up to $75,000). Please contact OISS for summer raters. Be sure to read the provisions, exclusions and costs of this policy carefully.
No insurance will cover a “pre-existing condition” or illness that you had before you bought the health insurance policy. If you had insurance in the U.S. immediately before taking our policy then you can waive the pre-existing condition clause. Dental and optical care is not covered by insurance in the US, so we strongly urge you to get dental and optical work done before you leave home.
Health Examination
It is mandatory for all undergraduate students to complete the University of St. Thomas Health Examination Form and return it to the Admission Office before your admission to the University can be finalized. This form was mailed to you with your Letter of Admission.
Immunizations
The state of Minnesota requests MMR and Tetanus/Diphtheria dates on all students. All students are required to submit proof of certain immunizations in order to register at St. Thomas. Immunization information is to be entered under the Student Service tab via Murphy Online at http://banner.stthomas.edu. No changes can be made once this information is entered. You may contact Student Health Service at 651-962-6750 with updates, changes or questions.
Registration holds will be placed on all undergraduate students and all international students that do not enter this information by the 45th day of classes.
Please check your medical history/records before you leave home.
Minnesota Law requires that all students who are born after December 31, 1956 and enrolled in a public or private post-secondary school in Minnesota must be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, & rubella, and provide a month and year of vaccinations that were given on or after their first birthday. Any vaccination before the age of one is not acceptable.
If you have had measles, mumps, or rubella, the law requires that you either have a blood titre (blood test) done to prove immunity (please send a copy of the laboratory work) or a physician’s signed document attesting to the disease, and also the month and year in which you had the disease.
The law also requires that you have a diphtheria-tetanus vaccination within the last ten years. Please provide the month and year of that vaccination also. There is no titre (blood test) that is acceptable as proof of immunity for diphtheria-tetanus.
If you have a medical condition that precludes the administration of the necessary vaccinations, please have a physician sign a medical waiver explaining the condition and why the immunizations should not be done.
If you have a philosophical objection to the immunizations, please write the objection and have your signature notarized by a notary public. Please be aware that if an outbreak of measles, mumps or rubella does occur, persons requesting medical waiver or philosophical objection will not be allowed to attend classes until the outbreak is over.
If it is impossible for you to complete this information prior to your arrival, there is a community health clinic that will provide the immunizations for a fee of about $45.
To provide you with the most appropriate medical care, Student Health Services recommends that you complete the health history information and physical examination form. These forms are also available on Murphy Online. Student athletes are required to submit these forms – they are merely recommended for all other students.
