Health Care in the U.S.

Health care systems and services, and the costs for using these, vary considerably from one part of the world to another.  These differences may affect you while you study in the United States and may affect your finances.

The United States has a quite advanced system of health care, however many people would say the cost of health care in the United States is rather high.  We encourage you to learn more about the system and costs so you can best manage your health care. All international students at Concordia are required to have valid health insurance.  A policy is available at www.GallagherKoster.com.  You pay the insurance premium for the health insurance, and if you become sick or injured the health insurance can pay some of the costs of your care.  Health insurance will not pay all of the costs of your care.

Concordia has an on campus health center that can help you in so many ways.  The health center provides certain medical services on campus, and can advise and assist you with obtaining proper treatment off campus if needed.  The staff are friendly, professional, and helpful, and they are one of the best resources available for students.

If you need medical services, Concordia health center and residence life staff can assist you with making responsible choices for obtaining care.  If you need any medical services we encourage you to please contact the health center or the residence life staff to consider options.  Other people are available to help you assess your condition and situation and options.

Calling 911 in the USA about a medical issue most likely means an ambulance will be sent to take you to an Emergency Room, meaning there will be a bill for the ambulance service of (around $800 if you are on campus) and for the Emergency Room visit (amount could be $100's or even $1,000's).  When you need medical care there may be options you can consider such as a Walk In Clinic or a phone in Ask A Nurse program or scheduling an appointment for the next day.

No one enjoys being sick or injured.  We encourage you to please visit the health center to learn more about the system of health care in the United States so you will be ready if you become sick or injured.  And if you need medical care we encourage you to seek assistance from the health center or residence life staff to help you assess your situation and discuss what options are available for you.

Health insurance is considered essential in the USA, and Concordia requires all international students have valid health insurance.  It is most common and convenient if your health insurance company has a claims office in the USA.  The most common operating procedure in USA is that you present the insurance information to the medical service provider, and the provider will bill the insurance company directly, and you need pay only the difference.  If there is no US claims office you must pay the medical service provider in full yourself, and then seek reimbursement from your insurance company.  Health insurance companies commonly negotiate discounts with medical service providers, and so if your claims office is outside the USA you likely will have to pay higher costs for medical services.

Information For:

current students
faculty and staff		 parents
alumni		 high school students
admitted students