Healthcare and Insurance

Students should contact the Barnard Student Health Service at (212) 854-2091 to schedule a pre-travel visit 4-6 weeks in advance of your departure. You may need to update routine vaccines or you may need recommended or required vaccines based on travel destination (the CDC is our resource for recommendations: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/). A pre-travel visit consists of any needed vaccination and travel health counseling. Travel health counseling covers topics such as water and food precautions and personal protective measures against mosquitoes and insects that carry disease. Depending on where your study abroad program takes you, you may need prescriptions for malaria, traveler's diarrhea, altitude sickness prevention and more.

Health Insurance

It is crucial to be covered by a health insurance policy wherever you are traveling in the world.  If you require the services of a doctor abroad or require hospital treatment, usually you must pay cash and  request receipts for which you can be reimbursed in the US. There are a number of companies that offer medical expense insurance coverage and/or travel assistance specifically for people studying or traveling abroad. You may be required to pay for additional health insurance (over and above your family's and/or Barnard's Student Health insurance) through your program.  This is usually due to requirements in the countries in which you will be studying. In some cases the medical insurance offered by your program can be waived because you have insurance through your parents or Barnard.  Check with your program about their requirements and the services that will be provided in country.

If you have waived out of Barnard's Aetna Student Health Insurance you should be in contact with your insurance provider prior to going abroad to determine the parameters of your international coverage. In addition, you should check to see if your insurance offers medical evacuation, repatriation and travel assistance coverage. Should your insurance not have the extra evacuation and repatriation coverage, you may purchase that separately from Aetna Student Health at a cost of $36/semester or $66/year by going to AetnaStudentHealth.com and finding the Barnard College page. More information about On Call International, the extra evacuation and repatriation coverage, can be found here: www.oncallinternational.com.

If you are enrolled in Barnard's Aetna Student Health Insurance, you are covered under this insurance anywhere in the world for up to $1.25 million for each illness/injury. Barnard's Aetna Student Health insurance will not reimburse for wellness care e.g. physicals. For more information, go to their web site atwww.aetnastudenthealth.com or ask Elliot Wasserman, Department Manager at the Barnard College Student Health Service, phone 212 854-8305. In addition, any student who is a member of the Aetna Student Health insurance is automatically enrolled in On-Call International which is your guide to everything healthcare in the country you are studying in and has an emergency evacuation/repatriation benefit as well. Please see their website atwww.oncallinternational.com for more information. If you are currently enrolled in Barnard's Aetna Student Health insurance please note that you CAN NOT opt out of it for one semester, you must be enrolled for the entire academic year.