ThunderWorld
Medical Insurance
All international students at Highline Community College must have medical insurance.
If you have insurance from your home country that is valid in the U.S., you do not need to buy more, but you must fill out an insurance waiver each quarter. An insurance waiver is a form you must have to so you will not be charged the fee.
If you are not adequately insured, you will need to buy insurance each quarter at Highline.
- Buy HCC medical insurance
- Get an insurance waiver
- Get insurance during OPT
- Go to the doctor
- Get reimbursed for my medication
Health Insurance through Highline
Highline Community College offers health insurance for its international students and their dependents
through HTH Worldwide.
- Student coverage: $207.00 per quarter
- Spousal coverage: $414.00 per quarter
- Each dependent child: $207.00 per quarter
Under the Highline policy, the office visit co-payment is $15 and the hospital or emergency room co-payment is $50.
Rates are subject to change year to year.
Payment for your insurance is charged automatically when you register. To get an insurance ID card and a handbook, you need to go to the International Student Programs office and show the receipt.
For detailed information on what is covered under this insurance plan, please see http://fiig-insurance.com/pdf/highline.pdf.
Spouse and Children
If you would like to buy insurance for your spouse or children, you must go to the International Student Programs office and get a fee form. Then, you can take this fee form to the Cashier and pay the required amount. Please make sure to pay insurance for your spouse and children within
the first week of the quarter.
Highline's Insurance Provider: HTH Worldwide
HTH Worldwide is the insurance company for Highline's
international students. The
Firebird International Insurance
Group's web site contains all the information you need to take
advantage of your insurance benefits. From the homepage, click
on "Students," then "Washington," then "Highline Community College."
Or, you can follow the links below:
- Find a doctor or hospital
- Claim form
- Prescription form
- Print brochure "Blanket Student Accident and Sickness Plan" for Highline Community College
Highline Insurance Customer Service
For customer service, eligibility or benefits questions, please call
Steve Hunter at 1-800-899-4233. You can also find information
online at
www.fiig-insurance.com.
Helpful Hints:
In the United States, it is common for people to go to a doctor's
office (not a hospital) when they are sick. We do not usually
go to the Emergency Room (also called the "ER") unless it is a real
emergency. The reason for this is simple: it is very
expensive to go to the Emergency Room! Keep that in mind when
choosing where to seek medical treatment.
- Keep your insurance card with you at all times, and show it to your doctor or hospital when you seek medical treatment.
- Complete all forms you are sent accurately and respond quickly to requests for information from the claims administrator. Keep copies of everything!
Useful English Terms:
Acute: A pain or problem that may be severe but short term
Claim form: A document used to tell the insurance company about covered medical expenses billed directly to you. When you file the claim, the insurance company will either pay you back for money spent (also called "reimburse"), or they will pay the health care provider for you.
Co-payment: Some amount of money the patient is expected to pay for a doctor's visit to share the cost with the insurance company.
Explanation of Benefits (EOB): A document you receive by mail after seeing a doctor or going to a hospital. It shows the charges for the medical services you receive, the amount paid by your insurance company, and the amount you need to pay (if any). Keep this document for your records.
Health Care or Medical Provider: Doctor or other health worker, doctor's office, hospital, etc. that provides medical services.
Physician: Doctor
PPO: Preferred Provider Organization. This is used to describe a network of doctors and hospitals that are approved by a specific insurance company. When patients use doctors within the network, the cost is less expensive. When patients go to a doctor outside the network, some expenses may not be fully covered by the insurance company.
Primary Care Physician: The central doctor you go to for general problems. If necessary, the primary care physician usually refers patients to other specialists.
Practitioner: Doctor (person who practices medicine).