Review of Patriot Exchange from International Medical Group

Editor Review

The Good: Short-term medical insurance coverage designed to meet the U.S. J1 visa travel insurance requirements, this plan is designed for faculty and students studying abroad. Offered in two levels – standard and basic – both plans provide coverage for dependents and may be purchased in monthly increments. Optional add-on coverage for baggage, legal assistance, personal liability and participation in high school sports available. Additional optional rider for adventure sports.

The Drawbacks: The plan offers limited coverage for pre-existing conditions and caps the coverage for injuries and illnesses due to terrorist events.

The Bottom Line: Offered by a trusted provider, Patriot Exchange ensures students, faculty, and their dependents have broad and inclusive medical benefits, including hospital stays, physician visits, emergency room expenses, prescription drugs, and more when traveling abroad.

Coverage – Standard

Benefits	Maximum
Medical expenses	$10,000 (per injury/illness) $5,000,000 (lifetime)
Emergency dental	$500 ($250 for sudden pain)
Emergency evacuations	$50,000
Repatriation	$25,000
AD&D	$25,000
24/7 assistance services	Yes

Coverage – Basic

Benefits	Maximum
Medical expenses	$10,000 (per injury/illness) $5,000,000 (lifetime)
Emergency evacuations	$25,000
Repatriation	$7,500
Flight accident AD&D	$5,500
24/7 assistance services	Yes

Plan Details

This plan is unique in that it provides the following:

Plan covers students, faculty members, scholars and participants in exchange programs, including their dependents.
Political evacuations are covered up to $10,000.
Plan includes up to $15,000 for emergency reunion if the insured is hospitalized.
Incidental trips home are covered up to a cumulative two weeks per coverage period (minimum 30 days).
Plan includes access to a universal prescription pharmacy drug program.
Register for IMG’s online support service, MyIMG^SM, for access to providers, explanation of benefits, status of claims, ID cards, certificate documents, and more.

Optional Coverage

The following optional coverage is available when you purchase this plan:

Optional sports coverage available for those under age 65 participating in adventure sports for recreation (not professionally).
Optional travel add-on plan available for loss/theft of baggage ($250), legal assistance ($500 when served with summons), personal liability to an injured third party ($2,000 after $100 deductible), and damage to a third-party’s property ($500 after $100 deductible).

Limitations

The following are the limitations on this plan’s coverage:

Medical injuries and illnesses are subject to a $100 deductible or $5 student health center co-pay.
No dental coverage in the basic version of this plan.
Additional deductible ($250) for emergency room illness without in-patient admission.
Plan offers limited coverage ($5,000 for medical and $25,000 for evacuation) if the insured experiences a sudden recurrence of a pre-existing condition. After this limit is exhausted, the plan allows only $500 per year after 12 months of continuous coverage.
Coverage for terrorist acts is limited to $50,000.