HEALTH / MEDICAL INFORMATION
Healthcare in Costa Rica is very good. Life expectancy is among the highest in the world. There are many clinics and hospitals, both public and private, and they are considerably less expensive than comparable care in the United States. The center keeps a list of health care professionals who have been able to provide care for our students in the past. This list includes psychologists, doctors, dentists and gynecologists.
A) New Policy
All students are reminded that international Health Insurance is mandatory prior to leaving for the departure city as per Long Island University and Global College regulations and policies. A copy of the health insurance policy should be sent to Global College World Headquarters in Brooklyn and two copies should be taken with the student to Costa Rica, one for the Faculty Advisor and one for the student. It is the student’s responsibility to provide copies of these forms to his or her Faculty Advisor during the first week of orientation. International health insurance may range from USD 530-1,255 per year, and we recommend that you purchase a policy that includes emergency evacuation and repatriation services in the advent of a medical emergency or security crisis.
International SOS is the world’s largest provider of integrated medical and security assistance, including evacuation services. SOS offers two membership rates: Access membership and Service membership. Access membership offers global medical evacuation and repatriation services and twenty-four hour medical referral for 170 USD per year. The Service membership offers the same service and will pay for the cost of evacuation and/or repatriation for 350 USD per year. The Access membership is recommended to students with a medical insurance policy that covers but does not arrange for medical evacuation and repatriation services. The Service membership is recommended for students with a medical insurance policy that does not cover expenses incurred for medical evacuation and repatriation.
B) Review of the Foreign Waiver and Release from Liability Form
All full-time and part-time matriculated students and visiting students of the Global College studying at the Costa Rica Center must review the Foreign Waiver and sign the Release from Liability Form provided by Global College and Long Island University. Copies of these forms should be sent to Global College World Headquarters and provided to the Faculty Advisor at the Costa Rica Center at the first advising session during the orientation period. It is further acknowledged by the student, and any legal representative of the student and the student’s immediate family, that the Friends World Program Costa Rica Center faculty and staff, including but not limited to the Academic Director, take no legal or financial liability for the student’s health and safety during their period of study in Costa Rica.
Be sure you arrange for health insurance prior to arriving in Costa Rica. You must have coverage for doctor and hospitalization expenses. If you decide not to use the Long Island University Health Insurance Plan, you must sign the Long Island University Health Insurance Waiver online. Otherwise you will be charged for the Long Island University Insurance Plan. The waiver deadline is XXXXXX, for the fall 2007 semester and XXXXXXXXX, for the spring 2008 semester.
If you are a continuing student who signed the waiver last semester, please sign the waiver again. If you are not allowed to enter the system and receive a message that states your waiver from last semester is still valid, then you need to take no further steps.
If you are a new student who wishes to fill out a waiver, please follow the steps below:
Insurance Waiver and Enrollment Procedures
Please be advised that Long Island University has implemented a web-based approach to the waiver and enrollment processes of the compulsory student health insurance plans for the 2007-08 academic year. If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact Long Island University's agent, Special Risk Consultants Inc., at 800-322-9901 for further instructions and forms. In order to waive compulsory enrollment, review benefits and rates, or request an early ID card, please visit the following website:
https://secure.visit-aci.com/enrollment/home/LIU.htm
<file:///\\localhost\enrollment\home\LIU.htm>
This is a secure website and the information you provide will be held in strict confidence.
Students who choose to purchase health insurance through LIU will receive a temporary insurance card at the beginning of the semester. This card will serve as the student’s proof of insurance until the official card has been processed. Students can expect to receive their permanent card in November. <HOW TO REQUEST TEMPORARY CARD ONLINE?>.
To Waivethe Liu Insurance Charge:
STEP 1: Log on to the above-referenced website.
STEP 2: Select the "Waive" button and complete the series of questions which will identify your compulsory status.
STEP 3: Provide the information requested about your current valid coverage.
STEP 4: Upon completion of the waiver process, Print and Retain a receipt evidencing proof that the request for insurance waiver has been received. In the event of discrepancies, only this receipt will serve as acceptable proof of compliance with the waiver provisions.
Please follow your instructions from Admissions or the Registrar regarding University health insurance policies.
It is vital to have Health Insurance. Please, find out the procedures and exactly what your insurance policy covers. It is important to be aware that in most cases you will have to pay upfront, and the insurance company will reimburse you when you go back home. In other words, it is important to bring some extra money, (credit cards work just fine in Costa Rica) to cover any medical emergency.
C) Immunizations
Information on immunizations and other health-related topics are given here as a guide, not as authoritative medical advice. You should, of course, have a basic checkup and talk to your doctor before you come, and provide Admissions (for new students) or the Registrar (for continuing students) with all appropriate paperwork.
You or your physician should check with the Center for Disease Control for the most current update on the region you are traveling to. Their web page is http://www.cdc.gov/ If you want updated information from the U. S. State Department on the country you are traveling to, check http://travel.state.gov/.
When you see your doctor, tell him or her that you will be living in Costa Rica for several months and visiting rural and urban areas of Costa Rica and other Central American countries, probably including Nicaragua, Ecuador and perhaps others. If you plan to do any traveling after the end of the semester or year, be sure to mention where you will be headed so that you can take care of that as well.
Costa Rica does not require you to have any specific vaccinations or immunizations in order to enter the country, although your doctor or other sources may recommend certain ones. It is recommended that you get a Hepatitis A shot (Immune Globulin). This gives your immune system a boost while your body gets used to the different food, water, etc.
We take the health situation into account when planning field trips, and have never had serious problems. Malaria does exist in Central America, but we do not spend time in malaria endemic areas and do not consider it necessary for students to take anti-malarial drugs because of the side effects. If you should decide that you do want to take them, talk to your physician about it.
Most people's inoculations are not up to date. Check with your doctor to see if you need boosters for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Poliomyelitis, Measles, Rubella, Mumps or Chicken pox. All inoculations and immunizations should be recorded in the yellow booklet called "International Certificates of Vaccination."
It is recommended that you have a tuberculin skin test while still in the United States. Assuming this test is negative, it should be repeated on your return to the States. If you are a woman and on the Pill, you should bring enough to last you through the semester or year. Birth control pills are available over the counter in Costa Rica, but not all kinds or all brands are available. Condoms are easily available.
You can drink the water in San José and the surrounding areas. If you travel to rural areas, you should definitely not drink the water. Bottled water is available everywhere.
Make sure your vaccinations are updated, so you are as well protected as possible. If you have any health problems, please go to your doctor and get a full treatment before arriving to the Costa Rica Center. It is a good idea to get the "flu shot", especially if you are coming for Fall semester because it is the rainy season.
