OSEA Medical Insurance Guide. Reade here for information about the kind of medical insurance you need for your summer field study abroad. Health and Personal Planning for travel to Yucatan. Ethnography of Archaeology research at Chichen Itza. Service Learning in Sustainable Community Tourism in Yucatan. Ethnography Field School / Summer Study Abroad / Heritage Development Studies, Tourism Studies. Field School. Field Study Abroad. Mexico. Maya culture and civilization. Tourism, Anthropology of Art, performance theory, ethnographic archaelogy, ethnography of archaeology, field study abroad, Maya Riviera, Tulum, Chichen Itza, Cancun, Playa del Carmen. Learn about Maya World. Museum studies of the Maya, Maya art, Modern Maya art, traditional culture, Indigenous, Chichen Itza.
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Your participation in the OSEA Field School is dependent upon proof of adequate health, medical and emergency insurance that is during the period of participation and in México.
You have many options by which to satisfy this requirement and your health-emergency needs.
You must review your existing medical insurance to see if you are covered during the period and while out of your home country. If it does cover you, you must, in addition, verify if it includes medical evacuation and repatriation, ambulance service, and hospitalization. At a minimum this repatriation and evacuation coverage should be $15000 and full cost, respectively. If your existing insurance does not cover this, your provider may be able to give you a rider that would include these possibilities. If not, there are a few good options (see below next section). First, however, it is important to review your on-site needs for medical services.
Estimating On-Site Health Costs During your participation in the OSEA Field School it is likely that you will at some point require going to a doctor. Minimally, most participants at some point have some difficulties adjusting to the combination of intense sun and heat and diet. This can cause minor stomach pains that comes and never returns or that is prolonged. It might include more serious episodes of different types. Most of the time these issues can be avoided with careful and disciplined intake of water (always always always drink water!) and consumption of vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron via fruits (bananas, oranges, grapefruit, papaya), chile and juices (lemonade, orange, jamaica, horchata).
Nevertheless, the acute intensity of some physical ailments (i.e., vomiting or diarrhea) may require going to a doctor. Of course other issues, involving bites, allergies, etc. would absolutely require medical attention. One has the choice of very good free clinics or a pay per visit doctor. A very rough guide to costs is less than $10 for the visit plus maybe up to $20-40 for the meds. If you set aside $100 for on-site medical attention, you will most likely be rewarded with having most of that left over at the end of the program to splurge on some other expense – gifts, expensive dinner, travel to the beach, etc. If one were to develop a more serious or sustained illness that does not require hospital, only outpatient work, nor evacuation, one might spend $200-300. Such an occurrence is rare.
Another example, in summer 2008 I had a snake bite that went undetected and untreated for a week that escalated to a dangerous infection, all of which was resolved with an $80 emergency surgery at a nearby clinic in Valladolid. It was all outpatient and the meds totaled about $50. It was fast and effective. Yet, the conditions of the situation may not appeal to the US perspective of health safety.
In terms of health insurance, we estimate a likely out of pocket medical costs as a minimum deduction of $100-200. Alternatively you can make it higher or lower as your budget requires.
The real issue in terms of coverage is therefore ambulance, hospitalization, medical emergency evacuation.
Key points: First, there is an ambulance service for tourists from Pisté and Chichén to Mérida where the best hospitals and international airport are available. A huge new, high tech hospital was just completed a few years ago. Valladolid is a city with less high technology medical services but certainly your typical urban medicine.
Second, Mérida is very close to the USA and travel can be arranged quickly with short travel time. Further, the air travel can be very cheap, especially in comparison to say travel from South America, Asia, Africa, or the Pacific. If you were to try to book a one-way ticket from Mérida to Detroit for tomorrow, Expedia would sell it to you for $800. This is less than a round trip ticket to Europe and any virtually anywhere else in the world. Thus, $5000 for visitor to come to México when hospitalized is probably good enough. This is different than evacuation coverage, which should be a minimum of $15,000. There are some study abroad insurance that can provide up to $50,000 for evacuation.
Hospitalization coverage required
In all cases of insurance benefits, you must make sure that hospitalization is covered. The costs for this in México generally and in Mérida specifically are lower but very comparable to what is charged in the USA. In recent years a cutting edge hospital was built in Mérida, called StarMedica: http://www.starmedica.com/_en/service-packages.aspx
Out of Pocket Expenses
Regardless of insurance you select, you must ensure that your provider allows for you to be reimbursed for your costs. It will not be possible to have the insurance pay for your costs at the time of service. You must be ready to pay for any services out of pocket and then seek reimbursement. You should anticipate needing to use and have available a minimum of $40-$80 for minor visits to health clinic and prescription drugs for routine health issues.
Medicines are much cheaper as a general rule in México, but not always. Many do not require a medical prescription. However, if you have special medicines that you routinely buy you may consider getting them there. But research the costs of your meds and the need for a prescription. México has changed its laws and may require a prescription from a doctor. Bring one or be ready to have a local doctor in Pisté to write a new prescription.
OSEA does not endorse or recommend any specific insurance option.
The following is presented as a courtesy
Medical Insurance Providers (Not endorsed by OSEA; prices from 2009)
International Student Exchange membership includes a basic insurance built into the $25 membership. This carries up to $2000 costs, and evacuation.
Review benefits at http://www.isecard.com/gsa/plans/pdf/english.pdf
The home page is http://www.isecard.com/index.html .
They also sell complete insurance for $44 http://www.isecard.com/featured/travelinsurance/index.html. You will need to research all the details on your own.
There are a few insurance providers for students on study abroad outside the USA. At this site you can research five different insurance providers and their benefits; you can also get an easy online quote from a few of them: http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/
The following is presented as a courtesy Medical Insurance Providers (Not endorsed by OSEA; prices from 2009)
International Student Exchange membership includes a basic insurance built into the $25 membership. This carries up to $2000 costs, and evacuation.
Review benefits at http://www.isecard.com/gsa/plans/pdf/english.pdf
The home page is http://www.isecard.com/index.html .
They also sell complete insurance for $44 http://www.isecard.com/featured/travelinsurance/index.html.
You will need to research all the details on your own.
There are a few insurance providers for students on study abroad outside the USA.
http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/
To Do Check List
1. Start your Passport application immediately! or renew your passport if necessary
2. Find a weekly Spanish Conversation table to attend faithfully
3. Establish a 15 minute daily routine to practice Spanish; see OSEA Spanish Workout Guide
4. Start Planning Trip: Get weekly price quotes from Kayak & arrange travel with other osea participants
5. Investiage purchase of digital cameras & other equipment if necessary
6.Get your Medical Insurance with all the required specifications
7.
Do Program Prep Work & Course Reading in the areas of your research
8. Purchase all your Research Equipment, Software & Supplies; test drive all software & equipment
9. Spend time not using any air conditioning what so ever as weather gets warmer!
10. Sign & Submit all Release forms. Get Notary Public and Doctor to sign forms
11. Make Final Tuition Payment(s) on time! May 4 due date
12. Get Summer Clothing & Personal Items
13. Scan your student ID and send it to OSEA Staff with release forms
Number of Visitors to OSEA Travel Information as of December 30, 2014
