Comparable Insurance Criteria

Lewis & Clark College requires that all degree seeking, and visiting, Undergraduate and Law students have medical insurance coverage comparable to that offered through the school’s comprehensive Student Health Insurance Plan. Students enrolled in the Academic English Studies program also are held to this insurance requirement.

Private insurance coverage is considered comparable to the school’s if it:

• Provides coverage for medically necessary care in the Portland, Oregon area (HMO’s providing emergency coverage only do not meet this requirement).
• Provides coverage for at least $25,000 maximum benefit per (academic) year.
• Provides inpatient and outpatient mental health coverage up to $3000 per year.
• Will remain in force throughout the academic year or as long as you are a full-time registered student, as defined by your academic program.

 

For parents:  One of the waiver criteria is that my student’s insurance must provide for medically necessary care in Portland.   How can I be sure that it does, and that my insurance is adequate for my student’s health and my own peace of mind? 

It’s important to know exactly what your health plan covers, and what’s excluded.  If you don’t know the answers to the following questions, we encourage you to ask them specifically to your insurance company.   If your health insurance won’t cover these services for your student, you should think about enrolling your son or daughter in the college’s student health insurance plan.

Ask your health insurance provider the following questions:

1. Does my insurance plan allow access for my student to a broad variety of medical and mental health services in Portland?   Or does my plan restrict coverage to only emergency care?
2. If there are restrictions on what provider my student can access, where will my student have to go for off-campus care?   This is especially important to explore if you have HMO (health maintenance organization) coverage.   Must your student  use preferred providers, or participating providers?     It’s important to consider how accessible the providers or facilities are to the campus.   How long will it take to get to the office?   
3. Does my  insurance cover diagnostic laboratory work and diagnostic imaging ( i.e. X-ray or CT scan) performed in Portland?
4. Does my insurance cover hospitalizations in Portland?   
5. Does your coverage provide for specialty care (e.g., orthopedics, cardiology, etc.) in Portland?