Using Insurance

This page provides an overview of the U-M International Student/Scholar Health Insurance (IHI) Plan for the current academic year. For complete information, refer to your Insurance Plan Documents.

ID Card

• If you visit the doctor or the hospital, you may be asked to show your insurance card.
• Blue Care Network (BCN) will mail your insurance card to you. Your virtual ID card will also be available on the BCN website or through their mobile app as soon as you register for your member account. Search BCBSM in the App Store or in Google Play to download the app.
• Registering for your member account: all international students and scholars enrolled in the BCN plan receive an email from [email protected] with an insurance ID (enrollee ID). Follow the instructions in that email to create your BCN member account.
• If you recently arrived at U-M, your virtual insurance card may not be available on the BCN website until about two weeks after you complete your International Center check-in, unless your I-20 or DS-2019 start date is still in the future. In that case, your virtual insurance card should be available within 14 days of your I-20/DS-2019 start date.
• If you need health care before you have your ID cards, please contact the International Center’s insurance advisor. In the case of an emergency, call 911 or go directly to the nearest hospital emergency department, then contact the insurance advisor later for assistance with your insurance. For more information about health care in emergency or urgent situations, visit the UHS website.

Doctor Visits and Hospital Stays

Map to U-M Hospital Emergency Room

Your Primary Care Physician (PCP)

If You Live In Michigan

Blue Care Network (BCN) the company that administers the International Student/Scholar Plan, will automatically assign you a Primary Care Physician (PCP). Your PCP can help coordinate your health care, but you do not need a referral from your PCP in order to see a specialist. However, you may need authorization from BCN for certain services such as hospitalization, your PCP can contact BCN to obtain this authorization.

• International students and scholars based on the Ann Arbor campus are automatically assigned a PCP at University Health Service (UHS).
• If you are enrolled in classes, you will probably want to have a UHS PCP. You will probably use UHS for most of your health care, because of its convenient on-campus location and because many UHS services are free for enrolled students. It doesn’t matter which UHS physician is automatically chosen for you, since you can see any clinician at UHS. However, you can change your PCP if you want to do that.
• If you are an international scholar, or you are not enrolled in classes, you may want to change your PCP to another physician in the BCN network, although you can also keep your automatically-assigned UHS PCP if UHS is a convenient place for you to receive your health care.
• Your dependents (spouse, children) will be automatically assigned a PCP based on your current address.

Changing Your PCP: You can change your PCP at any time by logging into your BCN member account or by calling customer service at 1‑800‑287-4103. You can even call customer service from a doctor’s office if you want to change your PCP at that time.

If You Do Not Live In Michigan

If you are a student on Optional Practical Training (OPT), Academic Training (AT), or Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and do not currently live in Michigan, you will not be automatically assigned a PCP and do not need to choose a PCP. Instead, when you need preventive or routine care, or care in case of accident or illness, find a doctor by following the “Find a Doctor” > Outside of Michigan instructions on the BCN website.

The BCN Network

To save money, always try to go to a doctor or hospital in the BCN network (you can use any other hospital or doctor worldwide outside the BCN Network, but the cost to you will be higher). The University of Michigan Health System (Michigan Medicine) is part of the BCN network. To find other in-network doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, visit the BCN website and look under Find a Doctor. You can also call 1-800-287-4103.

If you live or are travelling outside the state of Michigan, be sure to follow the “Outside of Michigan” instructions under Find a Doctor on the BCN website.

Doctor/Hospital Bills

If the doctor or hospital is part of the BCN network, the doctor/hospital will usually bill the insurance company directly. If so, either you will not receive a bill at all or you will be billed for the portion of the services that the insurance company does not cover, such as the deductible.

Travel Outside the U.S.

If you should need medical attention when you are outside of the United States, this policy will cover the costs for those medical expenses, but you may have to pay for treatment when you receive it and submit a claim to the insurance company afterward. When filing a claim for medical treatment received outside the U.S., remember to keep all receipts of any bills paid and make copies of those receipts. You can follow the instructions at Bills and Claims in order to be reimbursed.

If you will be out of the U.S. for at least three calendar months, you may apply for a waiver of your required health insurance. An example of a person absent from the U.S. for three calendar months would be someone who left the U.S. on May 15 and returned on September 2, since they would be absent from the U.S. for all of June, July and August. However, if you are leaving the United States in order to participate in a U-M sponsored educational activity, such as a study abroad program, you are not eligible to cancel your international health insurance.

Prescription Drugs

• Prescription drugs are covered at 90%. If you purchase the medication at University Health Service (UHS) or any other Blue Care Network (BCN) participating pharmacy, you will only be required to pay 10% at the time you buy your medication. The Prescription Drugs section of your Member Guide explains your insurance plan's prescription drug coverage.
• Simply show your current insurance card or certificate to the pharmacist and they will bill Blue Care Network directly, asking you only for 10 percent of the cost.
• You can save money by buying medication from a pharmacy in the BCN network. You can find those pharmacies by clicking here and searching for “pharmacy.”
• If you are not able to go to a pharmacy in the BCN network, or if you don’t have your insurance card with you when you buy your medication, you may have to pay first and request to be reimbursed by BCN. To do that, fill out a prescription drug claim form. The instructions on the form explain what you need to include with the form.
• Be sure to make a copy of what you send to the insurance company in case you have to follow up on the status of your claim.