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Having proper medical insurance coverage, whether you are studying or working in the U.S., is essential to your physical and mental well-being.

Health Insurance and Health Care

Health insurance and health care in the United States can be confusing and extremely expensive. A short visit to a doctor’s office for a common cold without any insurance can cost a few hundred dollars. A trip to the emergency room can cost thousands of dollars without good health insurance coverage. While enrolled at Lehigh, the Health and Wellness Center (HWC) will serve as your “primary care” health provider. The HWC can provide most basic health care services to Lehigh students and make referrals to specialists in the area when needed. Lehigh University’s Student Health Insurance Plan works in tandem with the care that you will receive at the Health and Wellness Center to ensure that all Lehigh students are able to receive proper medical care that is covered by insurance. The Health and Wellness Center provides detailed information about the Student Health Insurance Plan and an overview of how health care and health insurance work in the United States 

All international students on an F-1 or J-1 visa, undergraduate and graduate (including exchange students), are required by the university to enroll in the Lehigh University Student Health Insurance Plan. Waivers of the Lehigh’s Student Health Insurance Plan are available in very limited circumstances.To qualify for the waiver, a student must meet one of the following requirements:

  • You have parents or a spouse/domestic partner living and working in the U.S. and are covered under that person’s ACA*-compliant family plan
  • You are sponsored to study at Lehigh by your home country or the U.S. government and a student health insurance plan is provided as a part of your scholarship
  • You have dependents (spouse and/or children) with you at Lehigh and have a private family insurance plan that's ACA*-compliant. (For more information about health insurance for dependents, see here.)

If you meet any of these requirements, review the instructions for how to request a waiver of the Student Health Insuance.  Waiver requests should be submitted at least 45 days prior to the start of the semester.

*Affordable Care Act

Immunizations

All students who matriculate at Lehigh are required to have received certain immunizations (vaccinations). To verify this, you must submit a health form to the Health and Wellness Center (HWC) before you arrive at Lehigh. You should carefully review the information for new students on the HWC website. In some cases, required immunizations may be unavailable in your home country. In this case, you will be able to receive the immunizations after you arrive in the United States. All documentation should be submitted to HWC via the Patient Portal. If you have questions about your health forms or immunization requirements, send them to the HWC using the Patient Portal. You will only be able access the Patient Portal after you have activated your Lehigh e-mail account.