Why do I have to purchase medical (health) insurance?
Unlike many countries, the federal government does not support the health system in the U.S. for the most part. Each individual must pay the cost of any medical appointment or treatment, which is very expensive. In fact, those costs are even too much for most Americans to pay right out of their pocket. Therefore, the insurance system is used to manage those costs. With insurance, you would only need to pay a small portion of any medical appointment or treatment out of your pocket.

F-1 visa holders are required to have medical insurance while in the U.S. Students can buy an insurance policy through North Seattle Community College. However, if the student prefers to buy an insurance policy from a company in their home country, the student must have coverage equal to the NSCC insurance policy. Here are the amounts you must be able to show at the time of registration for classes:

Current Quarterly Rates (effective Fall 2009)

Student: $207.75
Student & Spouse: $623.25
Dependent: $207.75

If you have purchased health insurance through NSCC, click here to go to the Lewermark website for resources.