Travel insurance with adventure and hazardous sports coverage

It’s that time again when the school year is starting to kick in for kids and young adults all across the USA! I am getting regular requests for insurance for international students that will include coverage for participation in a team sport. We do have some options for these individuals, so I thought I could lay some of them out here.

One of the best international sports student insurance is the Diplomat America or the Diplomat LongTerm Insurance plans offered by Global Underwriters. These plans have a collegiate sports rider in which you choose “Low”, “Middle” and “High” option depending on your sport. The main difference is the LongTerm plan allows you to extend the policy and it also allows up to 90 day trips back to your home country (per year).

The Diplomat America only allows 14 days of travel back to the home country (after which the policy will expire). The sports covered are: (1) Low Option - additional $34 flat monthly rate: Ballet; Baseball; Cheerleading; Cross Country; Diving; Equestrian; Fencing; Field Hockey; Golf; Polo (Horse); Polo (Water); Rowing; Softball; Surfing; Swimming; Tennis; Track & Field; Volleyball. (2) Middle Option - additional $48 flat monthly rate: Basketball; Competitive Cycling (Road, Track, CX); Ice Hockey; Inline Skating (Helmet & Proper Equipment Required); Lacrosse; Martial Arts/Karate; Modern Pentathlon; Skiing (Slalom, Giant Slalom, Downhill); Ski Jumping; Wrestling. (3) High Option - additional $102 flat monthly rate: Football (No Division One); Gymnastics; Rugby (No Division One); Soccer. This plan will cost about $87 per month for a 21 year old (without the athletic sports rider).

Another high school sports insurance for international students option is the Patriot Exchange insurance offered by IMG. It is much more economical than the Diplomat America plan, however, it does NOT include varsity sports teams regulated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) nor the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). You only get this coverage if you choose the “Add-on” Rider (NOT the Adventure Sports Rider). This plan can also be used to cover high school sports team participation and can be a good fit for many student athletes. Coverage of $250,000 maximum with a $100 deductible starts at $73 per month for a young adult (without the add-on; +$7 with the add-on).

There are a few other student plans that include coverage for student athletes on club teams and sports teams, but they limit coverage to $5000 or less, such as the Navigator for Student (by GeoBlue), StudentSecure Select plans (by WorldTrips), and Student Health Advantage plans (by IMG).

If you have questions about these plans or other situations for your student, please do not hesitate to call our friendly staff so we can advise you and guide you to the best choice for your student. Happy studying!