It is important to recognize the healthcare needs of international students. The healthcare system in the host country might be quite different from their native country and hence students are likely to be confused and frustrated about the health insurance system they are newly subject to. Due to language and culture barrier, some of them may even have difficulty in understanding how the student health insurance policy works. Since the on-campus health center is likely to be the first place students seek help in interpreting the policy, “health center staff should be trained to become more knowledgeable about the health insurance international students need to use. Health center personnel should explain the insurance system to the students and help them prepare for possible additional costs that the students might pay based on the services they seek”. (Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007, p.30)
References
Hsieh, M. (2007). Challenges for International Students in Higher Education: One Student’s Narrated Story of Invisibility and Struggle. College Student Journal, 41(2), 379+.
Iwai, Y. (2008, Summer). The Perceptions of Japanese Students toward Academic English Reading: Implications for Effective ESL Reading Strategies. Multicultural Education, 15, 45+.
Koehne, N. (2005). (Re)construction: Ways International Students Talk about Their Identity. Australian Journal of Education, 49(1), 104+.
Poyrazli, S., & Grahame, K. M. (2007). Barriers to Adjustment: Needs of International Students within a Semi-Urban Campus Community. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 34(1), 28+.
Sumer, S., Poyrazli, S., & Grahame, K. (2008). Predictors of Depression and Anxiety among International Students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86(4), 429+.
Yakushko, O., Davidson, M. M., & Sanford-Martens, T. C. (2008). Seeking Help in a Foreign Land: International Students’ Use Patterns for a U.S. University Counseling Center. Journal of College Counseling, 11(1), 6+.
Yang, H., Harlow, S., Maddux, C., & Smaby, M. (2006). The Impact of Cross-Cultural Experiences on Worldviews of Chinese International Students. Counseling and Values, 51(1), 21+.