Fulbright 2016 - 2017

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

13 hours ago, 2014_FSU_Seminole said:

If there any more of an amazing day to let us know, it would be tomorrow, April 1st... It would totally redefine April Fool's Day for me no matter the outcome lol

My thoughts exactly! Now that it is April, I am hoping that today is our day!!

[PhD or Bust]

1 hour ago, Dostoprimechatel'nosti said:

My thoughts exactly! Now that it is April, I am hoping that today is our day!!

I don't know about Moldova, but at this point (almost 2pm EST) I am starting to think that Mexico won't be coming out this week... At least I can relax over the weekend without this horrid anticipation. 

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

4 hours ago, PhD or Bust said:

I don't know about Moldova, but at this point (almost 2pm EST) I am starting to think that Mexico won't be coming out this week... At least I can relax over the weekend without this horrid anticipation. 

I feel ya.  Last year, I was notified on a Friday at 6:10pm (EST) so this year I keep hoping to get the email even after 5pm...it's dreadful.  

EDIT: I also just looked on the spreadsheet and saw that compared to last year, Mexico's notification is now 2 weeks late - I am so sorry! The wait must be excruciating.  Moldova usually doesn't notify until the middle of April, so my wait isn't unusual...just painful.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Dostoprimechatel'nosti

[Swingin_Sween]

This is hopefully the week for a lot of us. Good luck everyone

[potatopower12]

2 hours ago, Swingin_Sween said:

This is hopefully the week for a lot of us. Good luck everyone

Hopefully! We both applied for Kosovo, and so I'm hoping Kosovo gives out more than one this year. Good luck!

[Swingin_Sween]

1 hour ago, whaynes2 said:

Hopefully! We both applied for Kosovo, and so I'm hoping Kosovo gives out more than one this year. Good luck!

I hope so too. I think they might, but I talked to someone with IIE and Balkan countries can give or take grant money to other countries so we are technically competing with everyone else who applied to the Balkans. This is just my impression though and my advisor's. Whats your project looking to research?

[potatopower12]

5 hours ago, Swingin_Sween said:

I hope so too. I think they might, but I talked to someone with IIE and Balkan countries can give or take grant money to other countries so we are technically competing with everyone else who applied to the Balkans. This is just my impression though and my advisor's. Whats your project looking to research?

Youth democratic initiatives.What about you?

[wanderingbutnotlost]

Would someone mind explaining what the deal with Fulbright's health insurance is? I assumed grantees would get full coverage, but upon reading the different information, it seems they call it "supplemental" insurance and advise grantees to continue their regular insurance. As a Peace Corps volunteer, my insurance will be ending soon, and I was hoping to move right into my Fulbright insurance. I've emailed someone at IIE, but I would love to hear about the experience of past Fulbrighters with health insurance. Was the coverage not enough on its own? Did you maintain the insurance you had prior to starting Fulbright?

And if some saint can explain to me how this all fits in with Obamacare and tax penalties, I will adore you forever. Help!

[wanderingbutnotlost]

P.S. I'm an ETA finalist for Germany. If that makes a difference. 

[high jump coach]

8 hours ago, wanderingbutnotlost said:

Would someone mind explaining what the deal with Fulbright's health insurance is? I assumed grantees would get full coverage, but upon reading the different information, it seems they call it "supplemental" insurance and advise grantees to continue their regular insurance. As a Peace Corps volunteer, my insurance will be ending soon, and I was hoping to move right into my Fulbright insurance. I've emailed someone at IIE, but I would love to hear about the experience of past Fulbrighters with health insurance. Was the coverage not enough on its own? Did you maintain the insurance you had prior to starting Fulbright?

And if some saint can explain to me how this all fits in with Obamacare and tax penalties, I will adore you forever. Help!

I'm a finalist for the Italy ETA and have been wondering a lot of the same things. I just did my taxes yesterday though, and did actually end up paying ACA penalties for the end of 2015 (my health insurance from grad school ran out in September, it wound up deducting like $80 from my refund). Turbo Tax took me through a bunch of different scenarios to see if I qualified for an exemption from the penalty, and one of the questions was whether I lived abroad during the period I didn't have qualifying healthcare, so I don't think it's something we need to worry about. If you're worried about the period between the end of your Peace Corps term and start of the Fulbright, I'm pretty sure you're allowed 2 uncovered months in a calendar year without incurring any penalty (you might also qualify for Medicaid during that period, which is free).

What really confuses me is this language of continuing your existing coverage. It just seems to make zero sense for someone who isn't covered through school or their parents. When I called my insurance provider to ask about coverage overseas, they all but laughed at me over the phone. Seems like any US-based insurance plan that would cover routine medical care abroad for a period of 9 months would be way more expensive than just paying for the care outright in most EU countries. Every American I've spoken to who has seen a doctor while traveling in Italy has been shocked at how inexpensive it was for a visit/prescription/etc. (even without travelers' insurance).

I'm kinda expecting to hear more about health coverage from the Italian commission when the official grant documents come through. I'm hoping they'll have some info on health plans for foreigners on visas (if we need one beyond the Fulbright emergency plan).

 

Edited April 4, 2016 by high jump coach

[sairam94]

On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2016 at 5:16 AM, horatiustb said:

Hey all,

 

For the finalists here, did you physically sign the terms and conditions paper or just pdf style sign them?

Did you get the terms and conditions paper after you submitted the health form? I haven't turned mine in yet nor have I received the terms and conditions paper.

[potatopower12]

2 hours ago, high jump coach said:

I'm a finalist for the Italy ETA and have been wondering a lot of the same things. I just did my taxes yesterday though, and did actually end up paying ACA penalties for the end of 2015 (my health insurance from grad school ran out in September, it wound up deducting like $80 from my refund). Turbo Tax took me through a bunch of different scenarios to see if I qualified for an exemption from the penalty, and one of the questions was whether I lived abroad during the period I didn't have qualifying healthcare, so I don't think it's something we need to worry about. If you're worried about the period between the end of your Peace Corps term and start of the Fulbright, I'm pretty sure you're allowed 2 uncovered months in a calendar year without incurring any penalty (you might also qualify for Medicaid during that period, which is free).

What really confuses me is this language of continuing your existing coverage. It just seems to make zero sense for someone who isn't covered through school or their parents. When I called my insurance provider to ask about coverage overseas, they all but laughed at me over the phone. Seems like any US-based insurance plan that would cover routine medical care abroad for a period of 9 months would be way more expensive than just paying for the care outright in most EU countries. Every American I've spoken to who has seen a doctor while traveling in Italy has been shocked at how inexpensive it was for a visit/prescription/etc. (even without travelers' insurance).

I'm kinda expecting to hear more about health coverage from the Italian commission when the official grant documents come through. I'm hoping they'll have some info on health plans for foreigners on visas (if we need one beyond the Fulbright emergency plan).

 

Hey, I just wanted to let you know that when I was on the Boren Scholarship, I purchased iNext insurance for international coverage. If I remember correctly, it was super inexpensive. I'm not sure if that's helpful, but it's something to look into if you end up needing it.

[sesebella]

1 hour ago, sairam94 said:

Did you get the terms and conditions paper after you submitted the health form? I haven't turned mine in yet nor have I received the terms and conditions paper.

It's on the finalist resources page. I printed out the terms and conditions, printed it, signed it, scanned it, and uploaded it in the self-service portal

[brianli888@gmail.com]

11 hours ago, wanderingbutnotlost said:

Would someone mind explaining what the deal with Fulbright's health insurance is? I assumed grantees would get full coverage, but upon reading the different information, it seems they call it "supplemental" insurance and advise grantees to continue their regular insurance. As a Peace Corps volunteer, my insurance will be ending soon, and I was hoping to move right into my Fulbright insurance. I've emailed someone at IIE, but I would love to hear about the experience of past Fulbrighters with health insurance. Was the coverage not enough on its own? Did you maintain the insurance you had prior to starting Fulbright?

And if some saint can explain to me how this all fits in with Obamacare and tax penalties, I will adore you forever. Help!

I've emailed 4 former Fulbrighters who used only the Fulbright health insurance (no extra coverage) and they all told me it was more than enough. The Fulbright website almost makes it feel mandatory to have additional coverage, but obviously that isn't the case. Maybe if you had some pre-existing health condition it would be more useful, but I'm not sure. 

[AlienGirl]

Sri Lanka ETAs were notified at 3:51 today. 

[wildchartermage]

55 minutes ago, brianli888@gmail.com said:

I've emailed 4 former Fulbrighters who used only the Fulbright health insurance (no extra coverage) and they all told me it was more than enough. The Fulbright website almost makes it feel mandatory to have additional coverage, but obviously that isn't the case. Maybe if you had some pre-existing health condition it would be more useful, but I'm not sure. 

Care to elaborate on how it was more than enough? Are preventative/routine care included? Any coverage for medical devices, etc? What about dentists?

[wildchartermage]

4 hours ago, high jump coach said:

I'm a finalist for the Italy ETA and have been wondering a lot of the same things. I just did my taxes yesterday though, and did actually end up paying ACA penalties for the end of 2015 (my health insurance from grad school ran out in September, it wound up deducting like $80 from my refund). Turbo Tax took me through a bunch of different scenarios to see if I qualified for an exemption from the penalty, and one of the questions was whether I lived abroad during the period I didn't have qualifying healthcare, so I don't think it's something we need to worry about. If you're worried about the period between the end of your Peace Corps term and start of the Fulbright, I'm pretty sure you're allowed 2 uncovered months in a calendar year without incurring any penalty (you might also qualify for Medicaid during that period, which is free).

What really confuses me is this language of continuing your existing coverage. It just seems to make zero sense for someone who isn't covered through school or their parents. When I called my insurance provider to ask about coverage overseas, they all but laughed at me over the phone. Seems like any US-based insurance plan that would cover routine medical care abroad for a period of 9 months would be way more expensive than just paying for the care outright in most EU countries. Every American I've spoken to who has seen a doctor while traveling in Italy has been shocked at how inexpensive it was for a visit/prescription/etc. (even without travelers' insurance).

I'm kinda expecting to hear more about health coverage from the Italian commission when the official grant documents come through. I'm hoping they'll have some info on health plans for foreigners on visas (if we need one beyond the Fulbright emergency plan).

 

As you'll be on the student visa, you can pay €149 per calendar year to enroll in the national health system, where you'll be treated the same as a Italian citizen for health coverage. This is great if you need preventative care, access to medicine, etc. Though I am also waiting to hear more about health insurance coverage from Fulbright and what it covers and does not cover. 

[PepperoniCow]

México is out! Got the Fulbright. Thank you to everyone on this website, you kept me sane. Such a beautiful team we all make! You all inspire me, so much. 

[dumeigui]

Hi all! Taiwan research finalist, bioengineering project. Anyone going to Taiwan, I'd love to chat - send me a message. 

[tiger_tiger]

Hi Folks, new user with a question here. I received a Fulbright ETA to Turkey back in March, but was out of the country at the time and had very limited/unreliable access to email and Internet. I wasn't able to submit the initial required grant documents, and now that I'm back in the States with consistent Internet access I can't log into the portal. I emailed my program rep at IIE and explained the situation, but does anyone have advice as to what else I should do in this situation? Thanks!

[heylorelaihey]

I am a Fulbright ETA to Germany, and the Self-Service portal does not have a program I can click on to upload my documents. Has anyone else experienced this?

[brianli888@gmail.com]

33 minutes ago, wildchartermage said:

Care to elaborate on how it was more than enough? Are preventative/routine care included? Any coverage for medical devices, etc? What about dentists?

Here's the link to the Seven Corners insurance: https://www.sevencorners.com/gov/usdos. Some of the main points:

• $25 copay for every office visit, and $75 for each ER visit, to a maximum amount of $500. Any co-pays beyond that are reimbursed.
• No coverage of pre-existing conditions, period. This includes any diagnosis, testing, treatment, etc. that stems from problems with this condition.
• From my reading, the insurance has basic coverage for diagnostic testing, lab testing, prescriptions, etc. Obviously, you'd want to read on their website for more specifics.
• Sickness/injuries not related to pre-existing conditions are covered, but must occur in the country where you're studying. So if you got injured while traveling, you're out of luck. 
• For a given sickness/injury, the maximum coverage is $100,000. 
• As far as dental work, it says mouth and tooth injuries are covered, but they don't seem to have coverage for routine dental work. 

I apologize if I exaggerated with my use of "more than enough". Obviously, the insurance isn't as extensive as what you have here in the U.S. But, my overall impression is that if you're a reasonably healthy young person without a serious pre-existing condition, this insurance will cover most injuries, illnesses and medical emergencies that I'd be worried about. Routine care, not so much.

 

[Neuronerd94]

Has anyone gotten approval for the Terms document after they uploaded it to the Portal? Also,  the guidelines say we must email the Terms document to our Commission country. How exactly have you all gone about doing that?

Thanks for the help!

[brianli888@gmail.com]

1 minute ago, Neuronerd94 said:

Has anyone gotten approval for the Terms document after they uploaded it to the Portal? Also,  the guidelines say we must email the Terms document to our Commission country. How exactly have you all gone about doing that?

Thanks for the help!

I got my terms document approved a few days after submission (I'm going to Spain). As for emailing the Terms document, are you referring to the following line? 

"Print, sign and upload the document into the Fulbright Self-Service Portal AND return a copy to the Fulbright Commission as instructed by your contact at the commission."

In that case, I was going to ask the exact same question haha.

[wildchartermage]

46 minutes ago, brianli888@gmail.com said:

Here's the link to the Seven Corners insurance: https://www.sevencorners.com/gov/usdos. Some of the main points:

• $25 copay for every office visit, and $75 for each ER visit, to a maximum amount of $500. Any co-pays beyond that are reimbursed.
• No coverage of pre-existing conditions, period. This includes any diagnosis, testing, treatment, etc. that stems from problems with this condition.
• From my reading, the insurance has basic coverage for diagnostic testing, lab testing, prescriptions, etc. Obviously, you'd want to read on their website for more specifics.
• Sickness/injuries not related to pre-existing conditions are covered, but must occur in the country where you're studying. So if you got injured while traveling, you're out of luck. 
• For a given sickness/injury, the maximum coverage is $100,000. 
• As far as dental work, it says mouth and tooth injuries are covered, but they don't seem to have coverage for routine dental work. 

I apologize if I exaggerated with my use of "more than enough". Obviously, the insurance isn't as extensive as what you have here in the U.S. But, my overall impression is that if you're a reasonably healthy young person without a serious pre-existing condition, this insurance will cover most injuries, illnesses and medical emergencies that I'd be worried about. Routine care, not so much.

 

Thanks for the informative post!

If you're a finalist to an European country, especially in Western European countries, such as Italy, Germany, etc, as a student, you can pay to enroll in the national health system to have your pre-existing conditions and routine exams covered...Also, while you travel in Europe/EU outside of your country, you're covered (once you get the European Health Insurance Card...just request it from your local health center).

This is a pretty good and inexpensive option, especially if you're poor like me and have no health insurance in the US. 149 euros per year is a bargain in Italy compared to whatever we pay in the US.