In a campus-wide email this afternoon, Yale Health announced new supplemental coverage called the Approved Academic Travel Rider that is designed to meet the medical needs of students traveling within the United States but outside the Yale Health service area.

The Rider will provide coverage for non-emergent illness and chronic care.

“The motivation [for the update] was to make it possible for these students to get health insurance coverage for routine care if they are far away for a semester or a year,” said Paul Genecin, director of University Health Services. “There was already a good option for students abroad, but we needed one for this country as well.”

Students must enroll in the supplemental coverage for the fall term between June 1 and June 30 at a price of $250 per semester. Genecin said the service is likely to be used by graduate and professional students more than undergraduates, particularly in terms of conducting academic research in other parts of the country.

Without purchasing the additional coverage, students are covered by Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage for emergency care, acute care and pre-authorized short-term follow-up care.

The announcement of the Rider supplement follows multiple changes to the Yale Health plan made at the end of April. Those updates include the extension of sex-reassignment coverage, the combination of Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage with Prescription Coverage, and two revisions to mental health policies.