My final thoughts

The date today is July 5, and my daughter was supposed to be returning home in two days. If you have read the last few posts, you know that she came home almost three months early due to sickness. Certainly, my view of high school study abroad has changed dramatically over the last year, and I am going to end this blog with my final thoughts.

A year is a long time to send a teenager to another country to live with another family. I have asked myself multiple times, "would I still send my daughter knowing what I now know?" and the answers have been different depending on the day. The experience was good - in fact, life-changing - for her, but so many obstacles that could have been avoided were thrown at her.

Your child's experience will pivot on the quality of and fit with his/her host family. Therefore, you want to do everything possible to ensure that your child gets a host family that is able to support him/her during the entire experience, even if the unthinkable (like serious sickness) happens.  I would encourage you to find a program that has reasonable expectations for their hosting families. A year is a long time to have a teenager from another country in their home. Look for a program, such as Rotary Youth Exchange, that provides several host families over the course of the year. It may be hard to switch families, but each family is more likely to do a better job with your child if they know it is a shorter commitment. Another option is a true exchange, such as the Sister Cities or States exchanges. Families have a direct, one-to-one exchange, with your child staying with a family whose child will also come to stay with you. In my opinion, families in this situation are more invested in supporting your child because they know their child will be on the receiving end at some point. If neither of these options appeal to your child, consider a semester-long option. My daughter was psychologically ready to be gone a year, but a semester would have been much more reasonable given that so much is out of your control.

I would also encourage you to ask about the preparation students receive before going abroad. Youth For Understanding's (YFU) pre-departure orientation was minimal, of questionable quality, and often optional (like the pre-departure orientation in Chicago). Orientation needs to be standardized and required, so that each student gets the same information no matter the quality of their local volunteers. AFS does online orientation and in-person orientation in departure cities in the few days before leaving the USA. I would also ask about the preparation that host families receive. I want to know that families have a good idea of what they are signing up for.

If you cannot find an option that meets all your criteria, consider waiting until your child is in college. Study abroad options (and scholarships) abound in college, and your child does not have to be dependent on a host family.

High school study abroad programs advertise their success stories, but you should be aware that the success stories do not always match the experience your child will have. Programs will tell your child not to have expectations about what his/her experience will be like. I think you can stack the odds in your child's favor by carefully selecting the program your child travels with.

Health Insurance

Recipients of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship were provided with health insurance through Hanse-Merkur the year my daughter stayed in Germany. An insurance information packet was sent to us about a month before she left. The packet was in German and English and about as easy to read as most insurance policies. What was generally clear to us is that emergency health care was available to our daughter during her trip, but that care for pre-existing conditions and routine/preventative care were not covered.

We also called our local health insurance company to see what coverage was provided through that policy. My understanding is that every company is different about providing coverage while abroad, so you should definitely call and ask. Our company would provide emergency coverage only. We would have to submit the bills, translated into English and converted to dollars in order to file a claim.

Prior to the flare of her Crohn's disease that sent her home, my daughter had seen a German doctor for an unrelated issue. She was expected to pay the doctor bill and then had to submit her claim for reimbursement to Hanse-Merkur.

The Crohn's flare was a different matter entirely. It involved two doctor's visits, medication, and 3 nights in a hospital. Because this incident could be blamed on a pre-existing condition, responsibility for paying the bill was unclear. About two months after her return home, a representative from YFU USA contacted us and asked what we wanted to do about the medical bills. They had been sent to her host family, who had forwarded them to YFU Germany. Hanse-Merkur wanted more information as they felt they were not required to cover these bills as part of a pre-existing condition. We did file a request for them to pay the bills since my daughter had been in remission for years before living in Germany. After waiting about one month, we received the news that Hanse-Merkur agreed to pay.

We learned a couple of important things during this process that may be useful if your child finds himself/herself in a similar situation.

1. Save all medical paperwork. Our daughter saved every piece of paper that was handed to her in the hospital or doctors' offices, and we needed every single one when we filed the request.
2. Your YFU rep in the national office will be your main (only) source of information. This person is the one who can provide translations of documents and explain procedures. Answer that person's emails.
3. Submit the request, even if you don't think they will pay.
4. Hospital stays in Germany are not nearly as expensive as they are in the USA. If your request for payment is denied, you will need to pay YFU USA (who will pay YFU Germany, who will pay the creditors) and then submit your bills to your health insurance (YFU USA said they would provide translated and converted documents if needed). We were anticipating over $10,000, but when we finally saw a total, it was slightly less than 3000 Euros (about $3,300 at the time).  

I sincerely hope that you never find yourself in this situation. However, it is better to be forewarned and prepared in case you do. Also, it is reassuring that YFU USA will help you out to the best of their ability. The answers may not come quickly, but they will work with you to resolve the issues.