Missionary Health

Here are some basic policies regarding the health care of our missionaries.  Every young missionary has health insurance provided as they serve.  American missionaries are required to continue with their family’s insurance while they serve abroad, but will have missionary insurance to care for them while they are here in Peru. We have two clinics in the mission that have contracts with our health insurance.  Every missionary has access to a very informative web page on their phones with links to help them find remedies for nearly every health concern.  It also helps them know when they should seek outside medical help and we have a mission nurse to facilitate that. All appointments and medical problems need to go through her because she needs to get authorizations from the insurance.  If a missionary disregards the procedures, He/she will need to pay for the medical costs themselves.  Missionaries who go to the emergency room without proper consent, must pay for their own expenses as well. Also, diagnostic tests are only covered for problems that started in the mission and will not be authorized for preventative care. Any medical condition that a missionary has prior to their mission is considered a pre-existing condition and the insurance will not pay for care relating to it.  If the missionary has a pre-existing condition, they will need to have these medical costs and appointments covered and managed by their families or home stakes or wards. 

All missionaries must be physically fit and emotionally stable. They must be able to walk (a lot) and climb hills and stairs.  We do not have the resources to care for missionaries with chronic or severe medical needs that prevent them from working or that require a lot of care.  If this is the case, they may need to go home temporarily to rehabilitate.  These costs will be covered by the mission insurance as long as the condition occurred on the mission and is not considered pre-existing.  If a missionary is sent home for care, they are always encouraged to return to the mission as soon as they are able. Every case varies and must be arranged through President Chipman and the home stake president.  Sometimes physical or emotional evaluations and area-wide standards need to be met and verified before the missionary is allowed to return to full-time missionary service.

Service missions are often available for missionaries who return home for medical reasons, even temporarily.