Medical Insurance for Trips to the USA is Critical
Whether you are planning a short trip to the USA, an international student going for a summer course, or you are moving to the United States, it is vital to obtain medical insurance before departure. Medical costs in America are widely known to be the most expensive in the world. However, many visitors are to the USA will take the chance and not obtain travel medical coverage or forget. In this article, we will discuss the importance of visitor insurance and ways to obtain appropriate medical insurance when traveling to America.
The Importance of Visitor Health Insurance When in the USA
There is basically no universal or free healthcare in the United States. In March 2010, President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as “Obamacare”, intended to expand healthcare coverage in the USA. However, medical expenses are still about twice as much as many other developed countries. There are a variety of reasons but is at least partially because of the high administrative costs, drug prices, the mix of medical treatments, etc…
We have all heard stories of people who have traveled to the United States for a short trip and after suffering a major accident or illness been faced with an extremely large medical bill that is in the hundreds of thousands or even over a million. In fact, recently a Canadian couple were in California and were both hit by a car. Unfortunately, the husband died at the scene, and the wife suffered catastrophic injuries that exceeded her $500,000 travel medical insurance policy. Another reason to check if your policy has a large policy limit.
It is also important for international visitors and new immigrants to obtain visitor insurance before going to the USA for short or long trips.
Short-Term Visitors to the USA
Travel medical insurance plans are often suitable for international visitors staying 5 days to 12 months in the USA and we do offer some excellent plans with a variety of policy maximums and several deductible choices. A typical travel medical plan for trips to the USA will often include medical benefits such as hospital room stays, x-rays, ICU care, emergency drug cover, accidental dental, emergency evacuation & repatriation.
Policy details and the web application are available online. If you want, you can obtain a quote and purchase coverage online. We recommend that you purchase a comprehensive travel medical plan with as high a policy maximum as you can obtain. More details on the policies we offer are located on our travel insurance page. For companies sending employees abroad for business, they must make sure that their business travel medical plan fully covers their employees globally, especially when going to the USA.
Long Term Stays in the USA
If you are a non-US citizen and you plan to reside in the United States, you will need to obtain an international health insurance plan that will provide comprehensive medical treatment including hospitals in-patient and out-patient coverage, international medical evacuation, vision and dental coverage in the USA. If you are an expatriate living or traveling to the USA, you should obtain adequate international health insurance coverage. If you become eligible for a local health plan in the United States, you should apply for it.
Note that the local plans will most likely not cover treatment outside of the USA or when you travel abroad. If you are an American living overseas and you plan to go back to the USA for a short trip, make sure your expat health plan fully covers you for treatment and/or short trips in the United States. If you are an American who plans to move back to the United States permanently, you will have to obtain a local health plan in the USA.
Do You Have Questions?
If you have questions about our international medical insurance plans or you would like to discuss your needs and produce a customized quote, please contact us or complete the quote form as you may want to make sure that you are indeed fully covered when visiting the USA for short or long term stays.