International Medical Travel Insurance In The USA

Medical travel insurance programs developed by international insurers are created for persons temporarily staying in the United States. The validity period of the policy can be from 1 to 365 days.

Who can get an insurance?

Under the insurance programs, persons traveling outside of their permanent place of residence (travel insurance) can be insured:

• tourists;
• persons traveling to the USA for private purposes (guest visits, visits to relatives, etc.);
• persons traveling to the USA for the purpose of carrying out work activities;
• persons traveling under student exchange programs, Work and travel USA, camp America, Au Pair;
• programs college and university students, students of schools and language courses.

The following persons cannot be accepted for insurance:

• persons with US citizenship;
• holders of a Green Card (United States Permanent Resident Card), except in cases where the insurance contract allows the acceptance of persons with a residence permit – a “green card”;
• persons who do not have a valid visa or other residence permit issued in accordance with US law.

Uncovered expenses/risks are:

• treatment of chronic and/or pre-existing diseases, any types of planned treatment;
• planned medical examinations, rehabilitation, physiotherapy;
• treatment of sports injuries, injuries sustained as a result of active recreation and work activities (except in cases when these risks are separately specified in the insurance contract);
• the limit on covering the costs of dental the service varies from $150 to $500;
• pregnancy management and planned delivery in the United States;
• injuries/diseases resulting from alcohol/toxic/narcotic intoxication, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

What additional risks can be included in the insurance policy for those traveling to the USA?

• Sports and active recreation;
• Work activities associated with increased risk;
• Laguage and personal belongings insurance for the duration of the flight and during the entire period of stay in the United States;
• Civil liability;
• Emergency insurance (meaning a cash payment that is paid in addition to reimbursement of medical expenses);
• Travel cancellation insurance and visa refusal.

How does a medical travel insurance policy work in the USA?

In order to organize the provision of medical care to insured persons in the United States, international insurance companies may involve assistance (service companies) that have contracts with medical institutions in the United States. The phone number of the assistance company is indicated in the insurance policy.

If it is necessary to receive medical care, the insured must contact the assistance company, which sends the insured to a medical institution selected in accordance with the nature of the injury/illness.

Top US insurance companies

Among the most well-known insurance companies in the United States that provide services in the field of medical and travel insurance for travelers are:

• Atlas America;
• Safe Travels USA Comprehensive;
• Trawick International;
• VisitorSecure;
• Visitors Care;
• Aetna;
• IMG;
• GeoBlue;
• Cigna Global;
• United Healthcare Global.

The cost of insurance America’s visitors

To find out how much health insurance costs in the USA, use an online calculator.

Fill in all the fields:

• specify the age of the insured tourist;
• planned type of recreation (calm or active with different sports);
• number of days of travel;
• one-time trip or multiple visits to the country;
• select the risk options and add them to the standard insurance;
• the amount of coverage (in the USA not less than $ 50,000).

The cost of each policy is individual. Insurance programs comply with international standards and act in the interests of protecting the life, health and property of the insured during the trip.

The companies offer the following insurance plans:

• Classic (C) is the basis policy (for obtaining a visa);
• Premium (E) – “all inclusive”. Takes into account the maximum number of insured events;
• Travel on/off is an innovative daily protection service for frequent travelers.

The cost of insurance should not be confused with the amount of insurance coverage — this is the amount within which the tourist is reimbursed for medical services. For example, if the insurance coverage is $30 000, you will be able to go to a doctor’s appointment for free, get medicines, spend the night in the hospital and take an X-ray, but the removal of the appendix for $60 000, the insurance company will reimburse only half. For a trip to the USA, the minimum recommended coverage is $50,000, although some travelers buy insurance for $100,000, bearing in mind the extremely expensive medical care.

The main risk factors in the USA

America is a huge country with a diverse climate and living conditions. In almost every state, you can identify a number of dangers that await curious tourists. Unrestrained surfers heading to the California coast are advised to insure their health, although an ordinary tourist in Florida may suffer from a ride on a jet ski or a stray shark. In New York and other major cities, car accidents often occur: in the United States as a whole, there is a clear excess of personal transport on the roads, and you need to be prepared for this.

Nature lovers who are eager to see the Grand Canyon and touch the giant sequoias in Yosemite should evaluate their physical abilities well — stumbled on the root also involves paying for a rescue helicopter that will rescue you from the clutches of wildlife. By the way, these same claws can lie in wait for a tourist in the city: a scratch from a curious raccoon or the consequences of a meeting with a possum (most importantly, not with a coyote) will lead you straight to the doctor’s office.

It is impossible to protect yourself from everything, and yet it would be unwise to go to Kansas during the tornado season or to the coast on the eve of another hurricane. Forest fires and river flooding are also not uncommon in the country. At least food in the USA is not considered a risk factor, except for spicy tex-mex dishes and homemade fast food from street shops. So, when choosing insurance to America, pay attention to the possible components of travel:

• extreme sports on the coast or in the mountains;
• driving a bike, especially interstate;
• visiting national parks and generally walking in the wilderness;
• poisonous insects, dangerous animals.