If you’ve booked a trip to the United States on vacation or business you’re sure to have a few questions and things to sort out. Like which hotel you’ll stay in, how to get from the airport to your hotel, where to visit in your free time, and whether you need to take out travel insurance. Many people wonder if they need to buy visitor health insurance for a trip to the United States, particularly if they are staying for a short time. Is visitor health insurance essential or can you get by without it?
To answer this important question, consider what would happen if you were injured or fell ill while you were traveling in America. You would need to visit a doctor, or go to hospital. You would be treated by the doctor or as a patient in hospital. You may need to buy prescription drugs. In some cases you would need to be transported to a medical facility. Healthcare in the United States is not free. In fact, health treatment in America can be very expensive. This is why residents of the United States purchase health insurance plans. When you are not a US resident and visiting the country for a short time, you use visitor health insurance.
Visitors insurance usually comes in two types of plans – comprehensive plans and schedule benefit plans. Comprehensive plans have very few sub limits while schedule benefit plans have more sub limits but tend to be cheaper. Benefits include paying for hospital charges such as surgery, physician fees, nursing fees etc; coverage for doctor visits and treatment for injuries and illnesses as an outpatient; prescription drugs charges; and expenses for diagnostic tests.
You can also get coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, which makes visitor insurance a comprehensive way of protecting your health when you travel to the United States. The United States has a complex and expensive healthcare system – your choice of visitor insurance simplifies and protects your health while you are visiting.
