My sister is pregnant and visiting the USA soon. Which plan will cover the check-ups and delivery expenses?

There are no plans available that will cover routine check-ups of any kind, or for the labor and delivery of a visitor. Any medical expenses related to her pregnancy will be her responsibility.

My parents have been in the U.S. for 4 months without insurance. I would now like to purchase insurance for my father because he is sick and needs to go to the doctor as soon as possible.

If your father is already sick, his illness would be considered pre-existing because it existed prior to the effective date of the policy. Visitors insurance is designed to cover new accidents, injuries, and illnesses that occur after the effective date of the policy. If you had purchased a policy before they arrived, his illness may have been covered.

I just bought visitors insurance for my family and we need to get some immunizations to prevent any illnesses.

There are no plans on the market that will cover immunizations or any other preventive services for visitors. These plans are designed to cover new accidents, injuries, and illnesses that occur after the effective date of the policy.

If a visitor would like to be vaccinated or immunized, they must pay for it themselves.

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My mother will be visiting the U.S. soon. She has arthritis and has difficulty walking. We live in a three-story town house therefore my mother will require a stair-lift, which plan will cover that?

Arthritis will be considered a pre-existing condition and any charges related to it would be denied as such. While most plans will offer coverage for durable medical equipment, it must first be pre-certified for medical necessity.

If you would like a stair-lift installed in your town house, you must pay for that yourself.

I purchased an insurance policy that would cover me outside the U.S. while traveling overseas but I have become sick while in the New York Airport. Will this plan cover me?

Assuming you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident and the U.S. is your home country you are required to have domestic insurance, therefore you would need to use your domestic insurance to cover you while you are still in the U.S. This insurance will not cover you while still in your home country.

Will I be able to get my mother her medication and an oxygen tank if needed once she arrives in the U.S?

Your mother will need to bring enough supplies to last the full duration of her trip. These medical expenses will not be covered under any plan because it is related to a pre-existing condition; therefore, you will have to pay out of pocket.

My visiting mother is sick and we are taking her to the emergency room. I would like to buy insurance and make it effective immediately. Could you also fax the insurance card to the hospital emergency room so that by the time we get there the payment will be taken care of?

Visitors insurance, even if effective the same day, will not provide coverage in your case because visitors insurance only provides coverage for new conditions which begin after the effective date of the policy. Furthermore, only a few plans will allow coverage to start on the same day, however that does not imply that it will cover a pre-existing condition.

If you wait until there is a need for the insurance it is too late, the accident, injury, or illness would be pre-existing if it occurs prior to the effective date of the policy.

As I thought that nothing would happen to my parents while visiting the U.S., I bought the $25,000 fixed coverage plan, the cheapest plan available on the market. Now my father has fallen sick and I would like to upgrade to a better plan.

It is not possible to "upgrade" once a plan goes into effect. If you would like to cancel the fixed coverage plan and purchase a comprehensive plan that is always an option; however, you need to understand that any medical condition treated under the current plan will now be considered as pre-existing conditions under the new plan.

While you may have limited coverage under the fixed coverage plan, you will be better off keeping it because the illness will be pre-existing because it occurred prior to the effective date of the newly purchased comprehensive plan. It is better to have limited coverage versus no coverage at all.

My mother has been in the U.S. for 6 months and she now has a toothache and a headache. I need to purchase insurance so that a physician can see her as soon as possible.

As the illness is occurring prior to the effective date of the newly purchased plan, it will be considered pre-existing.

Most plans have restrictions on the length of time you can be in the U.S. without prior international coverage. We recommend you purchase insurance before departure from their home country in the future.

My father who is in India has stage 4 cancer and I am working in the U.S. on an H1 visa. I do not want to leave my job in the U.S. or lose my income to go to India and care for my father. Instead, I want to bring my father to the U.S. for cancer treatment. Which plan do you suggest?

Your fathers' cancer would not be covered because it is a pre-existing condition. There are no plans on the market that would cover the treatment of a pre-existing condition with the intent of seeking treatment.

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Our customers contact us daily with questions and concerns on what the plans will cover, we want our customers to understand how the plans work. If you understand how your plan works, what it will cover, and what it will not cover, you are less likely to be surprised by the medical costs later.

While it may not be possible to predict the future or the likelihood of something happening, knowing the answers to these simple questions will allow you to make an educated decision on whether you should invite them to visit you or whether it is better for you to go visit them.

• Ask if they have had a check-up recently.
• Are they able to bring enough medication with them for the trip?
• Do they have any pre-existing conditions?

Medical treatment in the U.S. is very expensive. If there are any pre-existing conditions that require treatment, the full cost of the treatment may become your responsibility. We advise our customers to purchase visitors insurance before departing from their home country to insure there is coverage during their travels.

As you can see after reading the FAQ, people often have a misunderstanding of how visitor insurance works. Visitor insurance was designed to cover unforeseen injuries, illnesses, and accidents that occur after the effective date of the plan. It is important that you understand the purpose of visitors insurance, as well as the terms of your specific policy.

Please let us know if you have questions or would like clarification on anything.

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