Many people who live in the US are inviting their relatives from overseas to their home for the first time. These customers often already have their own health insurance through an employer, so they've never had to purchase health insurance on their own. And of course, buying health insurance is not as familiar for most people as buying groceries every week.
These customers may have many doubts and will turn to their friends for suggestions. Unless their friends are experts in visitors insurance, they may also have heard inaccurate stories from their friends or colleagues. Inaccurate information easily gets passed along from person to person.
Therefore, it's important to do your own research, conduct visitors coverage reviews, and compare visitors insurance plans before making a decision. If you do your due diligence, you can find the best visitor insurance in the USA for your needs.
Those traveling from India to the US may consider buying visitors insurance from either country. However, it's always preferable to purchase visitors insurance from US-based companies rather than from India-based companies.
There is no one best visitors insurance plan for everyone.
The following tips will help you compare visitors insurance policies:
Comparison Website
You could call around at numerous agencies, gathering information to try to decipher for yourself which travel insurance while in the USA you need. This could be very time consuming, and the decision still might be unclear.
Alternatively, you can simply enter your criteria on this website, which will then display prices from various products along with their complete details. You can also compare the plans side-by-side and make an instant purchase online. Our website's articles will give you a lot of information as well, saving you time in the research process. For any questions about selecting the most suitable visitors insurance for your specific situation, you can call our office and speak with a licensed, experienced insurance professional that is in the US and answers these types of questions every day.
Coverage Type
There are primarily two types of visitors insurance plans:
- Fixed Coverage Plans: lower cost, fewer benefits
- Comprehensive Coverage Plans: higher cost, better benefits
Comprehensive coverage plans are always recommended; fixed coverage plans are often insufficient for the high healthcare costs in the US.
Benefits and Exclusions
Not all visitors insurance plans are the same. While you should compare benefits, you should also pay close attention to exclusions. Just because your friend purchased a specific visitors insurance plan doesn't mean that the same one is best for you. Everyone's insurance needs are different.
For example, if any of your relatives have pre-existing conditions, buying a visitors insurance policy that would cover acute onset of pre-existing conditions would be very important.
Trip Protection
If you are taking relatives on a cruise, make sure to purchase visitors insurance that provides international coverage outside the US. Additionally, if you would like to cover prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs, you should consider purchasing trip cancellation insurance.
Hazardous Activities
If your relatives will be taking part in any hazardous activities, such as skiing or parasailing, make sure to purchase travel insurance that covers those activities. Many visitors insurance plans exclude them and may require an optional additional rider to cover them. Even after purchasing additional coverage, double check that all hazardous activities are explicitly covered.
Extensions
Relatives visiting the US from around the world may not know exactly how long they will be staying. In this case, you can purchase visitors insurance for a certain duration and then extend the policy. Verify that your policy is extendable when purchasing.
Beware of some foreign-based visitors insurance policies that don't allow you to extend your policy if you had a claim in a previous policy period.
Cancellation
When visiting the US for several months, unexpected circumstances or events may occur back home that require visitors to leave early. In such a scenario, having visitors insurance that is cancelable and refundable can be very helpful. However, not all visitors insurance plans are refundable. You should review the terms and restrictions of cancellation and refund policies in the visitors insurance plans you are considering. No visitors insurance plan provides any refund if you had any claim in the policy.
Policy Maximum
Because US healthcare expenses are high, it is better to select an adequate policy maximum.
Price
Price is an important factor when choosing visitors insurance, but don't only look at price. Do some research and familiarize yourself with the benefits you should look for in visitors insurance. Your best strategy is to be as educated as possible about a variety of visitors insurance plans.
Can't find answers to your questions?
Ask our specialists - Licensed and experienced insurance professionals in the U.S.