Travel Insurance For Foreigners in USA: A Detailed Guide

Traveling to a new country can be an exciting experience, but also a little bit stressful. There will surely be some cultural hurdles to overcome, and you won’t be able to depend on familiar faces or places in times of need. Because of this, it’s extremely important to look after your health.

The USA has some of the finest hospitals and clinics in the world. The trouble is, they’re incredibly expensive. Americans cannot afford medical care without health insurance, and the same goes for foreign visitors to the USA. That’s where health insurance for foreigners in USA comes in, also known as visitors insurance.

A visitors insurance plan takes the guesswork and financial strain out of getting necessary medical care in the US. Your travel insurance in USA for foreigners can point you to the right doctors, cover the majority of your bills in accordance with the policy documents, and make medical care in the US as stress-free as possible.

Can Foreigners Buy US Health Insurance?

A foreign visitor cannot buy a typical domestic major medical plan like American citizens have. Instead, they must buy visitors insurance from an independent broker like Insubuy. We make it easy to get instant quotes and purchase the US health coverage you need in minutes. You don’t even need a doctor’s exam. 

Why You Need Health Insurance in the US

The reason foreign visitors need health insurance in the US comes down to cost. Even a minor procedure can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and major surgery can cost hundreds of thousands. 

It’s impossible to guarantee that you won’t get sick or injured while visiting the USA, so you need to have a plan in place to pay for medical care. Visitors medical insurance is your best option, as foreign health insurance typically is not accepted or sufficient in the US. 

Benefits of Health Insurance for Foreigners

A visitors insurance plan provides a wealth of benefits that are useful to every foreign traveler in the US. These include:

• Emergency medical coverage – If you get hurt or sick in the US, your visitors insurance plan can help you pay for covered medical expenses.
• Medical evacuation/repatriation coverage – Should a life-threatening emergency occur that requires transport to another location for treatment, this benefit can help cover the astronomical costs. 
• PPO network participation – Many comprehensive coverage visitors insurance plan participate in PPO networks, which are networks of healthcare providers that can offer direct (cashless) billing and lower, network-negotiated rates.
• Coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions – Even if your acute illness is related to a pre-existing condition, many visitors insurance plans can still provide coverage.
• Accidental death and dismemberment coverage – In the event that the insured were to be killed or grievously injured, this benefit can provide financial compensation to the beneficiary. 
• Return of mortal remains – In the event that the insured were to pass away while visiting the United States, this benefit can cover the costs of transporting the mortal remains.
• Travel benefits include lost luggage coverage and trip interruption coverage.

How Much Does Health Insurance for Foreigners Cost?

The cost of travel health insurance for foreign visitors depends on a variety of factors. These factors typically include:

• The specific visitors insurance plan you choose.
• The policy maximum and deductible you select.
• The length of your coverage period.
• Your age.
• Any optional coverages you select.

Not sure where to start? We recommend considering some of these visitors insurance plans: