Visitors Insurance – Are You Covered?
Travelers today have many advantages over those who traveled years ago. The actual travel accommodations are much more luxurious than those our ancestors dealt with when traveling abroad. In addition to more comfortable and timely transportation, visitors to foreign countries also have fewer medical and health issues to deal with in our modern times. With this in mind it is important to stress the need to have visitors medical insurance when traveling to the United States. Most health insurance policies will not travel with you, leaving the majority of travelers without adequate coverage in a foreign country. To avoid finding yourself in a precarious situation when you can least afford it, you should know what scenarios are covered and those that are not before purchasing your visitors insurance plan.
What does visitors insurance cover?
Visitors insurance is designed to provide medical coverage while you are traveling abroad. For this reason the coverage is most likely different than that of your regular health insurance policy in your native country. Here are a few things that are normally covered by most visitor insurance policies.
Any illness or sickness that occurs after the policy is in effect.
Accidents or injuries that occur after the policy is in effect.
The return of mortal remains (this covers the transportation of your remains in the event of death).
Emergency room visits.
What is not covered by visitors insurance?
Just as it is important to know what is covered, each traveler would be well advised to understand what is not covered while traveling abroad. Again each policy is different therefore you must check your individual policy to see if these exclusions apply.
Pre-existing conditions are generally not covered by visitors insurance. If you have a medical problem that is related to a condition you had prior to the purchase of your visitors insurance policy, treatment will likely not be covered.
Routine medical care is often excluded. Checkups, exams and immunizations are considered routine care.
Prenatal care or child birth. Pregnant travelers will not have routine prenatal care or the cost of giving birth included in their policy coverage.
Dental or vision coverage is excluded from most policies.
It is important to remember that although most visitors insurance policies are relatively the same, they do vary somewhat. This makes it extremely important to carefully review any insurance plan before committing to the purchase. Travelers visiting the United States should be aware of the fact that health care in this country is very expensive. While many people feel that visitors insurance is not cost effective due to the nature of the coverage, there is no doubt you will benefit should you need medical care that is covered.
To get the best policy available, consider your current medical conditions and what you might encounter while traveling. It is always better to be over insured versus under insured, especially when traveling far from home. Visitors medical insurance is a valuable resource which should be taken advantage of to avoid some of the exorbitant health care costs in a foreign country.