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If your parents are planning a visit from another country, they should buy health insurance to cover them during their stay in the United States.
Travel medical insurance provides short-term healthcare coverage for visitors to the U.S. It works more like traditional U.S. health insurance—with deductibles, copays and provider networks—than traditional travel insurance.
Key Takeaways
- Visitors insurance provides short-term medical coverage for non-U.S. citizens staying temporarily in the USA.
- Fixed insurance plans are cheaper than comprehensive plans but have more limited coverage.
- Visitors insurance works like traditional U.S. health insurance—with deductibles, copays and provider networks.
Do Parents Who Are Visiting the U.S. Need Medical Insurance?
Parents visiting the U.S. can buy travel medical insurance, also called visitors medical insurance from U.S. companies.
The U.S. has some of the highest healthcare costs in the world, so short-term travel health insurance is important for parents from other countries who are visiting the states. Without the coverage, international visitors—whether parents of children here or not—could be in financial trouble if they’re hurt or injured while in the U.S.
Types of Visitors Insurance for Parents Visiting the U.S.
Visitor travel insurance most commonly refers to international travel medical insurance plans designed for international travelers visiting the U.S. for a period of time—typically less than one year.
These visitor travel insurance plans are perfect for non-U.S. citizens who have domestic health insurance but aren’t covered outside of their home country.
—Amanda Winkle, spokesperson for IMG Global
Travel insurance plans for visitors to the U.S. generally fall into two categories: fixed plan travel insurance and comprehensive travel insurance. Fixed plan travel insurance is also called fixed benefit travel insurance and limited benefit visitors insurance.
Fixed Plan Travel Insurance
Fixed plan travel insurance for visitors has sub-limits that cap coverage amounts for each medical situation listed in the policy, while comprehensive visitor travel insurance plans do not.
Key features of fixed benefits plans include:
- Affordable. Fixed plan travel insurance is much less expensive than comprehensive travel plans for visitors, but you get less coverage.
- Can go out of network. You can receive treatment from any hospital or doctor you wish, but fixed plan benefits only pay up to the set limits for each service.
- Coverage caps. An overall medical maximum, as well as specific benefit limits for different covered medical expenses.
- Deductibles apply per event. You pay an initial deductible for each injury or sickness and the fixed travel plan pays for the rest of the covered expenses.
- Effective coverage. Generally, fixed plan coverage begins once you depart your home country. If you buy a plan after your arrival in the U.S., coverage usually begins the day after your purchase.
- Limited coverage. Fixed plan travel insurance for visitors provides much less medical coverage compared to comprehensive travel plans for visitors.
- Little if any trip coverage. Fixed plan travel insurance usually provides minimal—if any— coverage for trip cancellation, interruption or delay.
IMG’s Visitors Care plan is an example of this type of plan. For example, its Visitors Care Lite plan provides hospital emergency room coverage up to $200 maximum per visit, while the comprehensive Patriot America Platinum plan provides the same coverage up to the policy maximum of $8 million.
Comprehensive Plan Travel Insurance
A comprehensive travel insurance policy for U.S. visitors can also financially protect your visitors’ trip investment. That’s because these policies generally also compensate for unexpected trip cancellations, delays and interruptions due to a reason listed in the policy.
Winkle says it can often be misleading to refer to a visitor travel insurance plan or any travel medical insurance plan as “comprehensive” because they are inherently different from an underwritten, annually renewable health plan.
“However, when you hear the term ‘comprehensive’ in the travel medical insurance market, this typically refers to plans that provide benefits with coverage amounts up to the policy’s maximum limit versus a fixed cost,” Winkle says.
Key features of comprehensive plan travel insurance include:
- Deductibles and coinsurance apply. You pay the deductible and a pre-set percentage for coinsurance. For example, the coinsurance can be 20% for the first $5,000 of the medical expense incurred. After $5,000, the plan pays 100% of the eligible medical expenses up to the plan maximum. Other plans may pay 90% up to the first $5,000 and 100% after that.
- Effective coverage. Comprehensive plan coverage typically begins once you depart your home country. If you buy a plan after your arrival in the U.S., coverage usually begins the day after your purchase.
- More expensive. Comprehensive plan travel insurance is more costly than fixed plan travel insurance because it provides significantly more coverage, for example maximum coverage amounts can be millions of dollars.
- No sub-limits. Benefits for covered medical expenses go up to the plan maximum, minus your deductible and coinsurance.
- Network coverage. Comprehensive plan travel insurance usually works within a preferred provider organization network, which means your costs are more if you see providers outside the network.
- Robust coverage. Comprehensive plan travel insurance provides more robust coverage than fixed plan travel insurance, so may be worthwhile if you’re concerned about the high cost of a medical emergency while you’re in the U.S.
- Trip coverage. Some comprehensive plan travel insurance policies provide benefits for trip cancellation, interruption and delay.
What Does Travel Insurance for Parents Visiting the U.S. Cover?
Travel medical insurance plans typically cover inpatient and outpatient services, emergency medical services and other healthcare services ranging from dental to prescription medication.
A comprehensive visitors medical insurance plan bundles together several types of insurance. This could include:
- Travel medical insurance
- Emergency dental
- Emergency medical evacuation coverage
- Coverage for pre-existing conditions
- Coverage for trip cancellations and interruptions
Travel Medical Insurance
Travel medical insurance is crucial for parents visiting the U.S. because our healthcare is very expensive, and older travelers are more likely to require medical care overall.
While insurance policies vary, a travel medical insurance plan for international visitors typically covers:
- Emergency room care
- Nursing care at home
- Intensive care
- Lab work and X-rays
- Local ambulance service
- Physical therapy
- Physician visits
- Prescription medications
- Surgeries
- Walk-in clinic visits
- Urgent care clinic visits
Note that these plans may offer full coverage if you seek care from a doctor in the preferred provider organization (PPO) plan network, while only offering partial coverage for a certain amount of eligible expenses out of their PPO network.
Depending on the plan, deductibles and coinsurance can apply for short-term travel medical insurance policies as well. This means that, even after paying for the plan, your parent can still be on the hook for thousands of dollars in medical bills if they become sick or injured while visiting the United States. Read the travel medical insurance policy carefully to understand how much your parent will be responsible for paying out of pocket if they are injured or become ill.
Emergency Dental Insurance
Emergency dental coverage may be included in a policy, although coverage limits tend to be low. The CoverAmerica-Gold plan from VisitorsCoverage, for example, offers just $250 in travel dental coverage, subject to a $50 deductible.
Emergency Medical Evacuation Coverage
Emergency medical evacuation coverage pays to transport your injured or ill parent to the nearest medical facility (or to the airport closest to a suitable hospital) for emergency treatment and services.
Upon release from the hospital, this coverage may also pay for ground or air transportation back to your parent’s temporary residence in the U.S., or to their home country.
Needing to be transported by air for medical treatment can lead to exorbitant bills in a hurry, so this insurance is important for parents visiting the U.S. Travel medical insurance plans often offer emergency medical evacuation coverage of up to $1 million, but plans with more coverage are also available.
Coverage for Pre-existing Conditions
Pre-existing conditions are typically excluded from coverage. But travel medical insurance can include coverage for the acute onset of pre-existing conditions. There is typically fine print for this coverage.
For example, the CoverAmerica-Gold plan from VisitorsCoverage offers coverage for the acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to the policy limit for people under 70. But for ages 70 to 79, coverage is limited to $30,000. This plan also limits cardiac coverage for angina, heart attacks and strokes to $36,000.
Coverage for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption
Some travel medical insurance plans also include some traditional travel insurance elements, such as trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage.
The CoverAmerica-Gold plan from VisitorsCoverage, for instance, offers coverage of $100 for a travel delay of 12 hours or longer, and $10,000 of trip interruption coverage.
How Much Does Travel Medical Insurance Cost for Parents Visiting the U.S.?
The typical cost of travel medical insurance is between $200 and $400, according to VisitorsCoverage.
Travel insurance for parents visiting the U.S. will vary in cost depending on the plan you choose, the age of your parents and the length of their visit.
The Patriot America Plus from IMG Global, for example, costs about $212 for 29 days of coverage for a 60-year-old parent visiting the U.S. This sample plan has no deductible and a $1 million maximum limit.
Our Picks for the Best Insurance Companies for Parents Visiting the U.S.
Here are top-scoring policies that made our list of the best travel medical insurance for visitors to the U.S.
| Company | Company - Logo | Forbes Advisor Rating | Forbes Advisor rating | Policy | Choices of deductibles | Learn More CTA text | Learn more CTA below text | LEARN MORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WorldTrips |  | 5.0 |  | Atlas America | $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 | Get A Quote | Via Forbes Advisor's Website | |
| IMG |  | 5.0 |  | Patriot America Lite | $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500 | Get A Quote | Via Forbes Advisor's Website | |
| IMG | | 4.5 |  | Patriot America Plus | $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500 | Get A Quote | Via Forbes Advisor's Website | |
| Trawick |  | 4.0 |  | Safe Travels USA | $0, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 | Get A Quote | Via Forbes Advisor's Website | |
| Seven Corners |  | 4.0 | | Travel Medical Basic | $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $5,000 | Get A Quote | Via Forbes Advisor's Website |
Travel Insurance for Parents Visiting the U.S. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do each of my parents need their own individual travel policy?
No, you’ll want both to have travel insurance coverage, but this doesn’t mean they have to have separate policies. Coverage can be purchased so that both parents are on the same travel insurance policy, says Winkle. For example, when getting a quote for your travel policy, you usually select the number of people you’d like to insure and enter your trip cost and travel dates, then select your policy. After purchasing, both parents would be eligible for coverage, Winkle says. The average cost of travel insurance is 5% to 6% of your trip costs.
Can I purchase travel insurance for my parents?
Yes, you may buy visitor travel insurance for your parents, friends or relatives, as long as you have the necessary personal information required to purchase the policy and the consent of the insured, says Winkler.
In addition to policies from IMG Global and VisitorsCoverage, GeoBlue also sells travel medical insurance for visitors to the U.S.
Can I cancel the travel insurance and get a refund if my parents’ travel plans change?
You can usually cancel a travel insurance policy and be refunded the cost of the policy if it’s during the “look-back” review period, which is usually 14 days after the purchase date. The review period specified for your policy is among the essential things to read in your travel policy’s fine print.
Can my parents buy medical insurance from U.S. travel insurance companies?
Yes, foreign visitors can buy travel medical insurance from U.S. travel insurance companies.
Can foreigners get insurance while in the U.S.?
Yes, foreigners can buy visitors insurance after arriving in the U.S. If the insurance is purchased after your parents arrive in the US, there may be a waiting period before you’re eligible to file a claim.
