Visitor Medical Insurance plans are available for all visitors from outside the United States who visit the USA for a short-term duration and require travel medical coverage for that period of visit. There are several visitors health insurance plans to choose from, many from top rated US based providers. It is not possible to compare two plans solely on cost; there are different features in visitors insurance plans that make each plan different. It is important understand the visitor travel insurance plan benefits and details before you purchase a plan.
- Comprehensive plans and Fixed benefit plans: This is a big difference between plans. Comprehensive plans are more expensive than the fixed benefit plans. Comprehensive plans provide coverage up to the policy maximum. For expenses up to the plan limit out of pocket expenses are capped to the deductible and the co insurance. Fixed benefit plans have certain pre set maximum that will be paid for each eligible expense. A policy that offers a total $100,000 benefit may have a limit of $2000 for surgery, $500 for x rays, lab work etc.
- Plan Limit or Plan Maximum: The price of a plan also depends on the maximum amount the plan will pay for all claims for the insured. A plan that offers maximum 50K coverage will be cheaper than one that offers 100K coverage. Some plans may offer per incident/per injury maximum and some offer a maximum coverage for the entire policy period.
- Policy Deductible: Visitor medical insurance plans can have deductibles from $0 to above $2500. All expenses incurred up to the deductible amount chosen must be paid by the insured before any payment is made by the insurance company. Plans with high deductibles are often cheaper than those with low deductibles. It should not be confused with a co-payment that is common in US health insurance plans.
- Co-Insurance: It is the percentage of the covered medical expense that the insured must pay. For example if the plan has an 80/20 co insurance rate, the insurance plan pays 80% of the eligible expenses and the rest is paid by the insured. Premiums can vary widely depending on the co insurance of the plan. Sometimes the co insurance applies only up to a certain pre defined cumulative medical expense amount. Beyond that amount eligible expenses are covered 100%.
- Pre existing Condition Coverage: While coverage is usually not available for pre existing conditions, it is still prudent to find out how pre existing conditions are defined by the insurance company. Some plans will exclude coverage only for those conditions that the insured knew about and was receiving treatment before the start date of the insurance. Some others may exclude all those conditions that may have begun before the start of the plan even if the person had no knowledge of the condition.
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