Insurance in the USA is not a prerequisite for obtaining a visa. But meanwhile, it is worth making. And all because medical services in this country are very expensive. So it turns out that it is much cheaper to pay for insurance in the US than to pay for the costs of treatment without it.
To buy or not
Experienced travelers are advised to buy insurance anyway. Although its acquisition is not a prerequisite for issuing a visa, it is a necessary thing.
In order to make the benefits of insurance in the United States more clear, we give approximate expenses for medical services in the absence of it:
- A visit to the doctor will cost from two hundred to three hundred dollars.
- Surgical care will cost about one thousand two hundred dollars.
- It will be possible to call an ambulance and leave for it at the clinic for one and a half thousand dollars.
- To do a tomography, you have to shell out four thousand dollars.
From these figures we can conclude that you can not call cheap treatment. Even for the average American, insurance in the United States costs from two hundred to six hundred dollars, and this is only a month.
They calculate the cost of insurance for a tourist based on how much a person is traveling and what services he is willing to pay.
What insurance to choose
For a tourist, the choice of insurance is quite complicated, because there are a lot of insurance companies, and there are even more profitable offers. And yet, before you buy health insurance in the US, you need to find out if it meets the following rules:
- Health insurance is required throughout the United States.
- The minimum insurance coverage should be fifty thousand dollars.
It is not uncommon for a traveler to purchase insurance that is valid worldwide, except for the United States. And the reason for this is the inattentive attitude to the insurance contract. Be sure to carefully study this document.
No less important is what insurance covers. More precisely, what kind of health insurance services in the USA can be counted on.
The very minimum is:
- Outpatient and inpatient treatment.
- Hospitalization and doctor's call.
- Returning home for medical reasons.
- Refund for medicines.
It is important to remember that travel insurance does not cover chronic diseases. And also practically from all types of medical insurance in the USA sexually transmitted and mental diseases are excluded.
Additional services
Very often, an insurance company offers to add some services. It could be:
- Accident insurance.
- Baggage insurance during the flight.
- Liability insurance.
- The inclusion of dental services.
Everything that fits into the medical insurance in the USA in excess of the norm is reflected in the insurance contract.
Sports activities or extreme pastimes are not considered an additional service. For these purposes, a separate insurance is purchased. However, even basic insurance does not guarantee that you will be provided with medical services free of charge. With the help of insurance you can only cover the personal costs of treatment in this country.
Standard policy
Since insurance for trips to the United States is most often chosen with a standard set of services, we will consider this option in more detail.
From the outside it may seem that according to the standard policy medical care is minimal, but this is not so. This includes insurance risks such as:
- Cold. This is the most common disease, so insurance covers it completely. But still, prices for services are considered individually.
- Infectious diseases. This includes chickenpox, botulism, fever, pneumonia. Diseases, although rare among tourists, but nevertheless the patient needs care.
- Poisoning and alcohol intoxication. Travel insurance for the United States fully covers the cost of treatment.
- Cuts, fractures, bruises. Accidents are also reflected in the insurance, which allows the patient to hope for qualified and quick help.
- Dental problems. In the USA, this is a very expensive type of service, many of which even middle-income Americans cannot pay.
Insurance coverage
To understand which insurance suits you best, you need to determine for yourself the criteria that you will rely on.
The first place will be the sum insured. That is, the greater the amount of insurance, the more likely it is that you will receive medical care. Indeed, in the USA, insufficiency of the insurance amount can serve as a reason for refusal to provide assistance. The minimum amount of insurance to visit the country is fifty thousand dollars. But do you need insurance in the USA with such a small limit? Definitely not, because even the treatment of abdominal pain will cost one and a half thousand.
Intermediary company
An intermediary company always answers a customer’s call. She also agrees on treatment and contacts a medical organization, as well as gives advice. As you know, a lot depends on the intermediary, therefore, before choosing insurance in the USA, the tourist needs to pay attention to the intermediary working with the company.
There are several reliable intermediaries:
- Class
- Mondial.
- Internftional SOS.
Company prestige
Before you stop at any one insurance company, it would be nice if you find out about its reputation. By the way, the rule that the larger and more famous the company is, the more reliable it is, works great in the USA.
If the company has extensive experience, then there will be no problems with the payment of insurance. Even if certain disputes arise with customers, such companies try to solve them peacefully, because their reputation is more important.
Insurance price
In order not to lose money, it is better to compare the offers of different companies before buying and only then choose the best. The price of travel insurance in the United States depends not only on the pricing policy of the insurance company, but also on how many days a person plans to spend in the country.
For example, a thirty-two-year-old man who travels to the United States for fifteen days can pay a minimum of 1225 rubles. That is, insurance will cost 82 rubles a day. He can buy insurance for 1753 rubles. Then a day already gets 117 rubles. But this is not the limit. Insurance can cost 190 rubles per day, which in total will be equal to 2856 rubles. Naturally, the price varies depending on the services included.
Franchise
To save on health insurance in the United States, a franchise was invented for citizens of other countries. This is such an amount, the excess of which will have to be paid out of your own pocket, but the insurance company still pays the bulk.
The downside is that all expenses within the franchise are paid by the person himself. Naturally, under such conditions, insurance becomes much cheaper compared to the standard option.
But then again, the franchise is bad in that due to its low cost, problems may arise with the provision of medical care if an insured event still occurs.
Due to the fact that the disadvantages of a franchise outweigh its advantages, almost all insurance policies are purchased without it. But with a great desire, a franchise can be bought separately. Such insurance in the United States will cost about two hundred dollars.
Payment for treatment
To date, there are only two options for paying for the medical care provided:
- Treatment can not be paid. It is only necessary to present a medical insurance - and you can count on any medical care. Questions about paying for treatment are settled by the insurance company.
- To be treated for their own money, and then receive compensation. If you save all payment receipts and certificates, then after you return home, they can be presented to the insurance company, and it will charge compensation. Usually payment comes in a few days.
Factors Affecting Price
From the following factors the cost of insurance is formed:
- Pricing policy of the insurance company.
- The stay of a tourist in the country.
- Limits of compensation for different services.
- Type of insurance.
- Services covered by insurance.
- Supplements insurance and features.
Insurance requirements
Travel insurance in the United States must include risks such as sports. If suddenly the traveler breaks some part of the body, then he will be provided with free medical care. Apart from this paragraph, there are no other recommendations.
Insurance for holders of a multi-visa is most often purchased annually. It has a fixed period for each trip, which means it will cost less than a new document every time. The annual contract may be from thirty to one hundred and eighty days.
If a person travels to the United States on a guest visa, then the best option would be to take out US insurance with a mark of liability insurance. This means that if the insured damages the property of another person in the country, the company compensates for the damage. Damaged furniture in the hotel will fall under the insured event.
If a person is going to work or study in the USA, then he must make sure that his insurance can cover a large amount. Indeed, because of a long stay in another country, the risk of disease increases. For these people, you can also add a paragraph on liability insurance.
Insurance programs
Before you get insurance in the United States, you need to decide on the insurance program. There are two types:
- Premium This means that the insurance company takes care of everything from baggage insurance to compensation for damage caused to other people.
- Classical Under this insurance, it will be possible to solve the problems of medical care, to obtain legal assistance, as well as assistance in the loss or theft of documents.
How to get insurance
There is no compulsory insurance in the USA, but just in case, it is better to protect yourself. So, in order to draw up an insurance policy you need passport details of a person. Their spelling should not differ from that in the passport. And also you need to specify the date of birth.
A big plus is the fact that insurance can be issued to several people.
After a person pays for insurance, a policy comes to his email. It comes along with a cover letter, which indicates all insurance conditions and a list of additional services (if included).
The most important document is its number and telephone number of the intermediary company. This is where you need to call if an insured event occurs.
If there is no desire to print out the policy, then this is not necessary. The main thing is to remember the number of the document and the telephone number of the intermediary or write them down somewhere. It is best to carry them with you.
No one has the right to claim an insurance policy when crossing the border!
What to do if an insured event occurs
The first step is to contact the intermediary company. Messages in instant messengers are also tracked. The good news is that if you call to the United States from another country, the insurance company will reimburse part of the cost of the call.
If you have chosen an American insurance agent, you will have to speak English. If the insurance agent is from Russia, then, respectively, in Russian.
You will first be asked to explain your problem. If the case is insurance, the agent will confirm this and instruct about further actions.
Most often, the intermediary immediately calls the hospital (which is closest) and sends a letter of guarantee there.
After the mediator settles everything, he calls the tourist and says the place and time of reception. If the problem is not too serious, then an appointment is made the next day. But in an emergency, the intermediary urgently signals an ambulance.
There is a slight nuance. The fact is that in the territory of the United States not all hospitals work with intermediaries or specifically this intermediary does not have an agreement with the nearest medical organization. In this case, the insurance company covers transportation costs, but this point needs to be clarified.
In a medical organization, tourists will be accepted for free. The basis for this will be a letter of guarantee, which the intermediary will send to the hospital.
If there is a preliminary agreement, then you can pay for all services yourself, and the insurance company will compensate for the costs as soon as the tourist arrives home. But in order to return your money, you will need certificates and checks.
What can not be done
In order not to have to pay for treatment from your pocket, you must follow certain rules:
- You cannot pay for medical care before calling the intermediary.
- You cannot engage in extreme sports and drive a vehicle while intoxicated. In this case, treatment costs are not reimbursed.
- If a person is self-medicating, then he, too, may be refused to pay insurance.
- For the treatment of chronic diseases under the pretext of emergency medical care, insurance compensation is not paid.
U.S. Risk Factors
Since America is a rather big country, there are many risks for tourists. For example, before traveling to the California coast, it is better to include health insurance in the standard package of services. There can suffer not only avid surfers, but also ordinary vacationers, for example, from a shark.
When traveling to New York, it is better to insure against car accidents, as there are problems with discipline and road safety in the country. Car insurance in the United States will also not be superfluous.
Ardent naturalists need to take care of an expanded policy, since rescuers will still need to get to places such as the Grand Canyon. But do not think that there are no animals in the cities. If any opossum or raccoon scratches you, then you need to immediately seek medical help.
Among other things, in America there are a lot of poisonous creatures: scorpions, snakes and mosquitoes. Do not discount wild animals.
Various disasters often occur in the country. If you're unlucky, you can get into the tornado or hurricane season. Not a wonder for America and forest fires, and river spills.
How to get travel insurance
If you forgot to make insurance before departure, then you can get it on the spot. True, it will cost several times more. Not all insurance companies provide such a service, so you have to search.
Liberty company provides such a service, but with the condition that the insurance takes effect only on the sixth day of travel.
Practice shows that travelers resort to such services, but not very often.
Verified Russian companies
In order not to run into scammers, it is best to contact trusted companies. So, according to reviews, insurance in the USA is best made out in the following companies:
- "Capital Policy".
- MAX.
- "RESO-Guarantee".
- SOGAZ.
- Rosgosstrakh.
- "Alliance".
In addition to medical insurance, a tourist may need car insurance. Indeed, in the USA car rental is very developed.
How to rent a car and do I need insurance
In order to find a car for rent, you do not have to put a lot of effort. This direction is very developed in the country. But before you make a deal, it would be nice to have at least some idea of how it goes:
- In the United States, automatic-controlled cars are only leased. At the same time, the price of a middle-class car will be approximately seventy dollars per day.
- You can order a car on the rental website or at a broker. The latter, as a rule, put prices lower. In addition, you should not order a car directly to the airport, because no one will drive it there. The tourist himself must find the parking for the shuttles and from there drive to the rental office.
- To avoid problems, it is better to take care in advance and get permission to travel to other states.
- In order to rent a car, a passport with an open visa, a driver’s license (even Russian) and a credit card are enough.
- If the car is ordered online, then you do not need to enter card data. There will be enough data about the driver, email, phone and address.
- If the driver is not twenty-five years old, then he must pay the young driver's fee.
- The rental price includes insurance and mileage without restrictions (sometimes they exist, for example, the number of states), as well as taxes.
- When traveling by car in America, do not forget that each state has its own traffic rules, fuel prices, fines, and more.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to say that you should not rely on chance. It is better to prepare for all sorts of surprises in advance and be calm. After all, no one knows what will happen tomorrow.
And in order for the trip to leave only good memories, you need to choose the right insurance company. It is worth giving preference to companies with extensive experience and a good reputation.
In addition, before traveling, it is better to choose the right time to exclude the possibility of natural disasters. Do not take risks and climb into wild places on your own, as well as disdain for the rules of behavior in the country.
If you want to receive insurance compensation, then do not deceive the insurers. Sooner or later, the fraud will open and you will not receive any money.
And remember, with what respect you relate to a foreign country, with such respect they will relate to your country. So try to leave only a favorable impression of Russia.