Health insurance that provides coverage in the U.S. is essential for anyone visiting here from another country—and that includes parents. The U.S. generally does not accept health insurance from other countries, so buying travel insurance with short-term healthcare coverage is prudent.
These policies are known by different names but work similarly to traditional U.S. health plans. They typically have provider networks, deductibles and copays. The best travel medical insurance for visitors to the USA includes valuable benefits that can help pay for routine, urgent and emergency medical care.
Key Takeaways
- Travel insurance for parents visiting the U.S. is also known as visitors insurance, visitors medical insurance, travel health insurance or travel medical insurance.
- The average cost of visitors insurance is between $200 and $300, according to VisitorsCoverage.
- Visitors insurance falls into two main types: Fixed plans and comprehensive plans— fixed plans are cheaper than comprehensive plans but have more limited coverage.
Do Parents Who Are Visiting the U.S. Need Medical Insurance?
Yes, visitors medical insurance is essential because health insurance from other countries generally isn’t accepted in the U.S.
Visitors medical insurance is designed for international travelers visiting the U.S. for a short duration, usually less than 365 days.
— Amanda Winkle, spokesperson for IMG Global
Types of Visitors Insurance for Parents Visiting the U.S.
Visitors to the U.S. generally have a choice of two types of insurance that provides medical coverage: fixed plan and comprehensive. Fixed plan travel insurance is also called “fixed benefit travel insurance” and “limited benefit visitors insurance.”
Fixed Plan Travel Insurance
With these plans, each medical situation listed in the policy has a sub-limit that caps the coverage amount.
Fixed plans typically include these attributes:
- Low cost but limited coverage. Fixed plan travel insurance provides less coverage than comprehensive but is cheaper.
- Can go out of network. Fixed plan benefits allow you to get treatment from any provider, but have limits for each treatment.
- Coverage caps. Limits for different covered medical expenses are specified in the policy, and there’s an overall medical maximum.
- 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. Typically, once you leave your home country, your fixed plan coverage goes into effect. Coverage usually begins the day after your purchase if you buy a policy after you arrive in the U.S.
- Minimal trip coverage. Fixed plans usually don’t include benefits for cancellation, interruption and delay, but if they do they are very modest.
Comprehensive Plan Travel Insurance
These plans have no sub-limits. Benefits for covered medical expenses go up to the plan maximum, minus your deductible and coinsurance.
Key features of comprehensive plans include:
- Coinsurance and deductibles apply. Your coinsurance is a pre-determined percentage that works with your deductible. For example, for the first $5,000 of the medical expense incurred, the coinsurance can be 20%. 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 you arrive in the U.S., coverage usually begins the day after your purchase.
- Higher cost but more robust coverage. Comprehensive plan travel insurance costs more than fixed plan travel insurance because it provides significantly more coverage; for example, maximum coverage amounts can be millions of dollars.
- Network coverage. Your costs are higher if you get treatment from out-of-network providers because comprehensive plans usually work within a preferred provider organization network.
- Trip benefits. Some comprehensive plan travel insurance policies provide coverage for trip cancellation, interruption and delay.
Winkle says it can often be misleading to refer to a visitor travel insurance plan—or any travel medical insurance plan—as “comprehensive.” That’s 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.
How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost for Parents Visiting the U.S.?
The average cost of visitors travel insurance is between $200 and $300, according to VisitorsCoverage.
Costs will vary depending on:
- Age of your parents
- Policy maximum amount
- Pre-existing medical conditions coverage
- The deductible amount
- The length of their visit
Consider this example: Let’s suppose your parents are visiting the U.S. for 30 days and are ages 60 and 65. The Atlas America plan from WorldTrips would cost about $450 for $50,000 worth of coverage with a $100 deductible. The same policy with $100,000 worth of coverage and a $250 deductible costs about $1,148 for a parent age 70 visiting the U.S. for 90 days.
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 | Forbes Advisor rating | Policy name | Choices of deductibles | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
   | Atlas America | $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 | Via Forbes Advisor's Website | |
| | Patriot America Lite | $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500 | Via Forbes Advisor's Website | |
 | Patriot America Plus | $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500 | Via Forbes Advisor's Website | |
 | Safe Travels USA | $0, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 | Via Forbes Advisor's Website | |
| | Travel Medical Basic | $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $5,000 | Via Forbes Advisor's Website |
What Does Travel Insurance for Parents Visiting the U.S. Cover?
Inpatient and outpatient services, emergency medical services and other healthcare services ranging from dental to prescription medication are typically covered by travel medical insurance plans for visitors.
Here are the types of coverage a comprehensive plan can provide:
How to Choose the Best Travel Insurance for Parents Visiting the U.S.
Here are key considerations for choosing a visitors travel insurance plan for parents:
- Medical and evacuation benefits. It’s wise to get a policy with at least $100,000 in medical expense coverage and $250,000 in medical evacuation coverage, according to VisitorsCoverage.
- Pre-existing medical condition coverage. If you want the most coverage from your policy, look for policies that cover some form of pre-existing medical conditions. Pre-existing medical conditions are usually excluded from coverage, but many policies cover the acute onset of pre-existing conditions. This helps pay for treatment if a dormant condition suddenly recurs and requires medical care.
- Deductibles and copays. Consider the deductible and copay amount. Higher deductibles may lower the price of a policy but can increase your out-of-pocket costs if you have a medical emergency. VistorsCoverage recommends a deductible amount of $100 to $250.
- Maximum coverage amount. Assess how much coverage you think you need to determine an adequate maximum amount. You might want a policy with higher limits if you have poor health. And take into account the length of your trip. The longer the stay, the higher your chance of a medical emergency. For example, you can find visitors insurance policies with maximum coverage of $500,000 to $8 million.
- Provider network care. Think about the flexibility you want when seeking treatment and the associated cost. Some visitors insurance plans may offer full coverage if you get 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.
How To Get Travel Insurance for Parents Visiting the U.S.A
You can buy visitors insurance online by entering some information about your parents and their trip. You’ll be asked to enter their:
- Country of citizenship
- Date of birth
- Destination country
- Home address
- Home country
- Names
- Travel dates
IMG Global, Seven Corners, VisitorsCoverage, Trawick International and GeoBlue are among the companies that sell visitors insurance.
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 don’t have to have separate policies. Your parents should have travel medical insurance for visitors to the USA, but coverage can be purchased so that they are on the same travel insurance policy.
Can I buy travel insurance for my parents visiting the USA?
Yes, you can 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 Winkle. Your parents can also buy travel insurance from U.S. travel insurance companies.
Can I cancel the travel insurance and get a refund if my parents’ travel plans change?
Yes, you can get a full refund if you cancel a travel medical insurance during the “look-back” review period, usually 14 days after you bought the policy. The review policy period will be specified in your policy. If you cancel after the review period, you usually are charged a cancellation fee—it’s $25 for the Atlas America plan—and are refunded the prorated portion of your premium.
Are there age limits for parents to qualify for travel medical insurance?
Yes, there are age limits, but they vary by plan. You can find coverage for people up to 99 years old. Some plans have maximum age caps in the 70s or 80s. Generally, the older you are, the more you pay for visitors insurance, and in some cases coverage limits are reduced.
