Tourists on holidays, parents and relatives visiting family.
Know more »The situation around the Covid 19 pandemic has finally seen some good ending with most of the restrictions being removed in almost entire world and people living their lives normally without having to worry to travel and wearing masks, taking vaccines and testing for Covid-19. However, the concern for getting treated for the same in case of getting affected or detected has not completely vanished. In some parts of the world, the airports slight concern about the same.
The most important part of the travel is carrying the travel medical insurance which will be helpful for covering the unexpected medical expenses along with other expenses like trip interruption, loss of luggage and other little things that are part of the travel. Travel insurance plans still highlight the coverage availability for Covid-19. There are plans that do not cover Covid-19 and there are some that do cover Covid-19.
Here at American Visitor Insurance you can use our visitor compare tool to look at the available travel insurance plans and their prices by filling the quote form. You can also see the plans that cover Covid-19 and compare them.
Many travelers travel from India to the US on various purposes for their visit and travel insurance is the most important document to carry which is needless to say. Travel insurance is most important for the well-known reason of expensive healthcare in the US.
The healthcare in the US for a visitor can be very expensive to pay out of pocket in case of unexpected medical incident like sickness or injury without a travel insurance. Most of the plans have Covid-19 cover which is great to have in case of any indication of symptoms to get treated for the same.
Here are some great comprehensive plans that provide Covid-19 coverage:
There are some USA Covid travel insurance plans available for travel to Indians that cover Covid19 as a new illness. International travelers can compare best Covid travel insurance plans and buy it online. These US covid travel insurance plans are available for visitors from Indians to the US, US citizens and US residents traveling abroad as well as non US travelers traveling outside their home country.
Pay $370 filling fees +$85 for biometric fees depending on the petition at the USCIS.
The USCIS will issue a receipt with 13-digit case number on submission of the extension application
The Indian tourist should provide this case number to check the status of the application and its processing times (customer service number helpline number is: 1-800-375-5283).
While you are in the US in an unplanned situation thanks to COVID-19, it is very important to buy best travel health insurance for Indians with Covid-19 coverage to secure yourself from unexpected illness. Indian Travelers can compare popular travel health insurance to buy good US visitor insurance with Covid-19 coverage.
Indians started their migration to the United States as early as the 19th century in small communities in the West coast. As many new opportunities ascended during the middle of the 20th century the immigrants population grew larger. As of 2019 there were about 2.7 million Indian immigrants residents in the US. This is excluding the second generation of Indian-Americans born in the US.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2010 and 2019 American Community Surveys (ACS), "Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-born Population of the United States: 1850-2000" by Campbell Gibson and Kay Jung (Working Paper no. 81, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, February 2006), available online.
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The size of the Indian diaspora worldwide, coupled with the growing middle class within India makes Indians among the fastest growing group of international travelers. The large highly educated Indian communities in the US and the UK often travel back to India.
This community also frequently have parents and other family members from India visiting them where they live. International travel has become a way of life in the 21st century, however one must not overlook the risks that accompany traveling overseas to different climatic conditions in particular for older travelers.
Travel Medical Insurance provides coverage for:
Other than these there are many more benefits in travel insurance which can make their vacation an enjoyable experience without having to worry about the financial stress of paying for unforeseen travel and health related expenses out of pocket. It is important to note that the US healthcare is very expensive for visitors. It is recommended to choose comprehensive travel insurance that covers hospitalization and emergency medical expenses. Taking some time to compare travel insurance plans at American Visitor Insurance will provide great plan options and some peace of mind for your international travel to the US
Traveling overseas needs good planning for the international journey. It is very important for Indian travelers to buy travel health insurance while travelling outside India. Travel insurance coverage will provide protection towards unanticipated sudden illness or accidents.
While traveling to the US in particular, international travelers should have good visitors insurance coverage given the very high cost of US healthcare for a safe and stress free trip. The Indian domestic health insurance invariably provides little or no coverage outside India.
A visitors medical insurance plan will protect the insured from huge medical bills in case of hospitalization in a foreign country. An insured traveler can get cashless medical facilities up to the insured amount within the US reducing stress with paperwork and getting reimbursement later.
Yes. Indian Visitors, tourists, students, and others can all buy travel health insurance in the US. We recommend that the travel insurance be purchased from the day they leave India until they return back home, however, many US travel insurance providers allow you to purchase it even after the traveler has already started their journey.
Healthcare in the United States is very expensive, and it is important to have good travel health insurance mainly to cover any unanticipated health care costs. Visitor or travel medical insurance for Indians is for unexpected medical expenses while on their trip and since they are for use in an emergency, one can use any doctor/hospital. In a non-emergency situation, you should consult your documentation and try to stay in-network (if applicable) while in the US since this will likely reduce your out-of-pocket cost.
While most Indian travelers in US insurance plans do not cover pre-existing conditions, some US travel insurance for Indian visitors cover acute onset of pre-existing conditions. INF insurance is the one provider who offers travel insurance with coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Any pre-existing medical condition is something that the Indian traveler has before or when he/she buys the travel insurance plan. The pre-existing condition can be an illness or any injury. Some other examples of pre-existing conditions are cancer, diabetes or asthma/respiratory issues.
Most travel insurance for Indians will consider blood pressure as a pre-existing condition for travel insurance. However the INF insurance offer travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions ranging including Blood pressure. The INF Premier & INF Elite travel insurance for preexisting conditions are two INF plans with coverage for blood pressure.
The outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic since 2019 has brought about a very stressful situation for all of mankind and has dealt a huge blow to the travel Industry. Several NRI’s travel to India once or a couple of times to connect back to their family and friends was difficult from the US.
With the vaccination drives travelling is possible and NRI’s can plan for a trip to India by including good NRI travel to India Covid insurance coverage.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20th, 2021 after the tumultuous Donald Trump presidency. President Joseph Biden with Kamala Harris as his vice-president who is of Indian origin has proposed many immigration policy changes, many of which is excellent news for Indians in the US.
President Biden has proposed immigration policy changes that will ease the Green Card process and time to citizenship by applicants. Biden has also proposed to reverse the revocation of work authorization for spouses of H1-B visa holders who are on the H4 visa. Indians are going to benefit hugely from these immigration policy changes. In 2020 the Green card backlog for employment-based immigration which consisted of 68% Indians crossed 1.2 million mark {Data from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)}.
The proposed US Immigration Bill will also bring other changes to the existing format. Indian professionals who have received their PhD in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) will be exempt from visa caps. Some of the changes might be delayed in implementation because they need a change in the laws.
There is a large community of Indian residents in the United States. Many Indian citizens have taken US citizenship. In 2017 alone around 60 thousand Indian citizens became naturalized US citizens. This vibrant community of US residents of Indian origin is a strong bridge between the US and the India, which retains strong ties with family members in both countries. As a consequence, there are is a lot of regular travel between the two countries. Given the very high cost of health care in the United States, it is very important for visitors to the US to have good travel health insurance while visiting the US.
Here are some travel insurance tips for travelers with pre-existing conditions
There are several visitors insurance plans available for international travel. However, many travel insurance and visitors insurance plans exclude pre-existing conditions. This means that a travel insurance plan will not cover the costs of treating a pre-existing medical condition. Therefore, the insurance company may deny a claim if the ailment already existed when the travel insurance was purchased. However, there are some travel medical insurance plans that offer coverage for pre-existing conditions and the policy clearly defines a look-back period and what is covered for pre-existing conditions, as well as specifying a limit to this coverage.
Some travel health insurance plans like Atlas America, Patriot America Plus offer coverage for the acute onset of a pre-existing conditions, ie, when there is a sudden medical emergency without any prior symptom that needs to be treated immediately. The coverage typically includes emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, and evacuation expenses related to the acute onset of the pre-existing condition. INF insurance however has the INF Elite insurance plans which cover pre-existing conditions going beyond the acute onset coverage. It is important to compare visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions both for the price as well as the specific details for pre-existing conditions coverage as well as review the policy brochures for exclusions and coverage limits before making a decision.
The travel health insurance plans which cover pre-existing conditions have clear definitions of what is a pre-existing condition, the look back period for pre-existing condition, whether the travel insurance coverage is limited to acute onset of pre-existing conditions, and if it provides full coverage for pre-existing conditions the coverage limit within the policy for pre-existing conditons. Any travel health insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions will depend on all these.
The following are important factors for buying travel insurance for pre-existing conditions
There are many international travelers who have medical ailments and it is important for them to be well informed about visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions. Many of the regular travel insurance plans exclude any coverage for pre-existing conditions. The definition of pre-existing conditions varies for different insurance providers as they have a â€look back’ period and any medical ailments during this look back period would be considered pre-existing. At American Visitor Insurance, we offer plans which do offer coverage for acute onset of a pre-existing condition, as well as full coverage for pre-existing conditions up to a clearly defined limit in the policy document. All of these details can be better understood by using our facility for comparing visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions.
Unfortunately, this simple question has a fairly complicated answer. The answer is: it depends. Firstly, it depends on whether you are a US resident traveling outside the US or a visitor to the US. US residents can purchase trip cancellation insurance that can cover pre-existing conditions and even plans that are travel medical only without cancellation often are more generous in their coverage of pre-existing conditions. These plans may have specific requirements in order to waive the usual exclusion of coverage for pre-existing conditions (like purchase them within a certain number of days of your initial trip deposit or that you have a primary domestic insurance plan in the US), so you should check these details carefully if this is important to you.
Non-US residents or US residents traveling into the US have much more limited options to insure their pre-existing conditions are covered. Some plans offer coverage for "acute onset" of pre-existing conditions. However, this is misleading, since a careful look at their definition excludes chronic or congenital disorders from such coverage. Chronic illnesses are those that worsen over time and congenital disorders are issues one is born with. They exclude emergencies due to chronic illness because they will say that is not "acute" it is simply a worsening of your condition. There are only two policies we know of that offer coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. They are INF Premier and INF Elite plans.
Firstly, they define pre-existing conditions in the following way: A pre-existing condition is a condition for which the insured received treatment or took medication for in the previous 12 months before the start of the policy. If the medication dosage has not changed and is taken as a maintenance medication, this would NOT count as a flare up or treatment of the condition. In that case, very stable conditions that have no flare ups in the past 12 months are not even excluded as pre-existing conditions. Conditions that have had flare ups or doctor recommended treatment or change in medication, are still covered by the plans but with a higher deductible and a lower maximum.
INF Elite (also INF Elite 90) are comprehensive plans offering fairly complete coverage. INF Premier is a fixed plan. Find details on these plans here.
The above plans must be purchased for at least 90 days and can be quite pricey for seniors, but they offer the only real coverage for chronic conditions.
The other option, of course, is to take a plans with little ($1K) or no coverage for pre-existing conditions and take a risk that that condition will not flare up during the trip.
INF plans boast they offer "full" coverage for pre-existing conditions. This can be a little misleading. Firstly, any regular treatment or medication that is required by the condition is never covered. The main advantage to the INF Elite and INF Premier is that they cover sudden illness/injury regardless of whether it is pre-existing or not. The only difference is that a pre-existing condition will be covered with a higher deductible at at a lower maximum than any other "new" illness or injury. However, coverage is not limited to an emergency or life-threatening situation.
The "Acute Onset of a Pre-Existing Condition" is a sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence of a pre-existing medical condition which occurs without any advance warning either in the form of physician recommendations or symptoms and requires immediate care (within 24 hours of first symptoms). A Pre-Existing Condition that is a chronic or congenital condition or that gradually becomes worse over time will not be considered acute onset.
The acute onset coverage benefit does not include coverage for known, scheduled, required, or expected medical care, drugs or treatment existent or necessary prior to the effective date of coverage. An example of this might be someone who has a food allergy or bee allergy and is unknowingly exposed to their allergen and requires immediate medical attention.
Acute onset of a pre-existing condition can be defined as the sudden & unexpected occurrence of a pre-existing condition which requires in-patient, emergency hospitalization within 24 hours of exhibiting first symptoms. The main difference between acute onset & full pre-existing is that with Full Pre-Existing coverage, is that one is covered for all pre-existing conditions and associated medical costs and this includes follow up visits, hospitalizations and doctor’s visits, etc. The acute onset coverage will only cover the in-patient hospitalization expense.
Full Pre-existing means we will cover any issue regarding a pre-existing condition, however, if one is traveling to the United States solely for medical treatment, that will not be covered. INF plans do not cover any medical tourism related claims. Pre-existing conditions under the INF plans are covered with a higher deductible and a lower maximum than other illnesses or injuries. These are chosen or specified when you purchase you plan.
Yes, the INF policies will cover any pre-existing issue that the traveler may have during their stay in the United States. This includes blood pressure, diabetes, kidney related issues and arthritis, all of which are covered by the INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus and INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper, Hop Trip Assist Plus Plans.
The insurance company takes on an enormous risk by insuring individuals and including coverage for pre-existing conditions without any prior medical examination. Under the INF plans, you are paying more, but you are getting the full value for the money you pay given the very high cost of US healthcare. With the INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus and INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper, Hop Trip Assist Plus Plans, even though it is expensive, you can have the comfort of knowing that you are covered for any emergency or contingency. This peace of mind given the expensive US healthcare expense is what makes INF plans worth it despite being expensive.
The list of covered services under Visitors insurance full pre-existing conditions coverage can be found on the American Visitor Insurance website of the INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus and INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper, Hop Trip Assist Plus Plan pages. INF plans are open to green card holders
The best US visitors insurance for Indians to USA is listed here:
A fixed benefit travel insurance plan is the cheapest travel insurance plan option. Fixed benefit travel insurance is cheap because it has a fixed limit of coverage for different medical benefits.
Fixed benefit travel insurance plans work well in case of small ailments but can be inadequate in the event of a serious medical ailment or hospitalisation.
Comprehensive travel insurance plans provide exhaustive coverage for health expenses up to the policy medical maximum amount. In contrast to fixed benefit plans there are no limits for each benefit. Comprehensive insurance is more expensive when compared to fixed benefit plans but provides significantly better coverage in case of a medical emergency or hospitalisation.
If the Asthma condition has been stable for 12 months, it is NOT pre-existing in INF Elite or Premier. If it has been unstable (treatment required) in past 12 months- it IS pre-existing, and covered as a pre-existing condition.
Yes – INF travel insurance will cover the worsening of the condition, but not maintenance or preventive care.
No.
If the Arthritis condition has been stable for 12 months, it is NOT pre-existing in INF Elite or Premier. If it has been unstable (treatment required) in past 12 months- it IS pre-existing, and covered as a pre-existing condition.
No.
Yes – INF US travel insurance will cover the worsening of the condition, but not maintenance or preventive care.
If the Diabetes has been stable for 12 months (no change in Medication / sickness related to diabetes), it is NOT pre-existing in INF Elite or Premier. If it has been unstable (treatment required) in past 12 months- it IS pre-existing, and covered as a pre-existing condition.
Yes - INF US visitor insurance will cover the worsening of the condition, but not maintenance or preventive care.
No.
Yes- INF travel insurance for USA will cover a heart attack either as a new sickness or pre-existing condition, depending on how stable to insured’s condition was in the past 12 months.
Yes - INF visitors insurance for USA will cover the worsening of the condition, but not maintenance or preventive care.
Yes, Green Card holders are eligible to enroll in the INF Plans as long as they maintain a residence outside the US.
Yes, people who are already in the US, can buy the INF plans, but they must get prior permission to apply for INF plans. To do this, they must submit the following forms:
The I-94 form is a government doc that can be filled out on line, they should choose “Get most Recent” on the website here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/ and you should complete this “health attestation form”.
Note : Hop Travel Assist plans are not available if visitors are already in abroad
Yes, you can purchase INF travel medical insurance even if you have pre-existing conditions. INF offers INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus, INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper and Hop Trip Assist Plus plans that provide coverage for pre-existing conditions. However, coverage for pre-existing conditions may have some limitations and exclusions depending on the plan and your specific condition. It is important to carefully review the policy details and ensure that the coverage meets your specific needs.
INF travel medical insurance for pre-existing conditions is a type of travel insurance that provides coverage for individuals who have pre-existing medical conditions.
The INF insurance plans are designed to provide coverage for medical emergencies and unexpected medical events that may occur while traveling. The plans include benefits such as hospitalization, doctor visits, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation, and more.
INF offers several insurance plans for travelers with pre-existing conditions, including the INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus, INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper and Hop Trip Assist Plus. These plans have varying levels of coverage and benefits, so it is important to review each plan carefully to determine which one best fits your specific needs.
The cost of the INF visitors insurance will vary depending on the age of the traveler, the type of coverage and the length of your trip. Typically, visitor’s insurance policies cost can start even as low as $1 per day, but will be much higher for older travelers seeking coverage for pre-existing conditions that INF insurance offers.
The INF Elite Travel Insurance plan is INF’s comprehensive insurance for visitors traveling to the United States. There are 3 types of INF insurance Elite plans and the price of these plans varies depending on the coverage they provide. The INF Elite plan, INF Elite 90 plan and INF Elite Plus plan.
The INF Elite plan is a comprehensive travel medical insurance plan that offers coverage for emergency medical and dental expenses, medical evacuation, trip interruption, and other benefits for visitors to the USA. The INF Elite plan, INF Elite 90 plan and INF Elite Plus plan are all part of the Elite Network of plans offered by INF.
The INF Elite 90 plan is designed for travellers who need coverage of eligible medical expenses up to 90%.
The INF Elite Plus plan provides coverage for pre-existing conditions as defined in the plan, as per policy limitations, exclusions and maximums, with no benefit waiting period.
INF Elite Plus also provides Preventive & maintenance care benefits, which can be used for a number of different covered medical services and offers coverage for TDAP, Flu, etc Vaccines.
You can apply for INF insurance online through American Visitor Insurance. You can also call them at +1 (877) 340 7910 to get more information on how to apply for INF insurance from licensed insurance agents.
The maximum length of coverage for INF insurance is 364 days.
INF insurance is available for international visitors to the United States, Canada or Mexico.
The main requirements for applying for INF insurance is the travelers passport details and the travel dates. You can apply for INF insurance online on American Visitor Insurance or call +1 (877) 340 7910 to get help in applying for INF insurance.
To purchase INF insurance coverage, you must not be a citizen or permanent resident of the host country you are traveling to, ie the US, Mexico, or Canada. The coverage is available for non-U.S. residents and non-U.S. citizens traveling to the United States, Mexico or Canada between the ages of 14 days and 79 years. US green card holders can buy INF insurance if they have a residence outside the USA. The coverage duration is available from 5 days up to 364 days.
There is a minimum purchase of 90 days required to buy these INF Elite plans.
The INF plans use the United Healthcare Preferred Provider Organisation (PPO). This means that even if the pre-existing coverage limit is low, customers will still be able to access the full PPO discounts via United Health Care (UHC).
For example : A customer has to go to the Emergency Room (ER) for blood pressure and get a bill of $10,000 and the customer has the INF HOP UltraPlus plan. Although the UltraPlus covers $700 for pre-existing, the customer will get the PPO discount on the bill since it is covered. This in itself can translate to very significant savings such as an 80% discount + $700 paid out. This means your total coverage was $8,700 and out of pocket expense is only $1,300.
Majority of the Indian travelers mainly parents and older travelers look for coverage for pre-existing ailments or diseases. Most of the insurance providers have designed travel health insurance plans that offer coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions which means that sudden or unexpected emergency arising from an existing ailment would be covered. Compare pre-existing conditions insurance coverage offered by top rated insurance providers.
The European consulates that are part of the Schengen treaty (Spain, France, Italy, Germany, ....) insist on adequate travel medical insurance for Indian nationals who are visiting any of the Schengen countries. Nationalities who require Schengen visa.
We offer several travel insurance plans that satisfy Schengen visa consulate requirements:
Please find the International travel insurance resources for India visa holders.
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