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Visitor Health Insurance - Frequently Asked Questions

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Purchasing a plan

  1. I am a non US citizen and my daughter is US citizen. We both live outside US and want to visit US. Are we eligible for the plans covering US citizens in US?
  2. Is there any plan that can cover me in the US and outside of it, as long as it is not my country of residence?
  3. If I enroll from August 7 through August, 31, can then enroll again in December? (without returning to my country of residence in between these two periods of coverage)
  4. My family and I have different travel dates, as my family is staying for a longer period than me. Do I buy a separate plan or buy a plan for everyone together?
  5. What are the advantages of buying travel insurance with an US insurer as opposed to buying it in my native country?
  6. There are so many choices of insurance plans offered by different companies. How do I know which plan best fits my needs?
  7. When should I purchase the visitor health insurance plan?
  8. Is it safe to buy visitor health insurance online?
  9. What proof will I have of having purchased these visitor medical insurance plans?
  10. After 6 months is there a way to get coverage? And is the payment plan monthly or I have to buy 6 months directly? Is there a discount of buying for the entire period?
  11. I have an A3 Visa. Are there insurance policies for A3 Visa?
  12. I need to purchase Atlas insurance for my Columbian friend. Can I put my friend's name as the applicant and give my address as the mailing address and purchase the insurance on my Credit Card?
  13. My son is still an infant, so this means he is covered free under my wife's Atlas plan, right?
  14. Since my son is not covered for free under my wife's coverage, could my wife and son buy 2 separate plans(different deductibles and maximum benefits) or do they have to be in 1 plan?
  15. We do not really care about pregnant and maternity coverage as well as travel coverage (baggage lost....) or terrorism, evacuation coverage. Is there any way to opt out these benefit and add Dental coverage?
  16. The plan says: "Hospital precertification penalty- 50% of eligible medical expenses". *Please help me understand this too.
  17. What is the ideal time to buy travel health insurance or visitors medical insurance?
  18. Do I need a Social Security number to purchase visitor insurance?
  19. How do I purchase visitor medical insurance? When does the insurance take effect?
  20. Is this insurance plan purchased on a calendar monthly basis, or can a plan span 2 calendar months?
  21. When I buy a policy for more than one person, I am asked for only one passport number. Don't you need the passport number of all applicants?
  22. I am having H1 Visa. I am looking for health insurance and wondering if Visitors Care plan works for me? Does it have arrival time restriction?
  23. Will I have to pay myself or can the Insurer make direct billing to the provider if I buy Visitors Care?
  24. How do I know which hospitals I can go to with Visitors Care plan?
  25. What should I do so the provider recognises the insurance plan I have?
  26. Meaning of: "I understand that Lloyd's operates as an approved, non-admitted insurer in all states of the United States except Illinois and Kentucky where they are admitted. As such, claims under this insurance may not be made against any state guaranty fund."
  27. Can I purchase a plan if I visit my country of citizenship, when my country of residence is different from my country of Citizenship?
  28. Does the insured need to have a medical examination before buying the plan?
  29. Are there any medical tests required before buying the insurance?
  30. While purchasing the plan, I am able to type the signature but not insert the signature electronically. Is this fine?
  31. What are pre-existing conditions?
  32. What is the difference between Urgent Care and Emergency Services?
  33. What are the short term visitor insurance options for US citizens living outside USA while visiting USA?
  34. What are the insurance options available for older travelers?
  35. Can I buy the Global Platinum plan from IMG if my Green Card is in progress?
  36. What is the difference between Global Gold Plus and Global Medical Platinum?
  37. We are travelling in large groups? How do we buy travel insurance?
  38. How do I find the network hospital or doctor?
  39. I want Trip Cancellation Insurance? Which is the best trip cancellation insurance?
  40. I travel frequently. Find me some best travel insurance plans?
  41. What is the best travel insurance for US senior citizens above 65 years, travelling outside USA?

What does visitor travel insurance cover?

Health care expenses

Covers hospital medical expenses for sickness or accidents during travel.

Doctor visit

Covers Doctor visits in case of sudden injury or sickness.

Pharmacy drugs

Expenses from Doctor prescribed eligible pharmacy drugs.

Pre-existing conditions

Some plans cover acute onset of pre-existing conditions.

Medical evacuation

Medical evacuation expenses to nearest facility if needed.

Repat of remains

Repatriation of remains expenses to home country in case of death.

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Travel insurance tips for travelers with pre-existing conditions

Here are some travel insurance tips for travelers with pre-existing conditions

  1. Choose a travel medical insurance plan that covers pre-existing conditions.
  2. Read the policy carefully to understand what is covered and what is not.
  3. Be aware of waiting periods for coverage of pre-existing conditions.
  4. Consider purchasing a US foreign national health insurance policy with higher coverage limits.
  5. Take a copy of your medical records and a list of medications with you when you travel.
  6. Be sure to take your prescription and medication with you during your trip.
  7. Learn how to access healthcare at your destination.
  8. Contact your US foreign health insurance provider immediately in case of any medical emergency.
  9. Disclose all pre-existing conditions when purchasing visitor health insurance.
  10. Follow all necessary procedures to submit a claim for reimbursement of medical expenses.

What is visitors insurance for 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.

How does travel insurance for pre-existing conditions work?

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.

Factors to consider while purchasing visitors health insurance for pre existing conditions?

The following are important factors for buying travel insurance for pre-existing conditions

  1. The definition of pre-existing conditions and the look back period under the policy.
  2. The eligibility age limit for pre-existing conditions coverage.
  3. Whether pre-existing condition coverage is limited to acute onset of pre-existing conditions.
  4. The coverage limit for pre-existing conditions which is different from the policy medical maximum.
  5. The deductible and out of pocket expenses for pre-existing conditions coverage.

Why is travel health insurance for pre-existing conditions coverage important?

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 ‘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.

Pre-existing conditions coverage - FAQ's

01. How do I know if my pre-existing condition is covered by travel insurance?

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.

02. What does full coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions mean?

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.

03. What does "acute onset of pre-existing conditions" mean?

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.

04. What is the difference between Full Pre-Existing & Acute Onset Insurance?

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.

05. What are the limits of Full Pre-Existing plans under INF travel insurance?

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.

06. Do INF travel insurance plans really cover all pre-existing conditions?

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.

07. Why are Full Pre-Existing plans more expensive than other visitors insurance 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.

08. What services are covered under visitors insurance full pre-existing coverage?

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

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Insurance FAQ Disclaimer

AmericanVisitorInsurance and/or its associates have tried to answer these frequently asked questions to the best of our knowledge. However we make no guarantee regarding the accuracy of our answers. The exact answers for some of the questions can change periodically as insurance companies change their plans/policies. AmericanVisitorInsurance is not liable for any problem resulting from the content on this FAQ. If you do not agree with the terms of this disclaimer, please do not use any information in this FAQ..
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US visitors insurance providers

You can find reliable US insurance providers like International Medical Group(IMG), Seven Corners, WorldTrips, Global Underwriters, Travel Insure, GeoBlue, HTH Worldwide and INF insurance.

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