Five factors to consider while buying Visitor Insurance for visiting the United States

Are you planning a trip to the US either for visiting family or simply to experience the sights and sounds of the country? Congratulations! But have you thought about the medical insurance that you need while visiting the country? It is very important that you pick the right visitor insurance while traveling to any country, but it is of immense significance in a country like US where healthcare is very expensive. You do not want to get caught in a situation, where you are suffer from a medical condition and have to pay a huge amount to get treatment.

It is not enough to purchase just any visitor insurance, sometimes the wrong insurance coverage might still see you making a substantial contribution to pay your medical bills as your cover might not include important medical situations.

So, how do you buy the right visitor insurance? With so many options on offer, it is easy to get confused. But not if you keep these five factors in mind:

1. Focus on the PPO Network

This is fairly basic, however quite often travelers buy insurance coverage without checking whether it has a PPO network or not. Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) is essentially a network of doctors and hospitals across the US, so if you buy coverage with a PPO network, the doctors/hospitals will bill the insurance company directly. All you need to do is pay a network negotiated fee. One of the biggest benefits of coverage within a PPO network is that you do not have to visit a specialist through a primary healthcare doctor referral. This assumes critical importance in case of medical emergencies.

So do not ignore the PPO factor.

2. Understand the policy that you are buying

Elementary you might think, but let us face it, how many people take time out to go over a policy details with fine tooth comb? Not many, they just give their coverage a cursory look; for many potential visitors, medical insurance is like another document that is necessary for their US visit. They do not think in terms of how it will benefit them in case they fall ill and need medical help. This kind of thinking can lead to different problems if and when they finally use the coverage. They do not know its intricacies and might get caught in a process that is alien to them.

This is why it is very important to understand the policy you are purchasing. If you have any doubts, get them clarified by the insurance agent. Keep asking questions until you are fairly certain, you have zeroed in on the right policy.

3. Customer Support

Think of a situation where you have a medical emergency with no immediate help available. What if you go to the nearest medical center only to realize that you had to get in touch with the insurance company before going to the center/doctor? Just a call to their toll free number would have sufficed. So, it is important that you have the insurance providers customer support on hand for easy reference.

Another point to clarify is their administrative hours in case of some problem while using the policy which you need to sort out quickly. The best insurance companies are available 24x7 and customers can resolve problems at any time of the day.

4. Cost and Coverage

There are plenty of online services providers who offer quotes from myriad insurance providers; so get a quote and review the kind of coverage on offer, be it fixed or comprehensive, renewable and refundable (in case you leave the country earlier than expected). When it comes to visitor insurance, what you pay for is what you get. If you pick a coverage that is easy on your pocket, you might not get enough coverage benefits. The key is to get what you within your insurance budget.
If you are suffering from a specific medical problem, make sure that the policy covers this pre-existing coverage treatment. When you are buying visitor insurance, focus on the specifics rather than the generalities. Make sure you get what you want.

5. Do not take a decision in haste

Travelers are usually so busy with all the documents need for getting their US visa that visitor insurance gets little importance. It is the easiest thing to get isnt it? All you need to do is pick a policy and pay for it. This is where problems rise as the decision to pick a policy is taken in haste.

If you want to pick the correct insurance cover, it is important that you are able to make an informed decision. Take your time, ask around, and ask your family and friends in the USA. Also read reviews regarding the claims process of particular insurance providers. Take a decision only after you are very sure you are paying for the right insurance.

Conclusion

These Five considerations listed here are not something that you might not have thought of; in fact some of them are just plain common sense. But very often people forget to get the fundamentals right if and when searching for insurance coverage. They just do not put in the time, effort and understanding required to search for the right coverage. This is when mistakes happen. Hopefully, the considerations listed here will help you avoid these mistakes.