Visitors Medical Insurance

Spring is in the air, an ideal time of the year to have family visit the USA and Canada.  This is especially true for Indians who are used to warmer weather and find American winters challenging.  Having family visit is really exciting, and there is always plenty to plan and organize to make the visit memorable.  Amidst all the excitement, it is easy to overlook visitor medical insurance, however that can be an expensive mistake.

Why Visitor medical insurance ?
Visitors, in particular parents and elder relatives take some time adjusting to the new environs.  Beyond the initial jet lag, there are changes in weather, water, food and clothing to consider.  While you can take precautions for minor ailments such as ensuring that you have the required off the counter medication handy for coughs and fever, or remind them to get a spare pair of glasses, it is hard to prepare for more serious medical ailments. While expecting visitors to America, you should consider unplanned but definitely possible catastrophic medical situations, such as an accident, or somebody falling down and having to undergo surgery. Any situation which results in visiting an American hospital can be a serious drain on one's finances, even during good financial conditions.  A few hours in the hospital can result in thousands of dollars of medical expenses, and it is not at all an exaggeration that an overnight stay in the hospital can result in tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.  In this context, it is always prudent to purchase visitors medical insurance.

Why Purchase insurance online ?
Visitors insurance can be confusing for anyone outside the insurance industry.  There are several different insurance providers, different types of insurance plans, fixed benefits versus comprehensive plans, new concepts like deductibles, PPO network, co-insurance and so on.  Some resourceful websites have developed tools to help customers understand insurance concepts easily and to be able to compare and then purchase visitors insurance for travelers to America. Detailed information about visitors insurance is usually available with answers to frequent questions is also available on the web.

The purchase process.
You will need basic information about the traveler such as the applicant’s date of birth, passport number, the travel dates and a beneficiary for the policy. On selecting an appropriate visitor insurance plan, you can purchase the plan online in a matter of minutes using a credit card.  On completing the credit card transaction, the customer will get an email which has all the relevant information about the insurance plan. Unless the customer chooses the online fulfillment option, you will also get the policy document by regular mail in 4-5 business days.

Using the insurance policy.
After completing the online purchase of visitor insurance, you will get the insurance policy details, which will have a policy number as well as the relevant toll free numbers to contact in the event of having to get medical treatment. If time permits, it is recommended that you call the insurance company toll free number, and they will guide you forward on getting appropriate treatment. If the insurance plan has a PPO network, it is recommended that you use the doctor or hospital which is part of the network.  Using the PPO network will facilitate cashless settlement (direct billing with the hospital), remove any penalty for being outside network and in some instances even take care of any co-insurance that you might have to pay. If you are unable to call the insurance toll free number prior to visiting a hospital (in the event of any emergency), you should call the insurance company as soon as you can, and inform them of the medical treatment that the visitor is getting. You should then submit the insurance claims form.