Medical insurance for a trip to the USA – cost in 2021, company reviews, how to choose
The United States is one of the countries where Russian citizens need a visa to enter. Contrary to a common misconception, it is not affected by the presence or absence of a potential guest of the country's health insurance in any way – the issuance of a medical policy is exclusively advisory in nature.
general information
There are two main options for obtaining a medical policy – in the United States itself or even at the stage of preparation for a trip – in Russia, and there are a number of nuances that relate to both methods of registration. In material terms, obtaining basic insurance – from 50 thousand dollars – in Russia will cost much less than a similar operation, but already in the United States, while it will take much more time to obtain insurance in the United States. Everyone chooses an insurance option for themselves, although it should be borne in mind that insurance directly in the United States can help to avoid some possible incidents during a trip.
In the event that Russia was chosen as the country of registration, another extremely acute issue arises – the issue of accreditation. Does the selected insurance company provide the optimal insurance program for the States, and does it cooperate with an assistant company in the territory of this country? If yes, with which one? The quality and speed of possible service will depend on these two points, if there is still a need to use insurance or, as they say now, an insured event occurs.
It is especially worth emphasizing the last point – assistance or an assistant company. It is she who will play the role of a link between the hospital and the insured person or any other institution and the insured person. That is, the life and health of a person will depend on her competence, and not on the company that issued the policy itself. That is why you need to be extremely careful when choosing a place to apply for insurance and also be interested in who exactly the provider company works with, since problems usually do not arise in relation to the United States – the service of local companies is stable, although it costs more, which cannot be said about Russian assistants.
Another interesting point is the possibility of terminating the contract. Usually, such a service is already included in the package provided by American companies, but is not mandatory for Russian ones. That is, in the event that the insured person has already paid money, but suddenly decided to terminate the contract, material losses will not always be compensated. Why is it so? In the modern market for such services in the United States, there is significant competition, but at the same time, an unspoken rule works – you cannot put direct pressure on the client, and therefore he should always have the right to turn to another company without incurring significant losses. Usually, the client has up to a month to make such a decision – it depends on the state in which the insurance is issued.
When choosing the most suitable insurance option, it is necessary to take into account a rather impressive number of factors: is the trip a single trip (for example, a tourist trip) or such trips will occur on a regular basis; whether the trip involves extreme sports or other activities that are hazardous to health; whether there are chronic diseases that may dictate the need for hospitalization and so on. That is why the chosen insurance company needs to provide as much detailed information as possible about the specifics of the planned trip.
Medical Services in the USA
The health care system of the United States is rightfully considered one of the best in the world and is represented by various structures at three independent levels: family medicine, hospital care and community hospitals. At the same time, individuals and various legal institutions also work on an equal footing with state organizations. But wherever the patient goes, you have to pay for quality.
The health care system in the United States is also considered one of the most expensive in the world. Rates range from a few hundred dollars to several hundred thousand dollars. At the same time, a banal visit to the doctor due to the most common cold can cost about $ 300, then what can we say about more complex operations or long-term medical interventions? That is, without insurance – and one in six people living in the United States today cannot afford it – the costs of possible medical services can be enormous.
Why you might need insurance
It should be understood that obtaining insurance is not limited to the direct provision of medical care if necessary – the assistant company in most cases provides comprehensive information that can help a person in any extreme situations that may arise. And we are not even talking about accidents, for example, getting into a car accident or getting injured during a banal robbery, which can also happen, despite the seeming impossibility of such a situation.
Each region of the United States has its own specifics, which is not surprising. In the west, such natural disasters as tornadoes are possible, in Hawaii you will not surprise anyone with devastating tsunamis in their power, and in California earthquakes periodically occur, which by no means always end in broken dishes. In such cases, and begins to work insurance. And this applies not so much to the relief of consequences, but also to theoretical assistance that can save lives. The assistant company, in the event that a guest of the country gets into a similar situation, is obliged to provide information that will help to leave the risk zone or minimize possible damage.
A similar situation is repeated in relation to the characteristics of the flora or fauna of each individual region of the country. For example, the northern states of the country and Alaska top the list of regions where there are impressive populations of large predatory animals, such as wolves or grizzlies. Of course, attacking people is not characteristic of their behavior, however, the situation is not always in favor of the latter. An animal that accidentally wandered into an urban area does not always behave adequately and typically.
Danger can also represent everyday, from the generally accepted point of view, actions. Most people travel to the US for holidays, which most often take place in beach areas. But do not forget about the environmental problems that the United States is experiencing due to its industrial profile. We are talking about the pollution of some waters with oil and the possible risk to the health of people who swim in such waters. These are, first of all, such states as Louisiana or Florida, and the latter is a fairly popular tourist destination.
What insurance can cover
Insurance was originally designed to protect a person from additional financial burdens in unforeseen circumstances, so most insurances cover such expenses as calling an ambulance or a doctor, first aid in case of an accident or other similar situation, outpatient treatment of a patient or being in a hospital, transportation of the patient to a medical institution, in some cases, the cost of medicines prescribed by a doctor is also reimbursed. Sometimes the situation develops in a very unfavorable way, and it is also better to be prepared for this: insurance covers the transportation of the insured person back to the territory of Russia for medical reasons; in the event of the death of the insured person, his body will also be delivered to the country of residence.
When applying for an insurance policy, you should pay attention to some additional items, for example, legal services. In the light of recent events, air travel insurance and assistance to victims of terrorist attacks are also relevant. In each case, there are additional risks, some of which can be foreseen: active recreation or active sports, during which injuries are possible; driving some means of transportation – for example, a motorcycle. Emergency dentistry insurance would also be useful, since going to the dentist in the US without insurance can cost a whopping amount, which certainly will not fit into a perfectly balanced and rather limited budget.
Some circumstances are not included in the possible insurance at all. Typically, this includes those diseases or injuries that were received by a person before the direct registration of insurance. The same applies to the presence of psychological pathologies in a person, as well as injuries that can be obtained due to these pathologies or in case of their exacerbation. In a separate category, diseases that can be sexually transmitted are distinguished.
The main types of health insurance in the USA
At the moment, it is reasonable to talk about three main types of health insurance available in the United States. Basic or basic health insurance is directly related to reimbursement of funds spent on appointments with medical specialists, possible surgical interventions (low complexity), anesthesia during treatment or just a consultation. At the same time, not the entire amount is compensated, but only three-quarters of what will be spent.
Hospital insurance is the main one and covers hospital expenses only within the established limits, and these limits concern not only the purely financial side – the amount of funds that will be compensated, but also the length of stay in a medical institution. As a rule, these limits are limited to a two-week stay in the hospital with compensation of eighty percent of the funds spent on this.
There is also general health insurance, which will cost more than the two above, but will guarantee 100% compensation of funds even in the event of a serious and really long illness. However, there are different options for obtaining such insurance. The contract can be drawn up in such a way that either the insured person himself or his relatives in the event of the death of the latter will receive compensation in full. On the other hand, it is possible to issue a “cut down” version of general medical insurance and independently determine the minimum threshold that will be paid by the insured person personally.
It should not be assumed that firms providing such services do not have their own benefits at all. Quite often, contracts are drawn up in such a way that insurance begins to operate only if a person applies to the medical institution that was registered in the terms of the contract, or to the specialist whose name was indicated in the papers signed by the insured person. Otherwise, the insurance company will not reimburse a cent of the amount spent on treatment.
There are also so-called additional types of insurance. Among them, the following options may be of greatest interest to guests of the country: hospital compensation insurance, which is designed for a certain period of time, namely for two months, while covering most of the possible hospital expenses; insurance against a specific disease, which is designed for those people who are aware of their possible predisposition to specific types of diseases or hereditary pathologies; long-term insurance, which is worth taking out if, already at the stage of preparing for a trip to the USA, the need for long-term and thorough treatment is no longer in doubt.
Insurance programs
There are currently three types of insurance programs in the United States. The minimum program is considered basic. Its main advantage is a relatively low cost with a fairly democratic list of insured events with which it works. This list includes not only the provision of first aid, both in case of an exacerbation of a chronic disease, and in relation to possible accidents, but also transport services – transportation to the homeland of the person himself or his body, if the situation turns out to be very unfavorable.
A more complete list of risks is presented by the “economy” program. Of particular interest may be such an item as the possibility of a visit to the United States by a third party in a number of prearranged operations, as well as the possibility of obtaining compensation in the event that the return home becomes unplanned, that is, if the trip has to be abruptly interrupted.
The “classic” program, which is a combined and somewhat expanded version of the two above, is considered optimal for those visiting the United States as part of a tourist trip. Such “extensions” include, for example, compensation for the cost of legal services or the costs associated with the car of the insured person.
What to do if an insured event occurs
The main thing to remember if an insured event has occurred is that in no case should you contact any institution until you have directly coordinated your own actions with the assistance company. In this case, help, of course, will be provided, but the cost of this help will not be compensated!
Thus, the first step should be to contact the assistance company and provide it with as much information as possible about what exactly happened.
In addition to a phone call, it is recommended to duplicate your appeal in writing to the email address that was indicated in the policy, of course, if such an opportunity exists. It is worth making sure that the following information has been correctly entered: the full name of the insured person, the policy number, the exact name of the insurance company, as accurate as possible location data (this is especially important in case of an accident somewhere outside the city or within the city, which does not always save the situation, since few people can quickly find their way in an unfamiliar place), as well as contact details that will allow an employee of an assistant company to contact the applicant at any time.
After processing the current request, the assistant company will be able to provide the most complete information about which medical institution it is worth contacting, and in some cases, which specialist – some contracts require this condition to be met. In the event that the medical facility is too far away, the assistance company will help with the choice of means of transportation, but all checks or receipts that confirm the use of a particular mode of transport must be kept, otherwise this amount will again not be compensated.
Once in the medical institution itself, it is better to avoid paying for services or medicines, if this has not been agreed in advance with the assistant company, in the event that the purchase of, for example, certain medicines will be necessary, it is necessary to keep receipts or any other documents that can later verify these costs.