Is Medical Insurance Necessary while Visiting the US?

While traveling to the United States as a visitor, it is advisable to buy visitor medical insurance prior to traveling to the country as the health care costs in the United States are very high and at times, uninsured visitors may be refused service. Even if you are healthy and if you do not have issues with your health, you need to buy visitor medical insurance as this will cover unforeseen medical problems and accidents. Travel agents in many foreign countries, force the travelers to buy medical insurance while they buy tickets but some do not inform the travelers about the required medical insurance. Though it is not mandatory to buy medical insurance while buying your ticket, you may buy medical insurance as medical treatment in America is very expensive. As your destination is the United States, you may choose to purchase medical insurance from a company in the United States as there are many advantages in buying from America rather than buying from your home country.

Many travel agents and websites sell visitor medical insurance, but make sure that you buy insurance from a reputed agent. There are many plans for visitor medical insurance and you need to compare and choose the one that suits your need. You may purchase visitor medical insurance online and you can pay for it by using your debit or credit card and you may buy insurance as soon as your trip is confirmed and after you get your US visa. If you do not have medical insurance, you will have to pay the hospital bill and meet the other expenses that are likely to be very high. Likewise, you need to make sure that the insurance that you are buying will cover medical expenses in the United States, pre-existing conditions and high risk activities. Likewise, you need to find out whether your medical insurance company will pay the hospitals in America directly and whether it has a 24-hour physician-backed support center. As it is not a must to buy visitor medical insurance, you need to decide whether to buy insurance or accept the financial risks of being uninsured.