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Foreigners with visitor visas should purchase health insurance to protect themselves from unexpected medical emergencies while traveling abroad. Health insurance isn’t required for most visitor visas, but some countries and the Schengen area require health insurance for their visitors.
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Are you traveling abroad with a visitor visa? If so, you’ll likely want to know about health insurance for travelers and which option is the right fit for you. The insurance experts at Pacific Prime have written this article to answer all your health insurance questions.
We’ll discuss the importance of international health insurance for visitors, key features to look for in health insurance plans, and recommended insurance providers. Keep reading to learn about all things health insurance for visitor visa holders!
Why Health Insurance Is Essential for Visitor Visa Holders
Health insurance is essential for visitor visa holders due to numerous factors like its protection against high medical bills, access to a broad network of providers, and more. In addition, some areas and countries may require health insurance in order to apply for a visa.
With an international health insurance plan, visitor visa holders can have global protection as they travel worldwide. This financial protection is also crucial due to the limited access visitors may have to public healthcare. Private healthcare is more expensive, so health insurance is essential.
Some countries require health insurance for those applying for visitor visas, such as the Schengen Area. Health insurance for a Schengen Visa must cover hospitalization, medical treatment, and repatriation coverage. The minimum coverage limit is €30,000 (USD $33,000).
Short-Term Health Insurance Coverage for Visitor Visa Holders
Most visitor visa holders will choose short-term health insurance to cover them while abroad, as most visitor visas do not last longer than a year. Short-term health insurance plans are made for trips typically from a month to just under a year.
Short-term health insurance can be purchased in travel health insurance plans or traditional international health insurance plans. We will discuss more about travel health insurance plans below.
Travel Health Insurance for Visitor Visa Holders
A popular choice of short-term health insurance, travel health insurance offers protection against unexpected medical emergencies and the financial risks that come with traveling. These include risks like baggage loss, flight delays or cancellations, and more.
Here are some common benefits included with travel health insurance plans:
- Emergency Medical Coverage
- Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption
- Baggage and Personal Belongings Coverage
- Travel Delay Coverage
- Legal Assistance
- Hotline Assistance Services
- Adventure Sports Coverage
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)
Travel health insurance works like most insurance policies by covering you for a period of time against financial risks. You can purchase a policy online, and once your coverage choice is confirmed, you will receive your plan documents with information on how to use your policy.
Once you’ve secured your travel insurance policy, you can leave for your journey knowing you are fully protected against any serious losses or accidents. In the event that you need to use your policy, you will file your claim with your insurance, and they will begin the process of reimbursing you.
Recommended Travel Insurance Plans for Visitor Visa Holders
Some of the best travel insurance plans are provided by top international insurance providers on VUMI, Allianz, GeoBlue, and IMG Global. Each of these providers offers comprehensive travel health insurance coverage, with premiums that can fit all budgets.
Pacific Prime is partnered with these insurers, and we have free quotes available on their plans.
VUMI Travel Insurance Plans
VUMI (VIP Universal Medical Insurance) Group has travel insurance plans available for single trips or all the trips you’ll take within the period of a year. VUMI’s single-trip plans can be extended multiple times for up to 365 days of consecutive coverage.
Some other attractive benefits of VUMI policies are a maximum lifetime benefit of USD $5,000,000 up to age 70 and 100% covered hospitalization fees. In addition to their medical coverage, VUMI offers the following benefits with all their policies:
- Emergency Assistance 24/7
- Traveler’s Choice of Doctors and Hospitals Worldwide
- Comprehensive Travel Medical Coverage for Minor Injuries to Repatriation
- Compassionate Emergency Visit to an Insured Person
- Emergency Dental Coverage
Allianz Travel Insurance Plans
Allianz offers single-trip and annual/multi-trip travel insurance plans in a variety of different coverage categories. Benefits and coverage limits vary across policies, with some plans even covering their policyholder’s pre-existing conditions.
Another key benefit of Allianz Travel Insurance is its 24-hour hotline assistance and concierge services. Members can access help and support through the hotline for medical emergencies, trip delays, and more.
Allianz’s most popular travel insurance plan, OneTrip Prime, has the following benefits:
- Trip Cancellation Coverage Up To USD $100,000
- Trip Interruption Coverage Up To USD $150,000
- Trip Change Protector Coverage Up To USD $500
- Emergency Medical Up To USD $50,000
- Emergency Medical Transportation Up To USD $500,000
- Lost/Damaged Baggage USD $1000
- Baggage Delay USD $300
- Travel Delay USD $800 (daily limit $200)
- 24-Hour Hotline Assistance
OneTrip Prime even includes free coverage for children 17 and under when they travel with a parent or grandparent.
IMG Global Travel Insurance Plans
IMG Global offers travel health insurance to visitor visa holders through their Patriot plans and standard travel insurance through their TravelInsured plans. Members can choose their desired level of coverage through the different categories under these plans.
In addition to these travel insurance policies, IMG Global also offers a policy specifically for seniors called their GlobeHopper plan. They also have a Patriot Exchange Program plan that covers individuals participating in cultural exchange programs.
Some of the benefits included in IMG’s travel insurance policies are:
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption Coverage
- Baggage and Personal Effects Coverage
- Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains
- Rental Car Damage and Theft Coverage
GeoBlue Travel Insurance Plans
GeoBlue has single-trip and multi-trip travel insurance plans available through their Voyager and Trekker plans. With multi-lingual support and medical translation tools, GeoBlue is committed to supporting its members while they’re abroad.
GeoBlue travel insurance plans are not available to everyone. In order to secure a GeoBlue travel insurance policy, applicants must be US citizens or legal residents of the United States. Additionally, GeoBlue travel insurance requires their applicants to have a domestic health insurance policy.
Here are a list of some of the benefits offered with all of GeoBlue’s travel plans:
- 24/7/365 Global Service Center
- 24/7/365 Same-Day Virtual Doctor Appointments
- Multi-Lingual Support and Medical Translation Tools
- Medical Evacuation and Repatriation Coordination
- News and Safety Information for Your Location
Key Features to Look For in Health Insurance Coverage for Visitor Visa Holders
Visitor visa holders should look for key features like medical emergency coverage, medical evacuation and repatriation coverage, and others in their health insurance plans. With the right health insurance coverage benefits, you can be protected against high medical bills while you travel.
Here are some key benefits to look for in health insurance plans for visitor visa holders:
- Emergency Medical Treatment
- Hospitalization and Surgery
- Repatriation and Evacuation
Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Health Insurance for Visitor Visa Holders
Visitor visa holders should avoid making mistakes like purchasing insurance too late, and other errors when buying health insurance. We will go over these common mistakes below:
- Purchasing Insurance Too Late: When purchasing short-term health insurance or travel insurance for your trip, you will want to ensure you purchase the insurance at the correct time or you will not be covered for your trip. This means buying insurance before you leave, not after.
- Overlooking Pre-Existing Conditions Clauses: If you have pre-existing conditions, make sure to read all the fine print and pre-existing conditions clauses to ensure you will have the coverage you need. As not every insurer will cover pre-existing conditions, take the time to read the fine print.
- Not Understanding the Coverage Limits: Ensure that you understand your coverage limits before you purchase your health insurance policy so you are not left without the coverage you need. If you purchase too little coverage, you could still be left paying costly medical bills.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Should I purchase health insurance for a visitor visa?
Those holding visitor visas should purchase health insurance for their travels so they can stay protected while abroad. Some areas and countries may require health insurance coverage as well, such as the Schengen Area.
Is health insurance recommended for visitors in the USA?
Health insurance is recommended for visitors in the USA because of the high cost of healthcare, some of the highest in the world. If you didn’t have a health insurance policy, you would be left paying out-of-pocket for medical bills that could potentially be very expensive.
What happens if you get sick abroad and don’t have health insurance?
If you get sick abroad and don’t have health insurance, you will have to pay out-of-pocket for any medical treatment you receive. This isn’t worth the risk, as depending on the services you need, you could end up having to pay very high medical bills.
How long before my trip should I buy a travel health insurance plan?
How many days before your departure you need to buy your plan will depend on your specific policy and insurance provider. Some plans will require their members to purchase them two weeks before they leave for their travel insurance to be valid, while some plans will need less time.
Conclusion
Health insurance for visitor visa holders can protect them against unexpected illness and injury. This protection is vital for all travelers and can offer a multitude of benefits, including access to a worldwide network of providers and customizable coverage.
Whether you’re looking for travel insurance or international health insurance for your travels abroad, Pacific Prime can help you get the coverage you need. As an insurance broker, we can give our clients free and unbiased advice and help compare a wide variety of plans.
You can contact us online, or call us toll-free at 1-800-868-1451. If you’d like to compare quotes from multiple insurance providers, use our free quote tool!
If you enjoyed this article, check out our others with similar topics like H1 Visa Comprehensive Health Insurance and U.S. Health Insurance for Visitors.
Serena earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, Canada. As such, she is an avid advocate of mental health and is fascinated by all things psychology (especially if it’s cognitive psychology!).
Her previous work experience includes teaching toddlers to read, writing for a travel/wellness online magazine, and then a business news blog. These combined experiences give her the skills and insights she needs to explain complex ideas in a succinct way. Being the daughter of an immigrant and a traveler herself, she is passionate about educating expats and digital nomads on travel and international health insurance.
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