Determine the appropriate level of travel insurance coverage for your trip to the USA. Factors to consider include medical expenses, trip cancellation costs, and other potential risks. Learn how to assess your needs and ensure adequate protection during your travels.
Travelling to the United States is as fascinating and worthwhile as it can be. So, as an Indian traveller, it pays to have sufficient travel insurance when in the USA in order to be shielded in case of any adverse events. However, given the large number of insurance policies out there, it could be a bit misleading as to how much insurance one might require. This is the reason why this article will be of immense help. It will offer a brief of the important aspects that one should consider when choosing a travel insurance policy in the USA from India.
Type of coverage needed
The first thing to consider is whether you want to have limited coverage or comprehensive coverage when it comes to the travel policy. Some of the common coverage options to consider include:
- Medical Cover:
This is important for safeguarding against falling ill or being injured while in the USA. Benefits are often in the form of doctor visits, hospital, prescription, and dental among others and it is important to have a good medical plan in the USA due to the high costs. It is suggested that most medical experts encourage their clients to secure at least $100,000 to $300,000 in medical insurance.
2. Emergency Medical Evacuation:
Pay for your transportation to India to receive the necessary medical treatment if you are in another country. This is advised due to the fact that transport costs in the case of medical emergencies can be very steep.
3. Trip Cancellation:
Reimburses if you have to cancel a trip because of such incidents as sickness, death of an immediate family member etc As this has coverage for non-refundable expenses it is useful.
4. Baggage Protection:
It covers the traveller against loss or damage to property and belongings such as baggage. This is essential due to the fact that a large number of people today travel around with valuable items such as jewellery.
5. Travel Accident Protection:
Pays out if the traveller dies or is injured in an accident while on a trip. This can help in supporting dependents back home in the event of a tragedy or injury to the player.
Beyond these basic sections, it is possible to get additional protections such as trip delays, missed connections, loss of passport/documents and others depending on the need and pockets of prospective policy buyers.
Policy duration
The next decision is the coverage time you require, whether short-term or long-term. Typically, most providers have coverage periods of between 5 days and a year. Things like the period of your stay, financial limit, and visa restrictions in case any are in place will determine the right period to take an insurance policy.
For instance, if you are planning a three-week trip to the USA, the most reasonable insurance would be a one-month policy with an additional two days added at the start and at the end of your visit. If you are, for instance, involved in a 6-month work project, you would require at least a 180-day to 1 year insurance policy.
Listed below is the medical-related coverage for the USA
-
Emergency Medical Coverage
This benefit pays for hospital bills, the cost of hiring a room, outpatient procedures and expenses incurred while being transported in an ambulance. It also reimburses you for expenses related to: It also reimburses you for expenses related to:
○ Emergency Medical Evacuation – The expenses incurred in cases where the patient needs to be moved from the place of occurrence of the accident or incident to another centre that will be in a position to offer adequate care to the patient.
○ Medical Repatriation – These are the costs that you may be expected to pay in terms of transport and medical expenses that may be incurred in repatriating you back to your country for additional treatment upon being evacuated for an emergency.
○ Funeral and Burial Expenses – This relates to the expenses for the transport of the mortal remains to your homeland in case of death during the trip.
2. Dental care matters. It is a well-established fact that oral health plays a significant role in maintaining good health throughout a person’s life. That is why it is included in the customers travel insurance for usa from india, which also includes costs of dental work that may be required during the journey.
3. Personal accident: The personal accident policy pays a cash benefit to your dear ones in case of permanent disablement and accidental death while travelling outside the country. It is aimed at addressing monetary issues so that your family can take time and recover.
○ Personal accident: Common Carrier
In the event that the insured or his family member dies or sustains a permanent disability due to an injury in a common carrier, he will receive a single taxable payment to ease your or your loved ones’ burden in a harsh time.
○ Hospital Daily Indemnity for Injuries and Sickness
Regarding the daily hospital cash benefit, for any day the insured receives treatment in a hospital for an injury or sickness, a daily amount stated in the policy schedule will be paid for each full 24 hours in the hospital up to the maximum allowable days of confinement per sickness or injury as reflected in the policy schedule. This is the amount that is payable on a daily basis and it is equal to the sum Insured that is chosen by the policyholder and which is mentioned in the policy schedule.
Here’s how to apply for travel insurance
Travel insurance can be helpful and offer certain degrees of financial security for the trip to the USA. The insurer allows easy access to acquiring its insurance as detailed in its process of sale.
You have two options to buy a policy:
Offline:
Go to the insurer’s branch office nearest to you and fill in the proposal form. After completing the particulars, attach the receipt of payment of your premium. This is followed by underwriting to determine the level of risk and after that, the company will issue your policy.
Online:
- Go to the insurer’s website and hit on the “Buy Now” button.
- Choose your trip type, people going and age, and proceed.
- Select the USA as the location for the trip along with the expected dates.
- Compare the plans available along with the quoted premiums and opt for the plan which suits your requirements.
- Make the premium payment and the policy will be issued electronically.
Either way, once you have bought the insurance, you will be covered for your trip.
Evaluating your needs
Deciding the appropriate level of travel coverage involves assessing parameters like:
Length of stay
- Events you plan on executing which are seen to have a higher risk for instance involving in adventure sports.
- Personal history of health and existing insurance coverage
- Budget
- Provisions of vis a regimen for insurance
For the majority of Indian tourists planning to stay in the country for a period of 1- 2 weeks, travel insurance for USA from India with a generic medical limit of approximately $10000- $20000 with emergency evacuation coverage acts as an ideal policy. For those who are involved in risky activities or have a chronic health condition, higher medical limits are good for one’s health.
Those joining the USA for several months for projects should consider getting medical insurance of more than $300,000 due to the likelihood of more severe cases of illness in longer durations. The general guideline often followed for insurance is to allocate about $2-$5 for every $100 spent on travelling.
Another thing that should be considered is to find out if any health or credit card policies that you use have any travel protections available for you. It may also assist in preventing further insurance expenses from being incurred. However it is recommended to check the coverage levels which may not be sufficient and hence, people may need to take separate overseas insurance.
Thus by evaluating your particular circumstance on these parameters, you can get your travel insurance policy for your trip to the USA that fits both risk coverage requirements and cost.
Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales
ThePrint BrandStand content is a paid-for, sponsored article. Journalists of ThePrint are not involved in reporting or writing it.