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Visiting USA, high healthcare costs and need for visitor health insurance
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Travel Insurance - Do I Need it
The number of visitors to the USA has increased to two million visitors per year. Unfortunately, even while traveling, one can fall sick anywhere at any time. Perhaps one is more vulnerable while traveling due to a new climate, new foods, new customs, not to mention new strains of cold and flu viruses. Medical insurance costs are quite high in the United States and Canada and rising in other countries as well (Japan and Singapore for example). Wouldn’t it be best to travel with the peace of mind that should any emergency arise, your costs will be covered so you can expect the highest quality care without worry.
From my perspective as both a physician and a sponsoring family member, I would rate getting travel insurance as important as your tickets. Most of us when we plan to travel are healthy and feel we will not fall ill. But sickness and accidents cannot be prevented. Always look at it from the perspective what if I fall ill in the USA how me and my family there going to manage.
Health care in the USA is prohibitively expensive
Being a Physician here I can give you some personal example
Recently a patient of mine injured her ankle. It was simple slip at home, but she sustained a fracture dislocation of her ankle. My patient was an American and had health insurance. I operated on her ankle and fixed it with plate and screws, and the patient did well and was discharged after 3 days. When the patient came to see me in the office she still had to pay the hospital $1000 in arrears. The insurance company was billed $48000 of which they paid $47000 and my patient was billed for the remainder.
This is for an American citizen with Insurance. Imagine what a huge bill you would get as a foreigner without insurance; remember that the person who sponsors you from the USA will be legally liable for this bill. For most emergency procedures, I would imagine it could run into $100000 easily especially if it involves a stay in the ICU. Many of the visitors from India are elderly parents and relatives with pre-existing conditions (not covered), if you have a heart attack, stroke or fall and break a hip you will need emergency treatment in the US and even before you realize it you will be in some Emergency Room or Trauma center. It is extremely important for all of us to be aware and tries to take some preventive insurance against these unfortunate accidents. If I were in charge of visas I would mandate travel insurance just like my state here mandates that I obtain malpractice insurance before I practice medicine. The commonest likely ailments travellers may suffer from are Heart attack (MI), Stroke, Fractured limbs or Hip, Chest pain.
You can come prepared to a certain extent. Bring enough medications for your pre-existing diabetes and blood pressure Rx etc...Ex-A plavix pill costs $ 5 per pill here compared to Rs 40 in India.
You can also pack a kit for coughs, cold, antibiotics and headaches. However, if you have the misfortune of landing in an Emergency Room you best bet by far is to Have Travel Insurance. A rule of thumb is to buy the maximum coverage you can afford Costs of Medical treatment in the USA from Plain dealer, Ohio.
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