Why Travel Insurance for the USA is Essential

If you’re travelling overseas, travel insurance is extremely important. But this is especially the case if you’re visiting the United States.

Medical bills in the USA routinely run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and payment is often required upfront. If something happens and you need urgent medical treatment, you could even be refused if you don’t have travel insurance and are unable to pay. But if you have comprehensive travel insurance, you’ll usually be looked after.

A sad case of an Australian woman visiting the United States recently serves as another reminder of why  travel insurance for the USA is so important. This seemingly healthy newlywed suffered a stroke just days into her New York honeymoon. The woman, who is currently too unwell to travel back to Australia, is now facing several months of treatment in an American hospital. The bill could easily run into the millions of dollars.

Even though the woman is believed to have insurance, friends and family of the Australian woman have had to set up a Go Fund Me page to pay for “accommodation, hospital fees, rehab costs and living expenses”. The page goes on to say that “most of the costs are upfront”.

With such high medical costs in the United States, it would be crazy to visit without an adequate level of travel insurance. Even though you probably won’t need it, the consequences of not having insurance could be disastrous – both financially and physically.

This story has prompted other AFF members to share their own experiences.

Wouldn’t ever consider a trip without TI.

I knew a person whose mother had a stroke in Russia. The TI got her home with paramedics and J seats removed from the plane to fit the stretcher.

Cost was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and all covered.

If you can’t afford travel insurance you can’t afford to travel.

If you’re travelling overseas – especially the United States – make sure you have an adequate level of travel insurance. Also be sure to read the PDS carefully, as some policies have exclusions that may render them useless. This is sometimes the case, for example, with credit card travel insurance policies.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Please take out Travel Insurance

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.