Why do I need travel insurance for the USA?
With over 50 states, the United States of America (USA) is a vast country with lots of potential for fun, but also the potential for accidents to occur:
- Illness: The USA’s geography spans all five climate zones. Travelling from one climate to another in days increases your risk of falling sick, especially if you haven’t acclimated to the sudden change in weather.
- Injury: Be it Yosemite National Park or Lombard Street in San Francisco, traversing uneven terrain can increase your risk of injuring yourself. If you find yourself frequently driving on the open road, you also run the risk of getting into a car accident.
- Natural disasters: Depending on the state you’re in, the USA can be prone to severe weather events, including earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, wildfires and floods.
- Gun violence: Gun regulations are less strict than in Australia, with consistently high rates of gun violence.
- Theft: Smartraveller warns that tourists are often targeted for pickpocketing and purse-snatching, especially in crowded areas.
If you’re injured or fall sick, the responsibility for paying off your medical bills falls on your shoulders — that’s because the USA doesn’t share a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia.
If you’re uninsured, you’ll have to foot the medical costs yourself. Considering the high cost of healthcare in the USA, you could find yourself having to pay thousands of dollars to get treatment.
Having travel insurance for your trip to the USA can allow you peace of mind should your trip hit any unexpected bumps along the way.
How to choose the right travel insurance for the USA?
Generally speaking, there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ insurance policy for all visits to the USA. Given the cost of health care in the USA, the ‘right’ policy should provide enough cover for a reasonable price.
The cheapest option is not always the best, so it’s important to buy the cover that suits your particular needs, as well as what you plan to do on your trip.
When comparing travel insurance with Canstar, you can search for policies that cover you for travel to the USA and Hawaii, and see the limits that each policy provides for overseas medical and hospital cover, as well as cancellation and lost luggage.
Policies with higher limits for cancellation and lost luggage may be more expensive, but may also provide more peace of mind, depending on how much you have paid for your trip.
What does USA travel insurance cover?
The list of things generally covered by travel insurance policies for the USA includes:
- Medical or dental emergency: Hospital admission, emergency care and medical evacuation.
- Lost or stolen luggage, passport, or other items: Reimbursement of the cost of replacing luggage, valuables and travel documents.
- Cancelling your trip unexpectedly: Cancellation due to illness, accident, revoked holiday leave or a natural disaster at home or at your intended destination.
- Legal liability: If you break a local law and need a lawyer.
- Rental vehicle excesses: If you’re planning on road tripping across the country, rental vehicle excess cover can pay for any out-of-pocket costs if your rental car is damaged or stolen. This feature isn’t always a standard inclusion on every policy, but may be an optional add-on.
- Optional extras: Some policies offer a variety of useful extras, such as cover for kennels and catteries for your pets at home, or cover if you suffer a loss of income or a permanent disability while overseas.
- Repatriation: Repatriation covers the cost of flying your body and belongings back home to Australia. Some policies also include a separate sum for funeral expenses.
However, this list isn’t exhaustive — a policy’s coverage will differ between insurers or different levels of cover (basic, standard, or comprehensive).
To get an accurate picture of what is and isn’t covered, read each policy’s documentation carefully, such as its Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) or Target Market Determination (TMD).
What isn't covered by USA travel insurance?
Your travel insurance policy to the USA, like other countries, will not cover every possible scenario. In some cases you could be disqualified from cover, such as:
- Behaving recklessly: Being a participant in an illegal and reckless act or crime could automatically void your cover. An example is failing to wear a helmet when riding a scooter.
- Under the influence: Generally, you won’t be able to claim for an event if you were, at the time, under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Unattended items: If your belongings are lost or stolen while unattended, you won’t be able to submit a claim for them.
- Pre-existing conditions: If you fail to disclose a pre-existing condition you were aware of at the time of purchasing a travel insurance policy, the insurer could choose to exclude cover for it outright. Some insurers may offer cover for pre-existing conditions for an additional cost (provided they were informed at the time of application).
How much does travel insurance cost for the USA?
At the time of writing, travel insurance for the USA can start from as low as $152+ for basic cover for an individual traveller for two weeks in the USA, and $172+ for more comprehensive cover.
Generally speaking, the cost of travel insurance for the USA is higher than other popular destinations because of the country’s notoriously high cost of healthcare.
The price can vary from there, depending on the level of cover and optional inclusions that you need.
