Health insurance for visiting parents and relatives
In short: health care in the US is expensive, and visitors are generally not covered by US government health programs or by your own plan. Many families buy visitor (travel) medical insurance before parents arrive. Check the coverage limit, the deductible, and especially how the policy treats pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.
Why it matters
A visit to an emergency room or a short hospital stay can cost thousands of dollars. Your own employer or Marketplace plan usually can't cover a visiting parent, and visitors are generally not eligible for programs such as Medicaid or Medicare. Buying cover before the trip avoids a gap.
What to check in a policy
- Maximum coverage: the most the policy pays. Hospital bills add up fast, so low limits may not go far.
- Deductible and coinsurance: what you pay before and after the insurer pays.
- Pre-existing conditions: many policies exclude them, or cover only a sudden, unexpected flare-up ("acute onset") up to a set limit. Read this part carefully for older parents.
- Fixed-benefit vs comprehensive: fixed-benefit plans pay set amounts per service, which may be far less than the bill. Comprehensive plans pay a share of actual costs.
- Network: whether doctors and hospitals bill the insurer directly, or you pay first and claim back.
- Dates and age limits: cover must start on arrival day; prices and limits often change with age.
- Who the insurer is and where it is licensed, and how claims are paid in the US.
Ask for the full policy wording, not just the brochure. If the insurer is licensed in your state, your state insurance department can answer questions and take complaints.
If a visitor needs care
- In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Hospitals with emergency departments must screen and stabilize anyone with an emergency condition, whatever their ability to pay.
- For something non-urgent, an urgent care clinic usually costs much less than an emergency room. Check with the insurer which ones are in its network.
- Contact the insurer as early as you can, keep all bills and reports, and ask for itemized bills.
Without insurance
Uninsured and self-pay patients can ask providers for a good faith estimate of the cost before scheduled care, under the No Surprises Act. Ask hospitals about self-pay discounts and financial assistance, and about a payment plan. See Medical bills and EOBs.
For general health information, see our sister site GetReady Health.
Handy tools
- Monthly budget planner: see what is left each month and how your spending splits up.
General information, not financial or insurance advice. Coverage, prices and rules vary by state, insurer and policy. Read your policy and check with the insurer, a licensed agent or your state insurance department before you decide.