Best Travel Medical Insurance Plans for Visitors to the USA
The top visitors insurance plans come from IMG, Seven Corners, and World Trips. These plans offer high limits for medical emergencies and access to high-quality medical care for foreign nationals traveling in the U.S.
See a complete breakdown of these plans and more in our full review of the Best Travel Medical Insurance Plans for 2026.
What is Visitors Insurance?
Visitors insurance is short-term medical insurance that covers unexpected medical care for people visiting the United States for 365 days or less. Medical care in the USA is notoriously expensive, and these policies are designed to cover high emergency healthcare costs while in the States, which your home country health insurance may not cover.
Visitors insurance differs from typical travel insurance plans in that they don’t offer broad coverage for disruptions like Trip Cancellation, but they excel at providing medical protections that foreign-bought plans typically lack. Some Visitors Insurance plans also offer modest coverage for benefits like Baggage Loss insurance and Trip Interruption insurance.
Do Visitors to the USA Need Travel Insurance?
Travelers to the U.S. should consider purchasing medical travel insurance to protect against the high costs of an unexpected medical emergency
A hospital stay in the U.S. can cost over $3,000 per day on average, according to the Kaiser Foundation. Medical Evacuation expenses can be even more expensive, costing between $20,000-$200,000 according to the U.S. Department of State.
Additionally, health insurance from a foreign country may not cover medical care in the U.S., and many U.S. hospitals require proof of insurance for non-emergency treatment
Only J-1 and J-2 Visa holders are legally mandated to have health insurance, but it’s still very useful for the following groups:
- F visa holders (your school may require you to enroll in college plan)
- Visa waiver travelers
- B-1 and B-2 visitors, and other business travelers
- Parents and other relatives visiting family in the U.S., especially those with elevated health risks and pre-existing conditions
- Senior travelers
Advantages of Buying U.S.-Based Travel Insurance
You may be able to purchase travel insurance in your home country, but purchasing a U.S.-based plan has a couple advantages:
- Many U.S. insurers partner with healthcare providers via a PPO network to offer discounted services.
- These in-network providers will usually directly bill the insurance company, which means you can avoid having to pay upfront and file a claim for reimbursement.
What Does Visitor Insurance Cover?
The primary purpose of visitors insurance is to cover unexpected medical expenses, although plans may offer additional benefits like Lost Luggage and Trip interruption coverage. When comparing plans, keep a close eye on Emergency Medical, Medical Evacuation and Repatriation coverages.
Emergency Medical, arguably the most important benefit of visitors insurance, covers the cost of treating unexpected illnesses and injuries during your trip, including doctors and emergency room visits and hospitalization. Plans may offer pre-existing condition coverage, although often with a significantly lower limit.
Plans typically charge a deductible and a copay, based on the type of expense, and may charge coinsurance if a provider is outside of its PPO network. There’s also an overall limit to this benefit, which is often based on age
We recommend at least $100,000 of Emergency Medical coverage for people visiting the United States.
Limits vary by age range, with the lowest limits for people over 80:
- Under 70: $50,000-$8,000,000
- 70-79: $50,000-$100,000
- 80+: $10,000-$20,000
Plans may also cover additional emergency services, such as bedside visits, emergency room reunions, and return of minor children.
Plans on our site offer very high limits for Medical Evacuation & Repatriation ranging between $250,000 and $1,000,000.
Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation are key benefits of visitors insurance. Medical Evacuation covers transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility, including air transport from remote locations when necessary. Emergency Medical Repatriation covers transport to a hospital in your home country if additional treatment is needed or you need to recover after your initial treatment.
Only some plans include Repatriation with their Medical Evacuation benefit, but it can be valuable if you have a condition that requires long-term treatment that could exceed your Emergency Medical benefit limit.
We recommend at least $250,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage for tourists visiting the U.S.
Plans also offer reimbursement for other types of evacuations, like natural disasters or political evacuation due to civil unrest or government warnings, either as a standard benefit or as an add-on. Coverage ranges from $10,000 - $150,000 depending on the evacuation type and the plan. This benefit can be worth it if you’re traveling to an area at risk of a disaster, since air evacuations can easily cost more than $10,000.
Plans can reimburse you for the cost of a return ticket home in case you need to end your trip early for a covered reason, such as the death of a close family member, or a break-in or destruction of your principal residence. Unlike typical travel insurance, Visitor Insurance generally limits coverage to the cost of your return travel and won’t reimburse your trip costs
While hazardous activities are typically excluded from coverage, some plans offer a Sports & Activities benefit that will cover certain hazardous activities like skiing and scuba diving.
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage provides a lump sum payment in case you sustain a severe injury resulting in the loss of life or limb during a covered trip.
Visitor Insurance plans on our site offer 2 forms of this coverage:
- Common Carrier AD&D covers accidents on a common carrier like an airplane or a cruise ship
- 24-hour AD&D covers accidents that happen at any point on your trip
Benefit amounts can range from $2,500 to $100,000 depending on the plan, your age and type of injury.
All plans on our site offer a Lost Luggage benefit, which covers the replacement cost of items lost by a common carrier in transit. Plans may also cover the damage of luggage and replacement fees for passports, visas, and other travel documents. There is a strict $50 per-item-limit for the plans on our site, and an overall benefit limit ranging from $250 to $2,000.
Our Visitors Insurance plans offer a 24-hour toll-free hotline to assist with emergencies during your trip. You can use this number to coordinate Medical Evacuation and Repatriation, find emergency care, for translation and interpreter services, and to get help with other travel emergencies like lost travel documents and emergency cash replacement.
What Isn’t Covered by Visitors Insurance?
Each Visitors Insurance plan has its own list of excluded services, activities, and conditions. Be sure to check your plan certificate closely, as details vary greatly with each policy.
Common exclusions include:
- Routine checkups and preventive care
- Sports and hazardous activities, unless listed under a plan’s sports and activity coverage
- Cosmetic and elective procedures
- Pre-existing conditions unless otherwise stated in the policy
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Alcohol and drug use
Types of Travel Insurance for USA Visitors
There are two main types of travel insurance that you can purchase when visiting the U.S.; travel medical and comprehensive. While both options provide reimbursement for common travel disruptions, they differ when it comes to insurance cost and coverage scope.
Travel Medical Insurance
Travel medical insurance is the most affordable type of coverage available to U.S. visitors, and it provides coverage for a wide range of medical expenses if you get ill or injured while in the United States. Since medical treatment costs can be expensive, this policy helps you from paying medical costs out of pocket.
Many travel health insurance plans also include protection against delays, baggage loss, missed connections, and other common trip disruptions.
Comprehensive Travel Insurance
While rare, some travel insurance providers may offer comprehensive coverage to U.S. visitors. These plans offer strong health coverage, with the added benefit of covering your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs.
In other words, comprehensive travel insurance can reimburse your airfare, hotel booking, and other covered expenses if you’re forced to cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.
How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost for U.S. Visitors?
How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost for U.S. Visitors?
Travel insurance for non-U.S. residents traveling within the United States costs $4.86 per day.
This number is based on internal Squaremouth data that takes into account policy sales from the past 12 months, which had an average premium of $131 and an average trip length of 27 days.
The cost of visitor insurance will depend on multiple factors, such as your age, the length of your stay in the United States, and the type of coverage you purchase.
Why Use Squaremouth to Buy Visitors Insurance?
Why Use Squaremouth to Buy Visitors Insurance?
Squaremouth is the largest travel insurance marketplace in the United States, offering more plans and insurance providers than any other comparison site. We make it easy to find the best coverage for your trip to the United States by offering side-by-side comparisons of the most popular travel insurance policies on the market.
If you need assistance, our award-winning customer service team is well-versed in the intricacies of finding reliable coverage while visiting the USA from another country or traveling abroad from the United States. Get quotes for your upcoming visit today.
Visitor Insurance FAQ
Review answers to frequently asked questions regarding visitor insurance.
Travel insurance isn’t mandatory for most travelers to the U.S., although health insurance is mandatory for certain types of Visa holders. Given the high cost of healthcare in the U.S., travel health insurance is highly recommended for any short-term visitor to the country.
Yes, some visitors insurance plans offer pre-existing condition coverage. Benefits may be limited for certain age groups or health conditions, so be sure to read the plan certificate closely before you purchase.
We recommend at least $100,000 in Emergency Medical and $250,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage for visitors to the U.S.
A PPO is a network of providers that some Visitors Insurers partner with to provide discounted services and direct billing. Using an in-network provider can save you money, because care costs less and the provider will cover a higher percentage of your bill (usually 100%). It’s also convenient, because the provider will bill the insurer directly, rather than requiring you to pay for care and seek reimbursement from your insurer.
All the visitors insurance plans will cover care with any doctor or hospital. However, you’ll pay less and won’t have to deal with the claims submission process if you use an in-network provider.
No, routine checkups, including dental and vision care are generally excluded from visitors insurance.
We recommend purchasing coverage as soon as possible ahead of your trip to avoid a pre-existing condition from occurring that could be excluded from your coverage.
No, the plans on our site require you to purchase coverage ahead of your departure date, although you may be able to purchase a Visitors Plan after landing from other insurance companies.
Yes, many visitors insurance plans allow you to extend coverage up to the plan’s maximum coverage period.
Yes, visitors insurance can cover a long-term visit up to 365 days. If you are staying longer than this, you may need to consider purchasing expatriate or domestic U.S. health insurance coverage.
No, pregnancy and childbirth is generally excluded from visitors insurance, although some plans may cover pregnancy complications in limited situations.
Last updated: September 30, 2026