Many professionals living in the US are of ethnic origin; They are most likely to have close family members that are living in another country. It’s only natural to invite parents and in-laws to visit the United States to spend time with their family. Most of these visiting relatives are older and many of these older family members suffer from pre-existing conditions.
Before inviting your elderly visitors to the US, it is important to understand what pre-existing conditions are. This article will help you understand how travel insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions works so you can set realistic expectations. It will also help you decide whether to invite your relatives to visit the US or if you should visit them instead.
What are pre-existing conditions?
This explanation is from the perspective of visitors insurance. Pre-existing conditions are any medical conditions that exist before the effective date of the policy. It does not matter if a condition is diagnosed or undiagnosed. It is also irrelevant whether you have received treatment for the condition or not. If a condition exists before the effective date of the policy, it is deemed a pre-existing condition.
Here are some examples of pre-existing conditions there weren’t diagnosed before traveling to the US.
- A person visits the US and goes for a blood test the day after arrival in the US. They are diagnosed with diabetes.
This is clearly considered a pre-existing condition, as the diabetes didn’t occur the day after arriving in the US. It just means that it wasn’t discovered before traveling. - Someone goes for some tests a week after arriving in the US. After the testing, they discover they have cancer.
Obviously the cancer didn’t develop during that week.
For these reasons, it is highly advisable that visitors get a comprehensive health check-up before traveling to the US. By getting a check-up before traveling, you can learn if there are any concerning medical conditions that could cause problems in the US.
Who determines pre-existing conditions?
The insurance company will decide whether something is a pre-existing condition or not. When you seek treatment while on your trip, the attending physician will send medical reports and records to the insurance company. Once received, the insurance company’s claim department will review all provided documents to make their conclusion according to the terms of the insurance plan.
What is acute onset of pre-existing conditions?
Acute onset of pre-existing conditions is a sudden emergency that occurs without prior warning or symptoms that a reasonable person would seek treatment within the next 24 hours. Even though there is no visitors insurance plan that would simply cover the routine and expected maintenance of pre-existing conditions, there are many US based visitors insurance plans that would cover acute onset of pre-existing conditions, up to a certain amount for most ages.
If a condition gradually worsens after a number of days before you visit a doctor or the emergency room, that is not an acute onset of a pre-existing condition. For example, these situations are not considered an acute onset of a pre-existing condition:
- You have minor chest pain for 3-4 days and then you visit a doctor or an emergency room.
- If you have a shortness of breath over a two week period and then you decide to seek treatment.
In addition, there are other situations that are not considered an acute onset of a pre-existing condition. For example, if you decide to purchase the insurance after already getting sick and knowing you need treatment.
Visitors Insurance Plans with Acute Onset Coverage
Certain visitors insurance plans include coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions. The Comprehensive Coverage plans and Fixed Coverage plans below include coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions.
To learn about the differences between Comprehensive Coverage or Fixed Coverage plans, read Visitors Insurance Types now.
Comprehensive Coverage Plans
- Atlas America
Atlas America provides the acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to the policy maximum (which can be up to $2,000,000 for ages under 65 years and up to $100,000 for ages 65–79 years).
For persons in the 70–79 years age group, it covers acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to the policy maximum ($50,000 or $100,000). In this age group, the Atlas America plan provides the highest amount of acute onset of pre-existing conditions coverage, compared to any other visitors insurance plans available in the market. - Beacon America
Beacon America provides coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions. The specific amount depends on the chosen policy maximum. For persons under the age of 70, if the selected policy maximum is between $550,000 and $1,100,000, then it covers up to $150,000. If the selected policy maximum is between $60,000 and $200,000, then it covers up to $50,000. - Patriot America Plus
Patriot America Plus provides the coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to the policy maximum (which can be up to $1,000,000) for persons under the age of 70 years. - Safe Travel USA Comprehensive
Safe Travels USA Comprehensive provides the coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to the policy maximum (cardiac $25,000) for persons under the age of 70 years.
Fixed Coverage Plans
- VisitorSecure
It provides coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to the policy maximum for people under the age of 70 years. - Visitors Care
This plan provides acute onset of pre-existing conditions coverage up to the policy maximum for people under the age of 70 years. - Safe Travels Elite
This visitors insurance plan provides acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to the policy maximum (cardiac $25,000) for persons under 70 years of age. For 70-79 age group, it provides the coverage up to $25,000 (cardiac $15,000) for acute onset of pre-existing conditions. For 80-89 age group, it provides up to $15,000 for acute onset of pre-existing conditions.
Which visitors insurance plan to purchase?
As you can see above, there are many US based visitors insurance plans available that provide a varying amount of coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions for visitors to the USA. Therefore, it can sometimes be confusing to figure out which plan may be the most suitable one for your specific needs.
Fortunately, you can visit Insubuy.com to get instant quotes from multiple products. On Insubuy, you compare products side by side and make an instant purchase online. If you need any professional help, please call toll-free +1 (866) INSUBUY or at +1 (972) 985-4400, five days a week to speak to a licensed insurance professional in the US.
Of course, if you have any legitimate claim issues after the purchase, Insubuy’s claims resolution team is happy to help you with that too.
