# Temporary health insurance for foreign visitors to the United States **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2025, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249 "2025-06-06T01:12:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/1 "2025-06-06T01:12:05Z")
Here in the US, you’re expected to pay for your health care, and woebetide e you if you lack insurance. Literally every other first world nation, and most second- and maybe a third- or two provides it at government expense. If a tourist or foreign worker or what have you were to visit the the States, could they buy a temporary insurance policy from an insurer back home, to cover a few days or months or what have you? Or are such policies sold stateside? If, say, a British tourist broke her ankle while on holiday in Kalamazoo, would the NHS cover her American medical bills? I’m prompted to ask because a local woman is trying to get host families to sign up for hosting foreign exchange students, and her promo material says that the kids have their own health insurance. Does that mean their families are buying temporary policies to cover medical care in a foreign land? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/2 "2025-06-06T01:24:19Z")
Of course you would buy travel insurance. Provincial health insurance from Ontario where am I covers a very small fraction of US medical bills. Travel insurance not only fully covers you but will also pay for medivac and other costs. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/3 "2025-06-06T01:29:42Z")
Well a visitor to the US could fly in commando, and takes their chances but it would be strongly advised against. So yes, I took out travel insurance when visiting stateside. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/4 "2025-06-06T04:38:18Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Does that mean their families are buying temporary policies to cover medical care in a foreign land? Yes. It’s typically a requirement by the program: if you are selected, you must show that you have health insurance for the destination. As is well known, insurance companies pay much less than casual rates for hospitalization, but that’s still more than “nothing”, so once you’re well enough to take commercial flights, they will want you to go home and have any further medical care at home. If you are ill in a third-world country, they will actually fly you out to somewhere with proper medical care — if they are a good, responsible insurance company. Unfortunately, there also minimum-price insurance companies with a reputation for leaving you in a ‘hospital’ in Gilbert/Kiribati Islands. Cruise ships are the same – they will dump you ashore in some place with much worse facilities than onboard. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/5 "2025-06-06T05:41:22Z")
In my older years, with more to lose, I look back in amazement that I drove across the USA several times by motorcycle in my 20’s with no thought to health insurance. Despite being healthy in mind and body (So far…) I make it a point to buy travel insurance. It’s not that expensive - about $120 for a year, last time I looked. (It’s now a work benefit for my wife) Covers hospital, and ambulance travel/flight home when possible (cheaper than US hospitals). Several gotchas - “travel” does not cover trips longer than 30 days out of country. (Snowbirds and extended stays are a different insurance) Does not cover the result of pre-existing conditions. A co-worker had a mild heart attack just after retiring, and could not get insuarance to winter in Arizona until she’d been OK for 2 years. Another fellow reported how his uncle had been found in his trailer in Arizona with a bad stroke, his other uncle flew down, took the back seat of the SUV and drove 24 hours to get back to Canada - the guy had no travel health insurance. Worse than that, some provinces, if you are gone more than X months (6?) your free health insurance expires unless you are 65 or older - so don’t leave for too long. > [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’m prompted to ask because a local woman is trying to get host families to sign up for hosting foreign exchange students, and her promo material says that the kids have their own health insurance. Does that mean their families are buying temporary policies to cover medical care in a foreign land? There are occasional horror stories in the Canadian media about this - for example, the Polish visitor who went into early labour and ended up with a $20,000 hospital bill for delivery. UHC is for residents. I recall occasional news stories about some provinces trying to be cheap and denying health care coverage for foreign visa students. I’m not sure what category (high school?) exchange students fall under, unless they are here less than 180 days. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/6 "2025-06-06T05:45:03Z")
For what it’s worth, it generally works the same the other way, too. If a U.S. citizen is traveling abroad, it’s a very good idea for them to purchase travel health insurance, as well. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/7 "2025-06-06T06:26:24Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > If, say, a British tourist broke her ankle while on holiday in Kalamazoo, would the NHS cover her American medical bills? No. There are some countries with whom we have “[reciprocal health agreements](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-reciprocal-healthcare-agreements-with-non-eu-countries)”, where we would be treated as locals would be (not necessarily the same as would be covered by the NHS). The US isn’t one of them, or ever likely to be, I imagine. Getting travel insurance for trips abroad is axiomatic here: package tour companies will offer it (and/or make it a condition of booking that you tell them about the insurance you have). I believe a credit card booking may come with some cover, but you’d be foolish not to [search out the best deal](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/travel-insurance/) for yourself. As for visitors here, the NHS will deal with emergency treatment, i e., saving your life, stabilising you and patching you up, but getting yourself home and/or follow-up treatment is on you. Successive governments have tightened up NHS eligibility rules for overseas visitors. So yes, likewise get yourself insured! ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/8 "2025-06-06T06:45:33Z")
Getting insurance for travel abroad that covers health expenses is a standard recommendation. You get it from an insurere in your home country before you leave. It’s particularly strongly recommended if you are travelling to the US and, unsurprisingly, if you are travelling to the US you will pay a lot more for your travel insurance than if your travels are confined to the rest of the world. (There’s also a loading if your insurance is to cover skiing, adventure sports and various other activities.) Your travel insurer covers your medical expenses while abroad, and they cover the cost of getting you home. Once you’re home, you are the responsibility of your domestic healthcare system. So travel insurers are highly motivated to get you home at the earliest possible moment, and medical evacuation comes as standard with most travel insurance policies. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/9 "2025-06-06T06:50:28Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Getting travel insurance for trips abroad is axiomatic here Yes indeed (I’m in the UK too.) Every time I travel abroad I take out insurance. The only difference is that the amount is larger for the US (usually $1,000,000.) ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/10 "2025-06-06T07:31:34Z")
Yes - the official advice from the Australian government is ‘if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel’. In the case of the US its mainly to cover your outrageous health charges. For serious accidents Australian insurers usually consider the option of an airlift home being cheaper all round than any extra days in the US health system. Normal travel insurance is comprehensive or packaged - so it covers a bit of airline cancellation and ticketing and luggage stuff, theft or loss of valuables, accident and health and other possible costs in one fee. Alternately you can get specific coverage for health and accident, which you might prefer to do because the credit card you used for your airticket automatically covered insurance for some of that and you are not planning on hauling your Rolex or the best Picasso around with you. I expect the foreign exchange student program would have negotiated a package for its entire program with an insurer, and added a share of that to the fee they charge families to participate, rather than relying on families sorting all that out themselves and potentially not getting it done, or picking the wrong package or dates or any of the million things that are likely to go wrong. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/11 "2025-06-06T07:43:48Z")
Some credit cards provide health insurance overseas. I used to have one but the annual fee was pretty high. We always get travel insurance for overseas. My daughter just spent three months in Germany on an exchange policy and I got a policy for covering her. It wasn’t too bad. I needed to visit the emergency room once when I was visiting the states, and I saved thousands of dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/12 "2025-06-06T08:19:59Z")
The question has already been comprehensively answered in general terms, so I’ll just add a couple of notes regarding my own personal experience. I’m an American expat living overseas with my family. We’re fully covered by the national health plan in our country of residence. This country doesn’t have a formal reciprocity agreement with the US as described above, but there are provisions in our plan that we can apply for reimbursement for overseas medical expenses under certain conditions. The catch is that these will be paid out _per the local fee schedule._ If we need a brief consultation with a GP, say, we can apply to have €50 reimbursed, because that’s what it costs here. Of course, €50 doesn’t even cover the cost of turning the doorknob to enter a US doctor’s office, so anything above that is your problem. To handle that, we require supplemental optional private insurance, as described. It’s not terribly expensive, and we can pay for coverage in short-term windows to cover travel overseas. However, we do need to be mindful of the specific terms of coverage. In most cases, the policy will pay only for emergency treatment sufficient to _stabilize_ the individual such that they can be returned to Europe for more comprehensive care. If I have a cardiac event and require bypass surgery, it’s almost certain that I will get just enough medical intervention to ensure I’m not in critical condition, and then I’ll be put on a supervised flight and taken straight to the surgeons on arrival. So the TLDR is, _read your insurance contract carefully_ so you know what you’re in for. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/13 "2025-06-06T10:19:07Z")
A very long time ago there was the story of a UK couple visiting the US. The wife was pregnant but well short of due. Most travel insurance has a limit of four weeks before due, But she went into labour on holiday and gave birth to a gravely premature baby. Zero chance of a fast evacuation. Four weeks later they returned to the UK with a now out of danger child. The notional bill was, needless to say, eye watering huge. Of the order of a reasonable lifetime’s income huge. But they had purchased proper travel insurance. It always struck me that the insurance companies couldn’t buy publicity like that, even for that sort of money. Nobody can afford not to be totally insured. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/14 "2025-06-06T12:16:19Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’m prompted to ask because a local woman is trying to get host families to sign up for hosting foreign exchange students, and her promo material says that the kids have their own health insurance. I work for a university in the UK with a significant amount of exchange/year abroad activity. All of our students are insured for their trip overseas by the University itself as part of the exchange package. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/15 "2025-06-06T12:16:45Z")
No shortage of stories: [Canadian couple hit with $1m medical bill after daughter is prematurely born in US | The Independent | The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/canadian-couple-hit-with-1m-medical-bill-after-daughter-is-prematurely-born-in-us-9872637.html#:~:text=A%20Canadian%20couple%20are%20considering,on%20a%20trip%20in%20Hawaii). Mistake on health questionaire voids their coverage: [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/couple-s-huge-medical-bill-rejected-by-travel-insurance-company-1.2642212](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/couple-s-huge-medical-bill-rejected-by-travel-insurance-company-1.2642212) ---
**Author:** ![Nightaudit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightaudit/32/17181_2.png) [@Nightaudit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightaudit)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/16 "2025-06-06T16:45:11Z")
Are US healthcare providers able to collect on the debt if the foreigner just leaves the United States without paying the bills? Just do what the poor or uninsured do here and not pay… what are they going to do send debt collectors to the UK or EU? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/17 "2025-06-06T18:43:48Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > For serious accidents Australian insurers usually consider the option of an airlift home being cheaper all round than any extra days in the US health system. This. A colleague of mine at McGill had a heart attack while at a meeting in New Orleans. McGill has a complementary health insurance that pays for treatment abroad. In that case, they paid for a medevac back to Montreal so he could be treated here. It works the other way too. A friend of mine had a visit from his American brother-in-law who proceded to have some kind of cardiac incident here that required a pacemaker. Cost him $25,000, probably much less than it would have cost him at home. On the other hand, an Australian professor I knew did a sabbatical in Denmark and had a heart attack there. After an official “finding” that he had not come to Denmark for the purpose of having a heart attack, they covered everything. But likely had some kind of official visitor’s position there. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/18 "2025-06-06T20:57:28Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Of course you would buy travel insurance. Provincial health insurance from Ontario where am I covers a very small fraction of US medical bills. My (Ontario) employers’ health plans have always included some level of travel insurance as part of their basic package (even if you decline drug coverage or dental coverage, say). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/19 "2025-06-06T21:05:29Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Literally every other first world nation, and most second- and maybe a third- or two provides it at government expense. Most, but let us make this very clear- **TAXPAYER expense.** And most do charge visitors and non residents. In Europe & the UK, visitors generally do not get free healthcare- perhaps in case of emergency, but not even always that. (There are exemptions for long term visas in some cases) > [@md-2000](#): > > There are occasional horror stories in the Canadian media about this - for example, the Polish visitor who went into early labour and ended up with a $20,000 hospital bill for delivery. UHC is for residents. Yep. _So the idea that most “first world nations” provide free healthcare for visitors is completely wrong._ > [@Nightaudit](#): > > Are US healthcare providers able to collect on the debt if the foreigner just leaves the United States without paying the bills? Just do what the poor or uninsured do here and not pay… what are they going to do send debt collectors to the UK or EU? Yes, they can & do collect international judgements. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249/20 "2025-06-06T21:53:43Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > A very long time ago there was the story of a UK couple visiting the US. The wife was pregnant but well short of due. Most travel insurance has a limit of four weeks before due, > But she went into labour on holiday and gave birth to a gravely premature baby. Zero chance of a fast evacuation. Four weeks later they returned to the UK with a now out of danger child. The notional bill was, needless to say, eye watering huge. Of the order of a reasonable lifetime’s income huge. But they had purchased proper travel insurance. > > It always struck me that the insurance companies couldn’t buy publicity like that, even for that sort of money. Nobody can afford not to be totally insured. In 2014, a Canadian woman had a premature baby in Hawaii. She had purchased travel insurance, but they denied the claim on her $950,000 hospital bill. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/jennifer-huculak-kimmel-billed-950k-us-after-giving-birth-in-u-s-1.2839319](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/jennifer-huculak-kimmel-billed-950k-us-after-giving-birth-in-u-s-1.2839319) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temporary-health-insurance-for-foreign-visitors-to-the-united-states/1019249.md?page=2)