Question for US citizens about Short Term Health Insurance when visiting USA

[livinthailandos]

First of all my question is geared towards US citizens who are exempt from having to buy health insurance in regards obamacare / affordable care tax act and also for those who do not have medicare.
 What I would like to know is whenever you go back to visit the US who do you buy short term health insurance from, The reason I am asking is US healthcare insurance providers will not cover me because my tax home is here in thailand, i live here full time and i'm not required to buy US health insurance. However I am going back to visit the US and would like to know if I have any options? Any recommendations  

Will any companies like  Allianz, AXA, Bupa, cigna cover me? As I am a US citizen visiting the US? 

Look forward to any advice on the issue. or recommendations on who to contact. 
 

[craigt3365]

I've used these guys many times.  Great to work with:

 

https://www.worldnomads.com/

[travelerjim]

Please delete

Edited August 11, 2016 by travelerjim
delete

[KCPhuket]

I believe many airlines offer travel insurance as well. As a BUPA customer I get travel insurance from them.

[amykat]

Travel insurance is not the same as medical insurance. 

[craigt3365]

6 minutes ago, amykat said:

Travel insurance is not the same as medical insurance. 

World Nomads policies cover both.

[amykat]

I have found it impossible to get any meaningful coverage to travel to the US.  You have to read these policies very, very carefully and really understand what they mean.  If you have no experience with the industry or the terms, you may NOT understand what they mean or how they work.  If you do, you may understand that after reading pages and pages, you probably have very little coverage, in very few circumstances.

 

Many posters will report that they use this or that company and are happy with it.  But they have never actually had a claim.  Like many people in the US who are "happy with their health insurance" who have never had a chronic illness. 

 

If you are 25 years old, healthy and don't have a lot assets, you probably don't have to worry too much about taking a trip to the US.  Get a policy, and if they don't pay, oh well.  But if you have retired early, I assume you have a lot of assets, could have a serious health issue while visiting that could wipe those out totally ...well, I don't want to take that chance personally and find it quite ridiculous that I can't visit my own country without taking that risk!!

 

There is some insurance now called Short Term Insurance for people to bridge the gap while they are waiting for ACA or between jobs or something and I thought maybe that would be a good to use now.  If you google "short term insurance scams" you can find out why they are not good?  I tried that last year, this year I didn't go.

[MANFROMBOCA]

I travel to usa once a year i buy bupa TRAVEL?MEDICAL ins can buy online https://global.ihi.com/Travel+Insurance.aspx

[craigt3365]

I had a claim with World Nomads and they were very professional.  No problems at all.

[fittobethaied]

I buy all of my insurance including travel insurance to the US through the following company.  They have great customer service and all documentation is in English.  Great people to work with for the past 6 years. I am a US citizen retired in Thailand.

 

http://www.aainsure.net/travel_insurance_thailand.html

[Ken Khomdee]

If you keep the visit under 33 days there's no IRS penalty levied. I live here 11 months out of the year and have medical for Thailand through AXA (Expat Group). It provides very little coverage in the U.S.

[Alohacm]

It's been nearly a year since I traveled to the states but I remember there was some very specific rules (or circumstances) relating to American citizens obtaining travelers health insurance when travelling TO America that made it very difficult to be covered (even though many will allow you to purchase)...I wish I could remember the details but can't. I ended up having to purchase separate policies for my Thai wife & child (w/ Thai passport) due to this though. At the time I researched it heavily & this company was the ONLY one I found that I could get legitimate coverage through https://www.sevencorners.com/?a=9D3ED3CD-B4DD-42BF-93B9-772B07BE88FE&z=HWMP8Y3#start . I also read many reviews for this company & they seemed to rate well. If you find the details I'm referring to it would help others to report back. I saved all the paperwork from my policy so I could purchase with this company again for my next travel; so knowing that was all I'd have to do I forgot the details that lead to this company being the only one I could use. I wish I could be of more help but having this link is a good head start.

[SaintLouisBlues]

Why would anyone visiting the US, if not covered by medical insurance, not buy travel insurance that includes US medical costs? I use insuremytrip.com - plenty of options

[Alohacm]

...With a short search I found some info. here: http://www.insubuy.com/travel-insurance-for-us-citizens-visiting-usa/ what I was referring to might have been what is written about; which is basically the wording of the policies...& the wording is EVERYTHING. You might purchase something you think gives you coverage but the wording of the contract excludes you & you can bet the insurance company will know that. I did the research I did because, due to an error by the agent I purchased insurance though here in Thailand on a prior trip, left me uninsured. I only found this out because I needed the insurance to pay for the $30,000 plus medical bills I quickly racked up...I wasn't covered. So you can bet I read every word of the policy on my next trip...this is what lead me to realize that there are circumstances you need to be weary of when you are an American travelling to America. It's worth looking into before you simply purchase a policy.

[Alohacm]

...some more info. I was able to cut and paste. I read Thai Visa every day but nearly never post replies/comments. I felt compelled to do so on this thread to help anyone else avoid what I had been through. This is something you need to be careful with...:

 

             Travel Insurance for US Citizens Visiting USA

Are you a US citizen living or working abroad? Are you planning a short-term trip to the United States for a vacation or personal reason? You have family members , children who are US citizens and making a short visiting USA , do you have a proper insurance protection? Well, you must be aware that eligibility criteria for US-based travel insurance policies can sometimes be quite complicated. Most of the insurance providers cover US citizens traveling abroad and only a few offer travel insurance for US citizens traveling to the United States. Not all policies cover US citizens staying abroad and traveling to the United States on a short-term visit; therefore, it is important to investigate the insurance policy carefully and ask your insurance agent to get any doubts clarified.

While some USA travel insurance providers in the United States do offer travel insurance coverage for US expatriates returning home, they usually ask returning US expatriates to wait for a minimum period of 3 to 6 months before they are eligible for coverage. Most American insurance companies do not cover you if you have not lived in the United States for a minimum period of 6 months before applying for coverage. You must ensure that the health insurance plan you enroll in covers you for the first 6 months in the United States.

Some of the well-known travel insurance policies that provide temporary coverage for US citizens returning or visiting US for a short term include:

Liaison continent, Liaison international and Liaison Majestic International travel insurance , available in most states, could provide health insurance for Americans living abroad and traveling to the US country for a short duration.

[mwbrown]

6 hours ago, KCPhuket said:

I believe many airlines offer travel insurance as well. As a BUPA customer I get travel insurance from them.

 

I am also a BUPA customer and they told me I was covered everywhere on my around-the-world trip last year, except for America because of the high medical costs.  I then purchased a small policy from them to cover me for the time I was in America.

[amykat]

5 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

I had a claim with World Nomads and they were very professional.  No problems at all.

 

I'm glad that worked out for you.  Did you have a minor illness or accident or something major like a stroke or heart attack?   And I am willing to concede that there are some things that are covered.  Just that most things that might bankrupt me, seem not to be covered.

Edited August 11, 2016 by amykat

[craigt3365]

It wasn't health related.  Luckily!  And yes, that would be much more expensive.

[amykat]

Well that was a little misleading wasn't it Craig?  Since we are talking about medical insurance?  This is a problem for many people and many consumers get screwed because insurance companies will happily take your money and issue you a piece of paper that makes you feel secure but in reality offers you nothing or near nothing.  But thanks for clearing that up!

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, amykat said:

Well that was a little misleading wasn't it Craig?  Since we are talking about medical insurance?  This is a problem for many people and many consumers get screwed because insurance companies will happily take your money and issue you a piece of paper that makes you feel secure but in reality offers you nothing or near nothing.  But thanks for clearing that up!

What it points to is the company pays up for policy issues.  I had no problems getting money.  They were great to work with during a difficult time.

[amykat]

Sorry Craig, my cynical comments are meant for the American medical insurance industry.  I am a person with a chronic medical condition since my mid 20s and I have been screwed around backwards and forwards by this system of ours.  I moved out of the US because I could not be insured without full time employment and eventually I could not maintain full time employment with my illness and did not need to financially (well if I had insurance.)  So I moved out of the country to deal with that problem.  Now after 11 years as an expat, I can't even visit the US and feel comfortable because all the insurance policies exclude preexisting conditions and have so many exclusions.  Especially as a self-supporting sick person, I can't afford to go bankrupt and just start over again.  That won't be happening.  It is quite sad to never see your family/country and be exiled due to insurance.  I have a daughter who is 10 and she has been back once, last year when I did risk it, with some insurance as good as I could get ...and luckily got to see my 94 year old Grandmother one last time. 

Now that we have Obamacare, if that doesn't get canceled with the new election ...I will probably be moving back because I don't want to keep living here and never visit, but the situation still is horrible in general.  I dream about being French, or German, UK or Canadian, etc  ...even their travel/medical insurance is working/regulated better than ours.  But I didn't mean to sound rude to you,  I just worry about people getting mislead and buying the wrong product.

[Rob13]

12 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

I've used these guys many times.  Great to work with:

 

https://www.worldnomads.com/

 

 

Have you filed any claims with them? How quick were they to pay?

[craigt3365]

Understood Amy!  Dealing with insurance companies is not fun.  Seems they always find a way of getting out of paying you!  Especially when dealing with pre-existing conditions.  Very sad to hear your situation.  In your case, the health care system in the US is an absolute failure.  Back to the OP.

 

I had a claim with World Nomads and they paid up promptly.  No questions asked.  As for insuring a US person while on holiday in the US, here's there criteria.  I've been in contact with them and in my case, I'd be covered as I meet the criteria.  I'm on a retirement visa.

 

From World Nomads:

You’re welcome to purchase as a resident of Thailand or as a citizen of the US, as long as you can meet our eligibility requirements.

We define your country of residence as the country in which you:

1. Are a citizen or a legal, permanent resident;
2. Have access to long term medical care through a national health insurance scheme and/or private health insurance (not including reciprocal health agreements);
3. Will be repatriated to for ongoing medical care if you’re unable to continue your trip;
4. Have unrestricted, unconditional right of entry; and
5. Have a residential address.

This policy can’t cover any expenses incurred within your country of residence.

[CaptHaddock]

Topic seems to bring out a lot of spammers.

[tomwct]

My sister is a Nurse in a large hospital in Atlanta! If you don't have insurance do as the illegals do! Get your free treatment

through emergency room. Just say I don't have insurance and no money. They will say okay and bill the government. It's no

problem folks. The Mexicans come in 8 1/2 months pregnant and  Uncle Sam pays the hospital bill and makes it a US Citizen.

Not a bad system. Vote for Trump!

 

[gk10002000]

I am an engineering contractor and I used to keep changing insurance policies as I switched from agency to agency so I had a few short time policies over the years, but have been fixed on this one for 10 years now.  I have a florida Blue Cross Blue Shield plan that was "Grandgathered" so I don't go through Obamacare or the Health gov site.   Sorry I can't give any recent experience. Even with the short term ones I had in the past I never filed a claim or needed anything so I have no idea how reliable they would be.   If you do come here, and barring any really major major issue, there are lots and lots of clinics around that are staffed by legit doctors and are used by many people.  I live in Jupiter Florida for example and I have personally visited a few walk-ins taking my mother, sister etc.   So some catastrophic medical coverage and knowing about these walk ins may suit you.

[amykat]

8 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

 

 

I had a claim with World Nomads and they paid up promptly.  No questions asked.  As for insuring a US person while on holiday in the US, here's there criteria.  I've been in contact with them and in my case, I'd be covered as I meet the criteria.  I'm on a retirement visa.

 

From World Nomads:

You’re welcome to purchase as a resident of Thailand or as a citizen of the US, as long as you can meet our eligibility requirements.

We define your country of residence as the country in which you:

1. Are a citizen or a legal, permanent resident;
2. Have access to long term medical care through a national health insurance scheme and/or private health insurance (not including reciprocal health agreements);
3. Will be repatriated to for ongoing medical care if you’re unable to continue your trip;
4. Have unrestricted, unconditional right of entry; and
5. Have a residential address.

This policy can’t cover any expenses incurred within your country of residence.

 

I would say you would NOT be covered if you bought a policy as a resident of Thailand, going on a vacation in the US, based on those requirements.  We are not citizens or legal, permanent residents of Thailand,  and do not meet any thing else on the list probably other than number 5) having a residential address.  (Some of us might have private health insurance here but that is not important if you have already not meet the other items on the list.)

[craigt3365]

I laid this out with them pretty clearly.  Their response was I would be covered.  I brought up the permanent resident part, unrestricted entry, etc.  No problems, according the agent I communicated with.

[Wake Up]

Hello OP

 

I am an American citizen living in Bangkok. I buy health insurance through Cigna and the limits are 1 million US dollars a year with a large deductible. It covers every country in the world except USA. But for 15 USA dollars a month extra premium it covers me in the USA also as long as I do not stay in the USA for more than 90 days in a calendar year. I could stay in the USA October 3 to April 1 which is 180 days continuously but only 90 days per calendar year. I usually only go to America about 30 days a year to see family and friends so no problem for me with the 90 day calendar year stay limit. 

 

The premiums I pay for Cigna are 75 percent less than I was paying when I lived in the USA. So you can travel the world and have coverage in every country based on USA dollar limits and have coverage in the USA assuming you live outside of the USA. 

 

Google Cigna and you will see how easy it is to get a quote. I got a quote from AXA also but it was more expensive. If for some reason you cannot find what health insurance I bought on the Internet then PM me and I will help you. Take care. 

[Wake Up]