HealthCare cost for visitor in USA and need for visitor medical insurance

International visitors to USA

Folllowing are the different types of visitors to USA:

• Visitors - Short term international tourists on vacation or to visit family. More Details
• Students - International students enrolled in a US university. More Details
• J1 Visa holders - J visa holders or exchange scholars on research program. More Details
• US Immigrants - New immigrants planning to settle in USA. More Details
• Green Card Holders - US Green Card holders frequently visiting US. More Details
• Global Travelers - Travelers like expatriates, missionaries. More Details
• H1B visa holders - Non-immigrants on temporary work visa. More Details
• F2 visa holders - Dependants of F1 visa holders. More Details
• J2 visa holders - Dependants of J1 visa holders. More Details

Cost of routine physician visits

While visiting the United States is great fun, being forced to visit an US hospital can be financially traumatic, especially if you do not have proper travel insurance. While the US healthcare system is amongst the best in the world, it is also very expensive. There are chances that a visitor may face a medical emergency and will have to visit a physician. Even a visit to a physician is very expensive in the US when compared to many other countries. In the US it costs $176/ while in countries like Spain the cost is only about $11. Even neighboring Canada it costs only $30. You can review the comparative costs of a routine physician visit in these countries.

Cost of Surgery

Just imagine that you face an even more serious medical situation, you might have an accident, have a fall or have a serious heart problem. The average cost of a bypass heart surgery in the US would be $73,420 while that of a knee replacement is $25,637 . This price is not something any tourist in the US would like to face while enjoying a holiday. You can compare the cost of these surgeries in other countries like Australia, South Africa, the UK or Argentina. The price is significantly less when compared to the price of surgeries in the US.

Cost of staying in hospital

Any serious medical treatment would involve a stay in the hospital. For an average of 7 day stay in a US hospital it would cost you $16,000. While 10 days of stay in a hospital in Germany would cost you only $4,000. This is a very huge difference. Bottom line, while the healthcare cost in US is very sophisticated, it is also really expensive.

Need for visitor medical insurance

After being aware of these facts, it would be penny wise pound foolish to not buy adequate visitor medical insurance for the US. Buying proper visitor medical insurance will protect you from a financial crisis while in a medical emergency.