Why Travel Insurance is still crucial for your trip to the USA

If you’re part of the 5million UK holidaymakers who head across to the pond every year, we have some fantastic news for you.

In November the USA eased its coronavirus travel restrictions reopening to fully vaccinated travellers from the UK with proof of a negative test within three days of travelling. This has now been removed and as of the 12th June the requirement for a negative test is no longer needed.

With the new easing of the restrictions that’s one less thing to do before you go, and the fear of losing out on your holiday at the last minute has been removed. However, there are many other reasons why you might need to cancel, and things don’t always go to plan when you get there, so here’s why Travel Insurance is still crucial for your trip to the USA.

Why should I buy Travel Insurance?

We sometimes forget how lucky we are to have the NHS and never see the true costs of medical care here in the UK. The USA is notably famous for having one of the most expensive health care providers in the world, with the average medical service being twice the cost of care in other developed countries. For this alone, Travel Insurance is a must. But for those with medical conditions, it really is essential to ensuring that you aren’t hit with a high medical bill if something was to happen.

Bills for healthcare in America can run into tens of thousands very quickly. Let’s take a look at some of the costs that can be involved.

You’ve been out exploring the delights of the USA whether this was walking through Central Park, taking in the breathtaking views from the Empire State Building or enjoying the bright lights of Las Vegas.  Accidents happen. You’ve fallen and you have sprained or broken your wrist.

• Treatment for sprained or broken wrist between £5,779 and £8,256.
• Say you require an ambulance, costs start at £300
• An overnight stay in A&E can set you back £4,131.

This can be an additional cost to your holiday of a minimum £10,000 for a simple accident. Whilst back at home, it would be a wait in A&E and off with some painkillers, worst case scenario you will be £9.35 lighter for a prescription.

If you have pre-existing medical conditions then you may face extra costs as even medication in the USA is costly– for example you could pay up to £412 for diabetes medication or £289 for medication for cholesterol. Treatments like breast cancer or surgeries such as a heart bypass, costs can be as high as £247,701, with an air ambulance reaching a staggering £165,134!

Taking out Travel Insurance can help avoid an overwhelming and potentially life-changing medical bill should something happen whilst away. What is covered and cover limits vary by insurer – always check your policy wording to ensure you have adequate cover.

What will Travel Insurance cover?

As we have mentioned Travel Insurance will cover you for medical emergencies (big tick) but it also covers you for holiday cancellation and loss/theft of baggage and any belongings too (tick, tick and tick).

Just Travel Cover has a panel of Insurers where we can find the best cover to suit your individual needs. All our Insurers offer three levels of cover bronze, silver and gold, each providing a different level of cover under each section. With these options you will see the amount of excess vary whilst we can offer policies with zero excess!

You will be covered for:

• At least £5m medical cover (up to £15m) which is important due to the high costs involved
• Emergency medical expenses also includes things like accommodation and repatriation, should your stay be extended due to a period of time in hospital.
• Cancellation and curtailment
• Covid-19 cover available (medical and cancellation)
• Lost, stolen or damaged baggage
• Disruption and delays
• Legal / personal liability cover (for example if you face legal costs due to an incident that happens when you’re in the USA)
• Smart Luggage (included in gold and optional on bronze/silver) – real-time automated payments if luggage is delayed or lost.

What type of Travel Insurance should I get?

You have several options when getting a quote from Just Travel Cover:

• Single trip cover

Cover for one holiday with defined dates from 1 – 365 days. If you arrange single trip cover remember that your cancellation cover starts immediately.

• Annual worldwide Cover (including holidays to USA, Canada and the Caribbean).

An annual policy may work out cheaper if you’re planning multiple holidays in a 12 month period. When shopping around you may see some options for worldwide cover that do NOT cover the USA, so please be careful. When getting a quote online with us, all of the policies we show you include cover for America. With annual insurance your cancellation cover starts the day that your policy starts.

We recommend always starting with a single trip quotation, and we will show you an annual price if there is a policy available. You can get Travel Insurance for yourself, you and your partner, your family, or a group.

It is also worth monitoring the latest advice and updates from the government travel advice up to the date of travel  . There’s no age limit on our policies and we can cover hundreds of pre-existing medical conditions.

You can find more information in our Destination Centre over on our website under ‘Travel Insurance for the USA’ . Whether your next trip to America is next week or next year we can help – get a quote online today.

Data/costs supplied by International Insurance
Prescription cost, NHS England, June 2022