India travel insurance for USA

Overseas Travel Insurance for Indian Visitors to USA

Which is the best travel insurance for USA from India?

Currently 16% of the world travellers are visiting Americas (out of which majority of them are going to the USA) which is one of the largest market travel and tourism markets. A whopping 53% of the Indian outbound travellers are going to the The Americas and the largest % of them are going to USA. Most Indians travel there to visit family and friends and for their higher studies. USA is probably the costliest country for medical treatment and so while it is not mandatory for a traveller to have insurance before entering USA or for obtaining a visa, it is critical that the traveller does not take the risk of going to USA without insurance cover.

Given the way the medical system operates in the USA (with repricing of medical invoices) it is important that your travel insurance partner along with their Assistance and Claims Management partner (normally referred to as TPA) has a large network of hospitals across the country and also is aware of the medical landscape there. Most insurance companies have their TPA arrangements in USA but companies like Tata AIG have their Assistance arm Travel Guard based out of Houston which is a big value addition to the USA bound business, leisure or student traveller. The traveller should ensure sufficient coverage (atleast $100,000 sum insured for accident & sickness) and should ensure their plan has coverages like Personal Liability etc.

Can a tourist get health insurance in USA?

Yes, there are a few American insurance companies that offer inbound visitor insurance to the Indian travellers going into the US. But it is critical to understand that these inbound travel insurance plans are in force only when the visitor arrives in USA, which means their transit journey is not covered. Since USA is a long haul flight, there is generally a stop over in Middle East or Europe and these legs of the journey are not covered under the US Inbound insurance plan. Similarly when the traveller is leaving USA, their return journey to India will not be covered. There are potential risks during transit journey including Missed Flights, Flight Delays Baggage Loss/Delay, Passport Loss or even an unfortunate accident or sickness.

Alternately the Indian insurance plans cover the traveller from their outbound airport right till their return to India (known as an Immigration to Immigration cover). Secondly the Indian insurance plans also offer comprehensive insurance solutions for the Indian travellers to USA, with Accident & Sickness sum insureds which are comparable to their US counterparts. Thirdly, the Indian insurers offer Non-Medical coverages like Passport Loss, Baggage Loss/Delay, Trip Cancellation etc which are not offered under the USA Visitor plans. Indian insurance companies also offer cashless treatment if the insured traveller is hospitalised following an unfortunate accident or sickness. Lastly, the Indian insurance plan premiums are more competitive that the Indian visitor insurance offered by the American insurers.

USA is perhaps the most sought after country and is on every traveller’s bucket list. More so for Indians who have always been influenced significantly by the “Western” culture, USA provides for them the perfect solution to perfect this westerness. In the United States of America, the Indians find a meritocratic set up where they can enhance their knowledge and skills and experience life in the fullest way possible. A whopping 53% of the Indian outbound travellers are going to the The Americas and the largest % of them are going to USA. Most Indians travel there to visit family and friends and for their higher studies. Another significant population of Indians in USA include the “Techies” who are essentially the software engineers and their families who are deputed on short term and long term projects on behalf of their employee IT firms to different parts of USA. This is the reason why many family members then find their way there as well to visit their sons/daughters there and in a large number of cases, to actually support in bringing up their grandchildren. The number of India visitors to USA in 2018 was around 1.17 million (11.2 lacs, which is almost 1 lac travellers per month).

India ranks 11th in US in terms of number of visitors but in terms of tourism expenses, it ranks 6th because there is a tendency of Indian visitors staying much longer duration there. An average Indian tourist tends to spend more during his or her trip to the US according to CII in USA. Current data suggests that 38 % Indians visit the US with the primary purpose of business/work while 28% go to meet friends and families living there. 18% of Indian visitors travel with the primary purpose of spending vacations while the remaining16% can be attributed to miscellaneous other reasons.

United States is considered one of the must see tourist destinations in the world for many reasons. There is everything you can think of doing in the US from sightseeing at the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park or just visit Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California. And then you have the party city of Las Vegas, Times Square in New York or go hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains. For the kids there is Disneyland or Universal Studios…and then you can visit the political capital of Washington DC or check out Hollywood. Not to forget the majestic Niagara Falls, or the Golden Gate bridge. Don't miss putting the top American vacation choices on your bucket list to visit sometime in your life! And the last thing that you want to ruin this long and well planned holiday of yours is an unforeseen medical or non medical emergency that results in an unplanned financial expenditure. And while you can’t really control what happens, you can definitely protect yourself with an appropriate insurance policy.

Popular destinations in USA

Chicago

Houston

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

New York

San Francisco

Washington D.C.