Many travelers head to the U.S. without realizing how essential travel insurance is for a smooth trip, ensuring that they won't face financial ruin if something unexpected happens—unfortunately, unexpected events do occur.

Is Travel Insurance for the U.S. Mandatory?

Travel insurance for the United States is not mandatory. This means you are not required to present proof of insurance when entering the country.

However, traveling to the U.S. without insurance is not advisable.

Do you know how much an emergency medical visit to a U.S. hospital costs?

For context, The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that a hospital stay can exceed USD 3,000 per night. A simple medical consultation might cost USD 200, while treating a viral infection could amount to USD 8,500.

Everything is very expensive because the U.S. does not have a public health system like Brazil's; everyone—residents and tourists alike—needs to pay for all medical services.

Why Buy Travel Insurance?

Travel insurance is essentially a health plan you purchase to use abroad in case of emergencies.

It ensures you receive medical and hospital assistance for accidents, whether they are minor, like a sprained ankle during a walk, or more severe, like a heart attack, which might require hospitalization and possibly surgery.

Of course, no one travels expecting something bad to happen, but unfortunately, unforeseen events do occur.

That’s why travel insurance for the U.S. is so important.

Credit Card Insurance

Many people have questions about using credit card insurance for overseas travel.

Generally, credit card insurance works on a reimbursement basis. This means you pay for the service at the hospital or clinic—whether it’s inexpensive or extremely costly—and then submit your payment receipts to request reimbursement, which may take up to 30 days.

Moreover, credit card insurance is only valid if the plane tickets were purchased with the card.

What Does Travel Insurance Cover?

In addition to guaranteeing medical and hospital assistance during your trip to the U.S., travel insurance covers a variety of items throughout your journey. Here are a few examples:

• Flight cancellations affecting your trip
• Lost luggage
• Legal assistance for issues like traffic accidents

By purchasing insurance in advance, you can also include additional coverages that you find important, such as thefts and robberies, which are essential for travelers with expensive equipment like smartphones or high-end cameras.

It's much better to have insurance for peace of mind, don’t you think?

All coverage details are outlined in the policy, so it's a good idea to review everything carefully when buying the insurance.

Coverage Examples from Major Insurers:

• Medical consultations and hospital care
• Emergency dental consultations
• Medical and sanitary repatriation
• Legal assistance
• Lost and delayed luggage
• Total trip cancellation
• Body repatriation and coverage for death during the trip
• Total disability due to an accident during the trip

Is COVID-19 Coverage Included?

Not all insurance policies cover COVID-19 treatment. Therefore, it’s crucial to check this before purchasing, as in the "new normal," it’s still better to travel with insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment.

Before you think this is an exaggeration, consider that you will be exposed to environments with high global traffic, from countries with advanced vaccination to those where it has just started.

Additionally, there is always the risk of new variants, and it's not worth taking unnecessary risks. Can you travel? Yes, of course! But you need to be cautious.

So, when choosing travel insurance for the U.S., confirm that COVID-19 coverage is included in the policy options.

How Much Does Travel Insurance for the U.S. Cost?

In general, travel insurance is not expensive. It definitely won’t be the item that weighs most on your budget, but it can literally save your trip.

The price depends on several factors, including the length of your trip, the age of the traveler, and even the planned itinerary.

So, it’s good to have the trip itinerary and basic information about the travelers in mind, such as:

• Is any traveler pregnant?
• Is any traveler over 70 years old?
• Is anyone planning to engage in adventure sports?
• Are you traveling with expensive items?
• Is there a chance the trip could be canceled or interrupted?

These are just a few examples of variables that can affect the insurance cost.

I can explain this a bit better: if you plan to engage in high-risk sports—like diving or hiking, for example—you need to inform the insurer at the time of purchase.

How to Buy Travel Insurance?

I recommend purchasing travel insurance from a Brazilian company, as if you need assistance, all instructions will be provided in Portuguese.

Additionally, if you need reimbursement or any other procedures that deviate from the norm—such as legal processes—you will be better supported by Brazilian legislation.

Travel Insurance

Although not mandatory, traveling without travel insurance is not advisable.

Not all countries have a public and free health system. In fact, in most of them, foreign travelers do not have access to free medical assistance. Therefore, it is crucial to have international health insurance—also known as travel insurance—even if it’s not mandatory.

The cost of travel insurance is lower than often expected and ensures you receive care in common medical emergencies, such as traffic accidents, food poisoning, strokes, and heart attacks, for example.

Source: Pé na Estrada

At 2easy Insurance, we are committed to helping you understand your health choices. Learn more about our medical assistance services and how we can protect you in critical moments. Your health is our priority.