Visitor insurance as the name suggests is the insurance meant for visitors. Do you think you are well prepared for your trip? If your answer is “No”, this blog post is to help you with the right purchase of visitor insurance for you. Here are some of the frequently asked questions from the prospective visitors.

Q 1: I am healthy. I don’t want to waste my money on insurance. Can I buy visitor insurance when I will need it?

A: Visitor insurance is for unforeseen events that may happen during the trip. Everyone wants a trip that goes smooth without any hiccups. But what if something happens? Prevention is always better than cure. Therefore, purchase of visitor insurance is very important before the trip begins. This provides medical benefits in case of unanticipated medical and other travel related conditions occurs. It should be bought before sickness or illness or injury occurs during the trip. Visitor Insurance is not meant for medical conditions that already existed before the travel began.

Q 2: When should visitor insurance be bought? Can I buy it the day I travel?

A: MCIS recommends visitor insurance should be bought at least 5 days before the day of travel. It should be bought as early as possible, rather than waiting till last minute.

Q 3: I can buy visitor insurance locally from my home country. If I am traveling to the USA, why should I buy it from USA?

A: It is recommended as well as beneficial to buy visitor insurance from the USA (while traveling to the USA) rather than locally. Visitor is traveling to USA, and also his medical problem may arise when in USA. In this scenario, the US based medical care provider network is well versed in treatment of his medical problem and the insurance company provides network based suggestions and discounts. Therefore, buying of visitor insurance from US while traveling to US offers you  advantages of same time-zone customer service, well trusted provider network & ease of billing and quick claim handling.

Q 4: Should we buy a combined policy for the couple or we should buy separate policies?

A: It is advisable to buy separate policies for different persons traveling in a group or who are related (for example, couples). This way, change in plan for one won’t affect the other person.

Q 5: In case I have to postpone my departure or cancel my traveling plans, is it possible to cancel the visitor insurance I purchased? Will my money be refunded?

A: Yes, cancellation option is available in most of the visitor insurance plans. Contact your insurance agent to understand the terms and conditions of plan regarding cancellation. They would be able to tell you the amount of money to be refunded. It should be noted that some plans charge cancellation fees.

Q 6: What about acute onset of pre-existing conditions like Asthma, Diabetes, high Blood Pressure etc. ? Are they covered by default by all plans?

A: There are a few plans that provide coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions. This coverage is not included in all plans by default. While buying the visitor insurance, you should mention this to your insurance agent, agent would be able to suggest the right plans to you that will cover your specific medical needs.

Q 7: What happens if my checked luggage is lost? How would I be refunded?

A: The lost checked luggage must have been checked with routine checking procedures on board a regularly scheduled commercial airline or cruise line. If this luggage is lost, the insured person must file a formal claim for lost luggage with the transportation provider, and follow all instructions and take all measures as directed by the transportation provider to locate and retrieve the lost checked luggage. If transportation provider is not to find your checked luggage and give you confirmation that your luggage is lost, then insurance will reimburse clothing and personal hygiene items to a maximum limit of $50 per article with a maximum benefit of $250. This amount may however vary from plan to plan.

Q 8: Will my minor child would be covered with me or I have to buy different policy for him or her?

A: A minor child (children) can be added as a dependent in your insurance at the time of purchase. Most of the plans charge additional premium for minor but there may be one or two plans which provide free coverage for dependents- 9 year or under.

Q 9: Does visitor insurance offers maternity benefits?

A: Visitor Insurance does not offer coverage for pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage or abortion.

Q 10: Should I buy visitor insurance directly from insurance company or from insurance agent?

A: There is not any difference in premium whether the insurance is bought directly from the insurance company or an insurance agent. Visitor Insurance should be bought from authorized insurance agents like MCIS. These agents are trained and specialize in various insurance products and are readily available if there are any questions. MCIS is available 7 days a week from 9 am to 9 pm, while insurance companies are only available Monday-Friday, 9am to 5pm. MCIS also helps their client in claim processing.

Category: Visitor Insurance

November 13, 2015 at 04:32 AM