Getting visitors insurance for your parents when they travel is a smart and responsible thing to do. Elderly individuals are at higher risk for illness and injury and most health insurance policies do not cover them outside their home country. You want your parents to be properly protected when it comes to their health when they travel. However, there are some things that you should know to ensure that you are choosing the right travel insurance for parents visiting USA.

1. Coverage Type

There are two main types of visitor insurance to choose from. The first is comprehensive coverage, which is more complete coverage and recommended for your parents, because of their age. It is better coverage and will allow for less out of pocket expenses. Many comprehensive plans offer flexible options, so you can design the policy to better suit their individual needs.

The other type of policy is the fixed benefit or fixed coverage policy. These policies offer less complete coverage but are usually more affordable. Fixed coverage policies provide basic coverage with limited benefits and work for certain situations, may be for a young traveler who has no medical conditions. These limited coverage plans still provide basic coverage, so they are good for certain situations.

2. Maximum Coverage Available

As we age, there are more things that can go wrong with us. That is why it is recommended that the older that you or your parents are, the more coverage you should get. Maximizing coverage for your parents is the best way to ensure that they will be covered in an emergency situation. Better protection in an emergency situation can save so much money and frustration. Being caught with a huge medical bill because the policy only offered minimum coverage can be stressful. Therefore, you want to choose a policy with high maximum coverage options and a low deductible to get the most coverage. Learn about how to choose policy maximum and deductible.

3. Pre-Existing Medical Conditions Coverage

Though Visitors insurance policies do not cover pre-existing medical conditions, some policies provide coverage for acute-onset of pre-existing conditions for certain situations. Acute onset conditions, meaning sudden or unexpected outbreak of conditions that require immediate medical attention, may be covered. It is a good idea to check to see if the policy includes such conditions or how you can add them to your loved one’s policy.

4. Renewability and Cancellations

Anything can happen when traveling. There may be a reason to stay a few extra days or leave a few days early. That is why you want to know whether the policy can be renewed or cancelled. Some policies allow for a renewal of the policy to cover extended stays as long as it is added prior to the last day. That means that if it has a renewability option and you are using the services, which is why you weren’t able to fly back home, the condition will not be considered as a pre-existing condition.

If you need to cancel the policy at any time, there are usually some provisions for that as well. For example, you can usually cancel before the policy goes into effect. Some policies can be cancelled later on, but some of the costs may not be reimbursed.

5. PPO Network

Most comprehensive policies allow for better coverage at certain preferred providers. These preferred providers are in a network and offer discounted services for insurance companies. That means that if you choose a provider in the PPO network, you will pay lower overall fees for your medical services. This can mean lower co-pays and higher coverage percentages. Having PPO network providers means that your parents have access to more comprehensive coverage that is covered under their policy.

Choosing the right visitors insurance is important. You want your parents to be covered when they are traveling away from home. More things can go wrong, so you want to make sure that they are protected.