Temp health insurance for foreign visitor

[kermit116]

Not sure where else to post this, but hopefully this is a good enough place

We have a family member who is a non-US Citizen. We have invited her to come visit us for about 2 months this fall. She has health insurance in her country of residence, but the insurance will not cover her if she's overseas. We are paying for her trip and she does not really have a large budget for any kind of an emergency fund. I'd like to get her some sort of health insurance coverage for the 2 months she is here just in case there's an emergency or in case she has some sudden health issue. My questions are:

(1) Does anyone know if there are short term health insurance policies available for non-US citizens? I did a quick Google search and found something that looks like a possible short-term health care policy, but I'm reluctant to believe the insurance will actually provide the coverage needed.

(2) Could I buy her travel insurance as a substitute? I know that some travel insurance polices will cover catastrophic or emergency situations, but I assume that would not cover something smaller (like a stomach problem, sinus infection, things that might require a short trip to the doctor but don't really require ER care). I'm also concerned the policies won't cover a non-US citizen/resident.

Any tips or advice would be great. I'm just really concerned about getting stuck with an unexpected (large) healthcare bill. She's overall pretty healthy, but you just never know what can happen when traveling to a new place.

 

[Sugar Jones]

What country is she from? We have overseas health insurance through our MasterCard. It covers anything from an ear infection to serious illness or injury. I'm thinking she will need to purchase it in her own country prior to leaving!

 

[Gigi22]

Agreed with the PP. I believe your relative would have to purchase extended term travel health insurance before she leaves her country--is she a member of an automobile association or an organization for retired persons? They often have lower priced, longer term, travel health insurance for their members.

 

[a1tinkfans]

agree with others that posted. She'd have to purchase insurance, like some do here. Insure my trip dot com which is available here would cover medical if there was an emergency that required a cancellation OR while traveling, perhaps an inquiry to them would be helpful?

 

[mrsklamc]

Call a travel agent in the persons home country.

 

[Green Tea]

Trip insurance covers all medical things unless they are excluded. What is for sale in foreign countries though, I'm not sure. I have submitted medical claims for routine things and all were paid.

 

[kermit116]

Thanks for all the good advice. I'll check on these options.

 

[Tink-aholic]

Know that hospitals and doctors rarely take "trip insurance" anyway -- and the bill would have to be paid up front and be reimbursed by the insurance afterward.

Medical providers are very selective of which insurances they take because of contractual obligations. Cash, however, is almost universally accepted (and can often get you discounts!).