Choosing a Visitors Insurance Policy Maximum

When shopping for visitors insurance for yourself or your visiting family, you may wonder exactly how much insurance you need. You’ll see terms like “policy maximum” stated and wonder what they mean. Let’s define what a visitors insurance policy maximum is and explore what policy maximum might be right for your situation.

What is a Policy Maximum?

A visitors insurance policy maximum is the maximum amount of money the insurance company will pay for covered medical expenses. It’s important to note that depending on the specific plan, a policy maximum can be per year, per injury/illness, per lifetime, or per policy period. Both this and the actual policy maximum number will be clearly defined for any plan you purchase on our website.

In simple terms, this means that if your policy maximum is $100,000 and you incur $80,000 in eligible medical expenses, the plan can cover that. However, if you choose a $100,000 policy maximum and you incur $120,000 in eligible medical expenses, the plan can never cover more than $100,000 of those expenses. You would be responsible for paying the additional $20,000 out of your own pocket. As you can see, selecting a high enough policy maximum is extremely important.

USA Healthcare Costs are Extremely High

When getting visitors insurance quotes on our website, you may see policy maximum options ranging from $10,000 up to $8,000,000. These numbers might seem incredibly high, but it’s important to understand just how expensive healthcare in the United States can be.

Although the exact cost of different procedures can vary greatly depending on the details of the procedure and patient and the location of treatment, these are some potential costs you may face if getting sick or hurt in the USA:

• Heart valve replacement: $170,000+
• Brain tumor surgery: $150,000+
• Heart bypass surgery: $120,000+
• Spleen removal: $50,000+
• Appendectomy $40,000+
• Emergency fracture surgery: $20,000+

And these are just the potential costs of the surgeries themselves. On top of that there can be hospital stay fees, administrative fees, anesthesiologist fees, and numerous other costs involved. Even a seemingly routine surgery can easily add up to over $100,000 in total costs without insurance, making it critically important to purchase enough coverage.

Our Policy Maximum Recommendations

Available policy maximums will differ depending on the plan and the age range of the insured. We recommend the following policy maximums depending on age:

• Visitors under 70 years old – Many policy maximums are available from $50,000 to $8,000,000. We recommend choosing a policy maximum of at least $100,000 and preferably at least $500,000 based on the potential costs of emergency surgery detailed above.
• Visitors 70-79 years old – The highest policy maximum available will typically be $100,000, which we recommend selecting.
• Visitors age 80+ - The highest policy maximum available will typically be $50,000, which we recommend selecting.

While it is true that a higher policy maximum will mean paying a higher premium, the extra money pales in comparison to the amount of money you could end up paying if your treatment costs exceed your policy maximum. Buying visitors medical insurance is all about investing in your peace of mind. Selecting a policy maximum that’s high enough to cover treatment costs is key to doing just that.

How to Keep the Cost of Travel Insurance Low

Many experts are predicting that 2024 will be one of the biggest travel years in history. However, the price of travel keeps going up, making travel insurance more important than ever. Only a travel insurance plan can protect your prepaid trip costs in case of an unexpected trip cancellation, interruption, or medical issue.

However, there’s no getting around the fact that travel insurance is an additional expense on top of what you’re already spending. Luckily, there are some surefire ways to save money on travel insurance without sacrificing the coverage you need the most.

Select the Right Destination

The cost of travel insurance can vary greatly depending on your destination. For example, coverage that includes the United States can cost significantly more than a plan that doesn’t include coverage in the US. You can save money by selecting a plan that doesn’t provide coverage in the USA if you aren’t planning on traveling there or you don’t need coverage there.

Calculate Your Trip Cost Correctly

The price of travel insurance depends directly on the cost of your trip. Knowing how to correctly calculate your trip cost can save you money. For example, you shouldn’t include costs that you will incur during your trip rather than before it. Also, be careful when deciding whether or not to include any refundable trip costs when doing your calculations. By including these costs you may miss out on some valuable benefits.

Optional Coverages

There are optional coverages available that may be useful for some travelers but can increase the price of coverage. Carefully evaluate your needs before purchasing additional coverages such as:

• Cancel for any reason coverage – Standard travel insurance already covers many unexpected situations, allowing you to recoup your prepaid, nonrefundable expenses. However, cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage allows you to cancel for any reason you choose and recoup a portion of your expenses. Although CFAR coverage can be nice to have, it adds significant expense.
• Cancel for work reasons coverage – If your workplace already allows you to take vacations with little possibility of a scheduling conflict, you can avoid this coverage and save money on your travel insurance premium.
• Hazardous sports coverage – Though you should certainly elect to have this coverage if you plan to participate in any hazardous sports, you can skip it and save money if you don’t plan to.
• Unnecessarily large coverage amounts – Some travel insurance plans provide more coverage than you need. For instance, a plan might offer $5,000,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage, which might be far beyond what you would ever need. It may be better to find a plan with other similar benefits but only $250,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage in order to save money on your premium.
• Miscellaneous coverages – Some coverages such as baggage coverage may already be provided by the airline or your homeowner’s insurance. Make sure you don’t already have these coverages through another means before paying for a travel insurance plan that includes them as well. There’s no reason to pay for the same coverage from two different sources.

Selecting the Right Coverage Type

If you want trip cancellation coverage, your only option will be to purchase travel insurance. However, if you don’t need the trip cancellation insurance component of the coverage and instead only want medical coverage abroad, you can choose travel medical insurance instead. Most travel medical insurance plans will have lower premiums than travel insurance plans, which can save you money by not including coverages that you don’t need.

The Most Popular Tourist Attractions in France

Whether you’re headed to the Summer Olympics in Paris or just want to travel to one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world this year, there’s a lot to see and do in France. Check out some of these well known (but worth it) tourist attractions while you’re there, and don’t forget to purchase travel insurance, travel medical insurance, or Schengen visa insurance before you go.

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower has been perhaps the most recognizable part of the Paris skyline since it was constructed for the World’s Fair in 1889, and it remains a symbol of all things “Europe” to this day. Whether you plan to go up in the tower or just view it up close, be sure to purchase tickets in advance. Although it isn’t required for every visitor, advanced tickets can help you avoid standing in long lines.

The Louvre Museum

The Louvre is the most recognized art museum in the world, drawing some eight million visitors annually. It’s home to famous works include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and over 35,000 other masterpieces on display at any one time. The best way to see the Louvre is by booking a guided tour to hit the highlights. The museum is simply too massive to take in on your own for first-time visitors.

Nice

Want to visit somewhere other than Paris? Head to Nice. Home to the famous French Riviera, gorgeous views of the Mediterranean, museums, cathedrals and ruins, Nice has been a beacon to holidaymakers in France since the 1800s. One of the primary attractions in Nice is the Promenade de Anglaise, a four-mile seaside walk with ornate buildings, palm trees, gardens, and cafes.

Disneyland Paris

First opened in 1992, Disneyland Paris features a pair of theme parks, seven hotels, a golf course, and all the shopping and dining you could ask for. See theme park attractions like It’s a Small World, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as the new Marvel-themed area with rides and restaurants dedicated to The Avengers.

Notre-Dame de Paris

This medieval cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture anywhere in the world. The cathedral is known for its massive church bells and famous pipe organs and is recognized as one of the most enduring symbols of the city of Paris. Although a fire destroyed large parts of the cathedral’s roof in 2021, it is expected to reopen and begin accepting tourists again this year.