Often, children of parents who visit the United States are thinking: My parents have no medical problems. Why do they even need international medical insurance? It’s precisely the parents who don’t have previously existing conditions who will benefit most from visitor medical insurance in case they fall ill.
When preparing for a U.S. visit by your parents, they can either purchase insurance in the home country, or in the United States. From experience, you know that insurance purchased in the home country is, at best, mental insurance. If your parents do fall ill, forget cashless billing, even reimbursing expenses can be a nightmare.
For insurance purchased in the United States, look for the appropriate non-U.S. citizen health insurance plan. Several Web sites provide a comparison of benefits and rates of different plans. Some plans include pre-existing conditions with some riders be sure to check them out. Also remember that some conditions are weather-dependent. If your mom suffers from arthritis, be prepared for a flare-up in Northeast winters.
Also remember to purchase additional riders such as hazardous sports coverage, even if the activity seems non-hazardous to you. If you are planning a trip to Florida, consider extra coverage. Some insurance policies exclude injuries suffered as a result of amusement park rides, for example.