Travel insurance for the United States
There is no rule we can cite that forces you to buy cover for the United States. Either way the question worth answering is what a medical problem there would actually cost you.
No mandatory travel insurance rule we can cite for tourist entry. The buying reason is medical cost, not a rule: a single hospital day can exceed USD 10,000.UNVERIFIED
What we would take
Our Prime plan, USD 150,000 medical. Not because bigger is better as a rule, but because North American hospital pricing makes a 50,000 limit thin.
What to check in any product, ours included
- The medical limit, and whether the transfer and repatriation sit inside or outside it.
- Whether you pay the clinic and claim back, or the operator pays the clinic directly.
- The pre-existing conditions clause, and what it costs to add cover.
- The deadline for notifying a claim. Ours is 24 hours for the event and 60 days for documents.
- Who answers the phone at 3 a.m., and in which language.
Questions
Is travel insurance mandatory for the United States?
We are not aware of a mandatory travel insurance rule for tourist entry to the United States, and we will not assert one we cannot cite. The reason to buy is cost, not compliance: No mandatory travel insurance rule we can cite for tourist entry. The buying reason is medical cost, not a rule: a single hospital day can exceed USD 10,000.
How much cover do I need for the United States?
For the United States and Canada we recommend the highest limit we sell, because a single hospital day can pass USD 10,000.
What does it cost?
For a 9 day trip, one traveller aged 34, our Prime plan is USD 100.89, about USD 11.21 a day. Priced 2026-10-16 from the live rate table.