Will local contact numbers for travel insurance during a US visit simplify the process of visiting a doctor/hospital?

score:2

Accepted answer

The hospital will want to verify your ability to pay before admitting you. And as your insurance provider is outside the country, they would likely want a local representative to confirm payment services are available within the country.

A fair number of "travel insurance" issuers work through just a few actual coverage underwriters. And the bigger underwriters maintain offices in major countries around the world. So knowing who actually underwrites the insurance coverage and their local office number could help in the situation you encountered.

But having the phone number is not a guarantee, as some travel insurance policies do require you to pay up front and be reimbursed by filing a claim afterwards.

In terms of being refused admittance due to lack of a means of payment, this depends on the nature of your visit. As Choster mentioned hospitals have a mandate to provide primary medical care in an emergency, but this applies primarily to life threatening emergencies. A private hospital can refer less serious cases to the regional public hospital where indigent care is provided.

More post

Search Posts

Related post