In my previous articles about travel insurance, I highlighted briefly the cost of moving around the world from Kenya and the amount of cover you need for each trip depending on your destination.
I covered Schengen travel insurance requirements in Kenya extensively and we established that the baseline travel insurance should have a mandatory healthcare cover of not less than €30,000. This sum is adequate enough to cover most medical emergencies across the continent.
When you cross the Atlantic to the United States and Canada , the travel insurance cover one needs is totally different. The cost of healthcare in the United States and Canada is so high such that your travel insurance certificate should reflect that.
In the United States and Canada, markets operate differently and there is no centralised price capping for medical procedures. A simple medical procedure can cost you thousands of US dollars.
If you are admitted to a hospital, things become even worse. An overnight stay in an American emergency room or a brief time in intensive care can accumulate bills north of $50,000.
Without the right insurance protection, your happy trip can turn to a nightmare, a lifetime severe, financial ruin.
Due to the heightened healthcare in the US and Canada, standard, baseline travel insurance won’t work here. You need comprehensive cover to avoid paying emergency medical bills out of your pockets.
A travel insurance with an emergency medical cover of $150,000 to $500,000 is the ideal fit. This means that your travel insurance certificate is not just for satisfying a border requirement, but a secure bulletproof financial shield.
This way, you will have peace of mind knowing that in case of a severe medical emergency, the crisis will be fully managed without touching your savings. You can use this travel insurance premium calculator to estimate how much your travel cover will cost you.
The purpose of this write-up is to help you understand the terrifying cost of healthcare in Canada and the United States and ensure you are completely shielded while on travel to North America.
In the next subtopics, I shall go deeper in understanding travel insurance for the United States and Canada.
Request A Quick Travel Insurance Quote
Get an Instant Travel Insurance Quote
Fill out your trip details below to request a competitive quote via WhatsApp or call us directly.
Leisure and Business Travel: Why the US and Canada Require Higher Limits
If you are travelling to the US or Canada, the baseline cover for your travel insurance should be $100,000 to $150,000.
Baseline, standard travel insurance policies are not for places like Toronto, Vancouver, and New York. In North American cities, healthcare costs are highly inflated for non-residents.
A standard daily ward room for a visitor at a hospital in Toronto can go up to $3,000 a day. Then factor in doctor’s fees, diagnostic scans, or surgeries.
Since you have now secured a high level limit emergency medical cover, let me take you through how to ensure an efficient deployment of help in case of a medical emergency crisis.
In North America, hospitals require immediate proof of financial responsibility. If your travel policy lacks a seamless mechanism for direct payment, you could be forced to pay out of your pockets.
The fix: To prevent paying from your savings, you need to have a premium travel certificate backed by an insurer with a robust global emergency response partner network.
This network facilitates the issuance of a Guarantee of Payment (GOP) directly to Canadian or US hospitals. The GOP acts as a direct-billing guarantee to cover the emergency medical expenses, allowing you to focus on recovering.
Since medical emergencies do not recognise time limits, a premium travel policy shall feature an active, toll-free international hotline operating 24/7.
This line connects you with dedicated medical case managers who handle intake verification, coordinate with local attending physicians, and immediately initiate the GOP protocol, ensuring zero delays in receiving critical care.
International Student Insurance Cover Explained
Starting a study journey at a US or Canada university is an exciting journey. However, the admission process and the university fees are not easy to navigate for Kenyan parents.
One of the hurdles to navigate through is the healthcare cost that is included in your tuition fee. Depending on the university you are attending, it can cost thousands of dollars.
Again, some universities even if you enroll in their medical cover do not offer emergency evacuation and repatriation.
A travel insurance policy can help you in two ways as a student. It can help you get exempted from your American or Canadian university’s expensive healthcare costs since it will be acceptable as an alternative.
However, you should first inquire from your university about the kind of coverage your travel insurance should provide to get exempted.
The second way your travel insurance can help you is to get you emergency medical evacuation and repatriation in case your university cover does not provide that coverage. This way, you can concentrate on your education while your insurer takes care of your health worries.
For students and exchange visitors traveling to the United States on a J-1 visa (as well as their J-2 dependents), health insurance is a mandatory, strict federal law.
The US department of state requires a specific baseline coverage that must remain active throughout the program.
Failure to keep your health insurance policy active throughout the program is a violation of your visa status.
A compliant travel policy for J-1 visa students strictly has the following features:
- Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per illness or accident.
- Maximum deductible not exceeding $500 per accident or illness. Excess is the initial amount you pay before your insurance steps in.
- Medical evacuation of up to $50,000 to safely transport the student back to Kenya if recommended by an attending physician.
- Repatriation of remains of up to $25,000 to cover preparation and transportation expenses in the tragic event of a loss of life.
Standard travel policies are designed for short trips or vacations usually capping coverage for a single trip between 30 to 90 days.
International student travel policies are designed to offer extended duration advantage.They are long term between 180 to 365 days with an option to renew.
Underwriting Exclusions and Things To Watch For
Once you purchase travel insurance, you should carefully read your travel policy print. The policy document stipulates the thing that your policy covers and what is not covered (exclusions).
Here are the exclusions of a travel insurance policy.
- Pre-existing and chronic conditions (such as diabetes and hypertension) are excluded from the emergency medical cover. However, they can be included subject to embedding specific premium add-ons or acute-onset clauses actively.
- Geographic zone rules. Underwriters place the US and Canada in special premium tiers (‘Zone II’ or ‘Worldwide including USA/Canada). If you select a policy other than the ones including USA and Canada means your policy will be invalid in North America.
- Dangerous adventure sport exclusions. Popular risky North America outdoor/winter activities such as skiing and snowboarding require clear sport riders in your travel policy. Otherwise they are excluded.
You are well informed now about travel insurance policies suitable for the US and Canada.
Securing a high-limit travel policy for North America will not break the bank if structured right.
