Best travel insurance for the USA

The USA is one of the most popular destinations for UK holidaymakers. There’s a huge range of options for tourists, from quick city breaks in New York to surfing in California. It helps that there are no language barriers for Brits too.

However, travel insurance costs much more for trips to America than it does if you’re travelling to other countries. This is because the price of medical treatment is so high in the USA: it can cost £100,000 to treat an infection in a Californian hospital.

To get full coverage before going to the USA, you need to choose a single-trip or annual multi-trip policy that includes the USA and Canada. You can make your decision partly on price here because travelling to the US adds to your premium, as long as you’re comparing policies with good levels of cover.

Here are some of the best current policies available:

LV=

LV='s ‘Worldwide’ area cover includes Canada and the USA. While some other insurers offer more than LV=’s £10m medical cover, few can match its 90-day maximum trip duration. With LV=, you’re more likely to be covered if you’re on a long trip to the USA or if you’re hospitalised for several weeks.

Admiral

With £20m for emergency medical cover on its Platinum policy, Admiral boasts the highest health cover limit we could find among the travel insurers we reviewed (as of April 2021). This includes cover in the USA if you choose a Worldwide policy option.

The only downside is that Admiral's maximum trip duration is fairly low at just 31 days, so this policy is better suited to short trips.

The AA

If you’re an AA member, it might be worth considering their Gold travel insurance policy because you could get a waiver on your excess. That means you could get £15m emergency medical cover for your USA trip without having to pay out anything at all. Plus, the AA’s coverage extends to trips as long as 62 days, so it's suitable for longer holidays like road trips — for which the USA is renowned.

If you’re over 50, it’s worth looking at Saga Travel Insurance or StaySure for the best deals on travel insurance and because they may have more competitive prices at higher age ranges. Please note that many travel insurance policies will not offer you standard cover if you’re over 74 years old

Travel insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions

Many of the big providers will refuse to provide quotes if you disclose a pre-existing condition, depending on what it is and its severity. This is because many firms do not have specialist knowledge to deal with pre-existing medical conditions.

However, a handful of travel insurance providers can cater for you even if you have chronic illnesses that may need treatment while you’re abroad.

Post Office Money

The Post Office Money will cover most pre-existing medical conditions on its travel insurance policies. It lists diabetes, asthma and heart conditions (such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure) as the most common ones it covers. If you have a different medical condition, you may still be covered: the Post Office will run medical screenings online or over the phone to confirm with a quote.

Columbus Direct

Columbus Direct gives you the option to add cover for pre-existing conditions online (some medical screening may be required). This might be considered crucial for anyone with chronic conditions like diabetes or heart problems. With Columbus Gold, you also get £15 million emergency medical cover with a 45-day maximum trip duration.

Saga

Saga specialises in providing insurance for over 50s, so it makes sense that their travel policies would cater for pre-existing medical conditions. It means that you can claim up to £10 million for medical expenses if your illness flares up while you’re abroad and you need treatment. Saga will also pay up to £1,000 for associated expenses (food, for example) during your stay in hospital.

You can learn more by reading our in-depth guide to travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions.