How much is travel insurance to the USA?
Travel insurance to the USA is priced per day and depends on your age, trip length, coverage amount and health. The USA is the most expensive country in the world for medical care, so Ontario travellers usually choose higher coverage limits, which makes US trips cost more to insure than most destinations.
Key takeaways
- US medical care is the costliest in the world — pick a high coverage limit.
- Price is driven by age, trip length, coverage amount and health.
- OHIP pays little or nothing in the USA and never up front.
- A Worldwide-including-USA plan is required; an Excludes-USA plan won't cover you.
- Frequent visitors can save with a multi-trip annual plan.
A weekend in Buffalo, a shopping run to a border mall, a flight to Florida — trips to the USA are so routine for Ontarians that it’s easy to forget they carry the highest medical risk of any destination on the map. Not because Americans get sick more often, but because American medical bills are the largest in the world.
Why the USA costs more to insure
Travel insurance is priced around the medical bills an insurer might have to pay. In the USA, an emergency room visit, a few nights in hospital, surgery or an air ambulance can run into six figures. Because the potential cost is so high — and because sensible travellers choose high coverage limits for the USA — premiums for US trips are higher than for most other countries, even for a short visit.
What drives your premium
- Age. The single biggest factor. Rates rise with each age band.
- Trip length. Coverage is per day, so longer stays cost more.
- Coverage amount. For the USA, many travellers choose $1,000,000 or more. A higher limit costs more but is the whole point in a country where bills escalate fast.
- Health. No medical questions under 60; at 60+ a medical questionnaire sets the premium and how pre-existing conditions are handled.
- Deductible. Choosing a deductible lowers the premium.
The OHIP gap is widest in the USA
OHIP covers very little outside Canada and never pays up front — most out-of-country coverage ended in 2020. Across the border, you are effectively uninsured by the province, and US hospitals expect payment or a guarantee of payment immediately. This is the destination where travelling without coverage is the biggest financial gamble.
Make sure your plan actually includes the USA
This matters more than people realize: some emergency medical plans are sold as Excludes-USA (cheaper, for travellers avoiding the States) or Within-Canada. For a US trip you need a Worldwide including USA plan. Buying the wrong one to save money leaves you with no coverage exactly where you need it most. Our Emergency Medical shelf includes a Worldwide option that covers the USA.
How to keep the cost sensible
- Choose a deductible to trim the premium while keeping a high limit.
- Don’t under-insure the limit. Shaving the coverage amount saves little and exposes you to the biggest bills.
- Go annual if you cross often. A Single-Trip plan suits one visit; a Multi-Trip Annual plan is usually cheaper if you make several US trips a year, as long as each trip fits within the plan’s per-trip day cap.
- Buy for your real dates and extend later if plans change.
If you need care in the USA
Because US bills escalate so fast, the first move in an emergency matters. Call your insurer’s 24/7 assistance line as early as you can — for US care in particular, the assistance team can direct you to an in-network or appropriate hospital and arrange a guarantee of payment, so you aren’t handed a bill the hospital expects settled on the spot. Keep every itemized bill, record and referral, since US providers often bill separately (hospital, physician, lab, ambulance) and a complete claim is settled far more smoothly. For minor issues, a telemedicine service can save a costly clinic visit altogether; we offer telemedicine alongside 24/7 assistance and claims through our claims team.
For a short hop or a long stay, the same principle holds for the USA: carry a high enough limit that a serious emergency is fully covered. When you have your dates and the limit you want, you can compare options and get a quote based on your age and trip length.
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Purchase now →Frequently asked questions
Why is travel insurance to the USA more expensive than to other countries?
Because US healthcare is the most expensive in the world, insurers price in the possibility of very large bills. Travellers also tend to choose higher coverage limits for the USA, which raises the premium compared with a lower-cost destination.
How much coverage do I need for the USA?
There's no legal minimum, but given US hospital costs, many travellers choose $1,000,000 or more in emergency medical coverage. The goal is a limit large enough to absorb surgery, a hospital stay and air ambulance without leaving a gap.
I cross the border often — is an annual plan cheaper?
If you take several US trips a year, a multi-trip annual plan can cost far less than buying single-trip coverage each time. Each trip has a maximum day length, so check that it fits your longest visit.
TripCovered is a licensed insurance referral service operating in Ontario. Insurance is administered by North American Air Travel Insurance Agents Ltd., doing business as TuGo®, a licensed insurance broker in all provinces and territories. The issuer of the contract is Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. and Industrial Alliance Pacific General Insurance Corporation. Coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the policy. This website provides general information only and is not a contract of insurance. Always read your policy wording before you travel.