Travel insurance for New York

Getting travel medical insurance for a trip to New York is buying yourself peace of mind. Especially after everything we went through and learned during the pandemic.

Insurance isn't required to enter the United States, but I can't stress enough how important it is to have it so you don't end up with unexpected bills that blow up your budget.

I say this because in the United States, medical and hospital care is extremely expensive, and so is medication, which on top of that is only sold with a prescription.

God forbid a sprained ankle, a toothache, or getting hit by a car ruins your dream trip to New York (or Godzilla, aliens, marshmallow giants, daleks, or King Kong, haha).

For example, a routine doctor's visit runs about $150, and a trip to the emergency room costs at least $700.

Why buy travel insurance?

Beyond health issues, imagine your flight gets delayed or canceled, something that happens a lot during the heavy snowstorms of winter in New York. Or your luggage doesn't show up, or you have to cancel your trip at the last minute, or something happens back home and you need to return earlier than planned…

Plus other mishaps I won't even name so I don't jinx us, XD. The good news is that good insurance will have your back in those situations…

How do you buy travel insurance?

First, check whether your private health insurance covers you on trips outside the country, what the conditions are, and what the coverage limit is.

If it doesn't include travel or the coverage is very low, ask your trusted insurance broker about a travel policy.

The problem with policies bought at home is that they usually work on a reimbursement basis (you have to pay for everything upfront and wait to get your money back). That's one of the advantages of insurance companies that specialize in travel: they handle the costs directly.

One of the standouts is the Spanish company IATI, which has been insuring travelers for more than 130 years (it started out insuring passengers on ships like the Titanic!).

IATI will also give you 5% off for being a loyal Newyorkando reader 😉

To get a quote from IATI and claim the discount, click this link, then follow the instructions on the form. When you hit the orange “calculate quote” button, the discount is applied automatically.

What makes a good policy

To figure out which is the best travel insurance for New York, run through this checklist of what it should include:

• 24-hour assistance in your language for the whole trip.  When you call, they should walk you through the steps to resolve the problem.
• You shouldn't pay anything, or very little, out of pocket when you go to the medical centers they direct you to, since the insurer should cover the expenses included in the policy.
• Optional coverage for trip changes or cancellation. Because family, health, or work emergencies can always come up and keep you from traveling…
• Reimbursement for lost, damaged, or stolen luggage, on top of whatever the airline pays out.
• Expense reimbursement for flight or baggage delays. They'll pay you back, up to the amount you're covered for, for meals, lodging, and essentials.
• COVID-19 assistance: something that really matters since 2020.

What IATI Seguros offers

IATI checks all of these boxes, with solid coverage at affordable prices and a strong track record handling emergencies. That's why a lot of us travel bloggers buy from them and recommend them.

Travel insurance prices

The cost depends on how long your trip is, how much coverage you want, and how many people are on the policy.

Whether you're adding extreme or adventure sports coverage matters too.

As a reference, take a look at this table of prices and coverage types for a solo traveler heading to the United States (using prices from the Spanish insurer IATI as a benchmark):

Remember you can get a quote from IATI and buy your policy online with 5% off.

Coverage types

Sticking with this IATI example, here's how much each type of policy covers for the situations travelers run into most:

For the United States, one of the most expensive countries in the world for medical and hospital care, we recommend taking out Iati Estrella insurance.

I'll close with the classic insurance cliché: «better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it» XP