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Around 6.5 million Brits visit the USA each year and visits are trouble-free. 1,972 British nationals required consular
assistance in the USA in period 01 April 2008 - 31 March 2009. The majority of cases occur in New York City; the tourist areas
in Florida (principally Orlando and Miami); and Los Angeles and San Francisco. You should be alert to the dangers of
car and street crime in cities.
Medical treatment can be very expensive in the USA and there are no special arrangements
for British visitors. The British Embassy and Consulates-General will not be able to assist you with medical expenses. You
should ensure that you have comprehensive medical insurance, which includes hospital treatment and medical evacuation to the
UK.
An
emergency in the USA can be extremely expensive. If you need to be returned to the UK it could cost you thousands of pounds,
unless you are adequately insured as for example an air ambulance from the America East Coast to the UK would cost between
£35,000 and £45,000.
Cheap holiday insurance can be ok in some countries but for the USA check the exclusions as America is one
country where you really do not want to be under insured if something goes wrong. American
Express is a global travel insurance provider and has dealt with thousands of USA medical claims saying that medical treatment
in the USA is the most expensive in the world. Even visiting an American hospital for tests can create bills that run into
the tens of thousands of dollars. One customer had sixteen hours of tests in an American hospital that generated a bill of
$20,000.
Below are details of companies that offer travel
insurance to the USA.
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