Short Term Health Insurance for Travelers Visiting the US

If you are looking for short term health insurance for travelers visiting the US, the product you can actually buy is a travel medical plan, often called visitor insurance. What Americans call short term health insurance is a separate product, regulated state by state and sold to people who live in the United States. A tourist, a visiting parent or a business visitor does not qualify for it, while travel medical plans are built for exactly that situation and can run from 5 days to about a year.

Key facts at a glance

• Short term, limited duration insurance is a US domestic product. It is exempt from Affordable Care Act rules, so insurers can decline applicants or exclude pre-existing conditions, according to KFF.
• A 2024 federal rule limits new short term policies to an initial term of no more than 3 months and 4 months in total with renewals, for policies sold on or after September 1, 2024.
• On August 7, 2025, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury said they do not intend to prioritize enforcement of that definition while they write a new rule. State law still applies.
• Several states, including California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois, prohibit short term health plans or have rules under which none are sold, according to state tracking by healthinsurance.org.
• Travel medical plans on Ombrela cover non US residents from 5 days up to 364 or 365 days, according to their plan details, and are not tied to a state of residence.
• Lawfully present immigrants can buy Marketplace coverage, according to HealthCare.gov, which is usually the right long term answer for people who now live in the US.

What is short term health insurance in the US?

Short term, limited duration insurance was created to fill gaps for residents, for example between jobs or while waiting for employer coverage to begin. Because it is exempt from the Affordable Care Act's individual market rules, it does not have to cover the essential health benefits, it can use medical underwriting, and it can exclude conditions you already have. KFF notes that these features are the main reason the premiums are lower than Marketplace plans.

How long you can keep one depends on federal and state rules. The 2024 federal rule shortened the allowed term to 3 months, or 4 months including renewals. In August 2025 the three federal departments announced they would not prioritize enforcing that definition and planned new rulemaking, and they encouraged states to take a similar approach. As of October 2026 you should check your own state's insurance department for the current limit, because states set their own rules and some do not allow these plans at all.

Can a tourist or visiting parent buy a US short term health plan?

In practice, no. Short term plans are filed and sold state by state to residents of that state. Applications ask for a US home address and a medical history, and the product is designed around someone who lives in the US and will move to other US coverage. A person in the country temporarily on a B-2 visa or under the Visa Waiver Program is not the intended buyer and will generally not be accepted.

Visitors are not left without options. Travel medical insurance exists for people outside their home country, and it is the product behind nearly every search for short term coverage for a US visit. Our guide on whether a tourist can get health insurance in the USA goes through the alternatives one by one.

How is travel medical insurance different?

Travel medical insurance covers new illnesses and injuries that occur during a trip. It is priced by age, number of days, policy maximum and deductible rather than by health history, so there is no medical questionnaire to pass. Plans such as Atlas America and Patriot Plus are listed in our plan details for ages 14 days to 99 years, with coverage periods from 5 days up to 365 days and the option to buy after arrival.

The limits are different too. Travel medical plans exclude pre-existing conditions, although many include a narrow emergency benefit for the acute onset of one. They do not cover routine checkups, maternity care for a known pregnancy or ongoing prescriptions. Coverage ends when you return to your home country.

Neither product is comprehensive health insurance in the Affordable Care Act sense. The honest comparison is that each one is a temporary plan with gaps, built for a different person: one for a resident between coverages, the other for a traveler away from home.

Which plan can a new immigrant buy?

A new permanent resident is in the middle. Once you live in the US and are lawfully present, HealthCare.gov states that you can get Marketplace coverage and may qualify for premium tax credits, and moving to the US from abroad or gaining lawful status generally opens a special enrollment period. Rules on financial help for some immigration categories were tightened by federal legislation in 2025, so confirm your own eligibility on HealthCare.gov or your state exchange. Medicaid generally has a five year waiting period for qualified noncitizens, with exceptions.

For the first weeks, while a Marketplace or employer plan is being arranged, a new immigrant bridge plan can cover emergencies. These are travel medical plans, such as Patriot Plus or Safe Travels USA Comprehensive, issued to recent arrivals. They are a temporary bridge, not a replacement for real health insurance, and they are not suitable for people who have lived in the US for years, such as a worker who has lost a job. Start at the new immigrant insurance quote page, and see our comparison of new immigrant plans and ACA coverage. This article is general information, not legal or benefits advice.

What can a returning US expat buy?

It depends on whether you are visiting or moving back. A US citizen who lives abroad and is making a short trip home can use certain travel medical plans: the plan details for IMG's Patriot Plus and Patriot Lite state that they are for US citizens living abroad and visiting the USA for a short trip. Other visitor plans, including the Atlas America and Safe Travels USA plans, are not available to US citizens.

If you are moving back for good, you become a resident again. A permanent move to the US from a foreign country generally qualifies you for a Marketplace special enrollment period, and a domestic short term plan becomes possible in states that allow them. A travel medical plan should not be stretched to cover a permanent return.

How do the costs compare by age?

Both products are far less expensive than unsubsidized major medical insurance, and both rise with age, but they are priced on different logic. Short term plans are quoted monthly, vary by state, and can charge more or decline based on health. Travel medical plans are quoted per day of coverage and do not ask health questions, but benefits narrow with age: Patriot Plus lists a $10,000 maximum for travelers over 80, and acute onset benefits stop at 70 on IMG plans and 80 on Atlas plans, according to their plan details.

For a visitor over 70, the more useful comparison is between a fixed benefit plan and a comprehensive plan, because the two pay hospital bills very differently. Premiums depend on age, trip length, policy maximum and deductible, so use live quotes rather than averages.

To sort out which product fits, download the free Which Plan Can I Buy? Decision Guide below. It steps through residency, visa status, length of stay and age, and points to the plan type you are eligible for.

How to get covered as a visitor

If the traveler lives outside the US and is coming for a visit, go to the visitor insurance quote page, enter age, home country and dates, and compare the plans that can be issued. Availability depends on the home country, and some plans cannot be sold to residents of certain countries, so the results may differ from one traveler to the next.

Buy before departure and set the start date to the travel day. If you are unsure which category you fall into, the plan finder asks a few questions first, and you can then compare visitor plans on Ombrela.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can foreigners buy short term health insurance in the USA?

Visitors generally cannot. US short term health plans are sold to state residents and involve medical underwriting, so a tourist or visiting relative is not eligible. Foreign nationals who live in the US as residents may be able to apply in states that permit these plans. For a temporary visit, travel medical insurance is the product designed for non US residents.

Is travel medical insurance the same as short term health insurance?

No. Both are temporary and both exclude pre-existing conditions, but they serve different people. Short term health insurance is a state regulated plan for US residents between coverages. Travel medical insurance covers travelers outside their home country for new illnesses and injuries, is priced by age and days, asks no health questions, and ends when the trip does.

How long can a visitor stay covered on a travel medical plan?

Most visitor plans can be bought for as few as 5 days and extended up to 364 or 365 days in total, according to their plan details. Extensions must be requested before the policy ends. Residents and citizens of the United Kingdom are limited to 119 days on WorldTrips Atlas plans. After the maximum, a new policy is required, with a fresh pre-existing condition review.

I lost my job on an H-1B. Should I buy visitor insurance?

Usually not. Visitor and new immigrant bridge plans are built for travelers and recent arrivals, and they exclude pre-existing conditions and routine care. Someone who has lived and worked in the US is better served by COBRA continuation or a Marketplace plan through a special enrollment period after losing employer coverage. Our H-1B layoff insurance guide explains the options.

The name of the product matters less than who it was built for. Residents between coverages look at Marketplace and short term plans; travelers and recent arrivals look at travel medical plans. If a visitor is on the way, compare plans on Ombrela and have coverage in place before the flight.