Patriot America Plus Review: Benefits, Limits, Claims

Patriot America Plus is a comprehensive visitor medical plan administered by IMG and underwritten by SiriusPoint. According to IMG's current Certificate of Insurance, it pays 100% of eligible expenses after your deductible inside the UnitedHealthcare PPO network, 90% outside it, and covers the acute onset of pre-existing conditions for travelers under 70. It fits healthy or stable visitors under 70 well; travelers 70 and over lose the acute onset benefit and face lower maximums, so they should compare other plans first.

Key facts at a glance

• Maximum limits: $50,000 to $1,000,000 through age 69, $50,000 or $100,000 for ages 70 to 79, and $10,000 at 80 and older, per IMG's certificate.
• Deductibles: $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or $2,500 per insured person.
• Coinsurance in the US: 100% in network; 90% out of network, with your share of coinsurance capped at $500.
• Acute onset: covered up to the policy maximum for insureds under 70, with a $25,000 limit on evacuation tied to that episode.
• Precertification: hospital admissions, surgery and several other services must be precertified, or eligible expenses are cut by 50%.
• Claims: IMG allows 180 days from the date a claim is incurred to submit a complete proof of claim.

What does Patriot America Plus cover?

The plan is built for new illnesses and injuries that start after your coverage begins. Inside the United States, eligible hospital stays, physician visits, surgery, lab work, imaging, intensive care and prescriptions are paid up to your chosen maximum, subject to the deductible and coinsurance. Prescriptions are limited to a 90 day supply per prescription.

Everyday care has its own rules. An urgent care visit carries a $25 copay and a walk in clinic visit a $15 copay; neither is subject to the deductible, and neither copay applies if you chose a $0 deductible. In a US emergency room, an injury is not subject to the emergency room deductible, but an illness that does not lead to a direct admission carries a separate $250 deductible per visit.

Beyond medical bills, IMG's certificate lists emergency medical evacuation up to $1,000,000, emergency reunion up to $100,000, lost checked luggage at $50 per item up to $500, and personal liability up to $25,000 that is secondary to any other insurance. Treatment for COVID-19 is listed as an eligible medical expense on Plus, which is one of the ways it differs from Patriot America Lite.

How does the acute onset benefit really work?

This benefit is the main reason people choose Plus, and it is narrower than the name suggests. IMG defines an acute onset as a sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence that is short in duration, rapidly progressive and needs urgent care. A chronic or congenital condition, or one that gradually worsens, does not qualify.

At the time of the episode, the certificate requires that you are under 70, that you get treatment within 24 hours, that the condition was stable for at least 30 days before your effective date without a change in treatment, and that you are not traveling against medical advice, to seek treatment, or while waiting for a new or changed treatment program. For the full picture, read our guide to acute onset of pre-existing conditions.

Keep the lookback period in mind too. Patriot America Plus treats as pre-existing any condition that existed during the three years before your effective date, whether or not it was diagnosed. Anything that falls in that window and does not meet the acute onset test is excluded.

Who should pick something else?

Visitors aged 70 and over are the clearest case. They cannot use the acute onset benefit, and their maximum drops to $50,000 or $100,000, then to $10,000 from age 80. If a parent in that age group has heart, lung or diabetes history, compare plans whose acute onset cover extends to older ages before you buy.

Eligibility also rules some travelers out. The plan catalog Ombrela uses shows Patriot America Plus is not available to citizens of Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Kosovo, Niger, Nigeria or Sierra Leone, to residents of countries including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela, or to anyone whose home country is the United States, and it cannot be purchased from New York. It also does not replace a school plan for students whose university sets its own insurance requirements.

What does a claim look like, step by step?

Here is an illustrative walk through with a $250 deductible. The amounts are examples to show the math, not typical costs.

• Urgent care in network: you pay the $25 copay; the deductible is not applied and the plan pays the rest of the eligible charge.
• Two day admission in network, $12,000 eligible: you pay the $250 deductible and the plan pays $11,750, because in network coinsurance is 100%.
• Same admission out of network: you pay the $250 deductible plus 10% of the next $5,000, which is $500, for $750 in total; the plan pays the remainder at 100%.
• Same admission without precertification: eligible expenses are first cut by 50% to $6,000, then the deductible and coinsurance apply, and the hospital can bill you for the unpaid balance.

For an emergency admission, the certificate requires precertification within 48 hours or as soon as reasonably possible, so the call can come from a family member or the hospital. After care, file through the MyIMG portal with an IMG claim form for each new illness or injury and itemized bills showing procedure and diagnosis codes. Our guide on how to file a visitor insurance claim covers the paperwork in detail. If a claim is denied, you have 90 days from the denial notice to appeal.

What do reviews and Reddit threads say about Patriot America Plus?

Reviews and Reddit threads are individual stories, and Ombrela does not publish ratings. The useful way to read them is to ask which clause decided each outcome. A denial described as unfair is often a pre-existing condition inside the three year lookback, a missed precertification, a claim filed after 180 days, or a bill above usual, reasonable and customary amounts from an out of network provider.

Two other clauses surprise people. The plan pays in excess of any other coverage you hold, so IMG may ask about other insurance first. And cancellation is only free within the three day review period after your initial effective date; after that a $50 fee applies, only unused premium is refunded, and nothing is refunded if a claim was filed in that period.

How do renewal and age changes work?

You can buy Patriot America Plus for 5 days up to 12 months per period, and IMG's Patriot brochure describes extensions up to 24 continuous months. Renew before your end date through MyIMG. If you or a covered spouse turn 70 or 80, the certificate says the maximum at renewal follows the new age band, so a parent who turns 70 mid stay should expect the lower limit at the next renewal.

Download our free Patriot America Plus Claim Ready Checklist below. It turns the certificate into a printable list of what to carry, what to check before a clinic visit, and which receipts to keep so a claim is complete the first time.

How to get covered

Premiums depend on age, trip length, policy maximum and deductible, so the only reliable number is a live quote. Compare Patriot America Plus side by side with other visitor plans on our visitor insurance quote page, and use the medical cost estimator to sense check the maximum you choose.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Patriot America Plus good for parents over 70?

It can cover new illnesses and injuries, but it is a weaker fit after 70. IMG's certificate removes acute onset of pre-existing condition cover at 70 and limits the maximum to $50,000 or $100,000 for ages 70 to 79 and $10,000 from 80. Parents with chronic conditions should compare plans whose acute onset cover extends further before deciding.

Does Patriot America Plus cover pre-existing conditions?

Not in general. Conditions that existed in the three years before your effective date are excluded. The exception is a sudden, unexpected acute onset for insureds under 70, treated within 24 hours, where the condition was stable for 30 days before coverage began. Routine management of a known condition, such as refills or checkups, is not covered.

Can I buy Patriot America Plus after arriving in the US?

Yes, the plan can be purchased after arrival, according to the plan catalog. Coverage starts on your effective date, not your arrival date, and any condition that began before the effective date is treated under the pre-existing condition rules. Buying before departure keeps your travel days covered and avoids a gap if you fall ill early in the trip.

Is Patriot Plus the same plan as Patriot America Plus?

Plan listings, including the catalog Ombrela uses, often shorten the name to Patriot Plus, while IMG's Certificate of Insurance for travelers visiting the United States is titled Patriot America Plus. IMG's Patriot brochure groups Lite, Plus and Platinum under Patriot America for US visitors. Always read the certificate attached to your purchase, because it is the document that decides claims.

If Patriot America Plus matches your age and health profile, get a live quote on the visitor insurance page and compare it with the alternatives before you pay.