{"id":25363,"date":"2025-01-27T13:59:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T12:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.foyerglobalhealth.com\/?post_type=destinationcpt&p=25363"},"modified":"2026-02-26T15:47:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:47:27","slug":"international-health-insurance-for-expatriates-in-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"destinationcpt","link":"https:\/\/globalhealth.insurance\/destination\/international-health-insurance-for-expatriates-in-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"International Health Insurance for Expatriates in the USA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ready to venture across the Atlantic to the richly diverse country of Uncle Sam? While the United States is a coveted destination for millions of expatriates, many are apprehensive due to the cost and complexity of its healthcare systems. Because medical costs are one of the main causes of debt in the USA, it is essential to have comprehensive and effective healthcare coverage and to understand the specificities of the American healthcare system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global Health has put together a complete health guide for your relocation to the United States that explains why international health insurance will always be your best ally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the US healthcare system work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The US healthcare system is one of the most complex in the world<\/strong>. It is based on a wide variety of healthcare infrastructures (public hospitals, private hospital not-for-profit hospitals, and others. Unlike Canada <\/a>and many European<\/a> countries, it does not support a universal and public healthcare system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Access to medical services is regulated by insurance policies, most of which are private, and premiums are generally prohibitively expensive. In the United States, the majority of residents who work full-time for a company with more than 50 employees are covered by their employer\u2019s health insurance policy.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public health insurance, funded by the federal government, includes three specific programmes targeted at different groups of population<\/strong>: Medicare for people aged 65 and over; Medicaid for people with low incomes; Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for children. Access to these public health insurance programmes is mainly restricted to American citizens and permanent residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are large segments of the population who are not covered either by their employer’s private health insurance or by public health programmes, and who are not covered because they cannot afford the high insurance premiums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the ACA?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Affordable Care Act (ACA)<\/strong>, also known as Obamacare, is a law enacted by the Obama administration in March 2010 with the aim of making health insurance more accessible and fairer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under this legislation, most US residents are required to have health insurance. Low-income families are eligible for coverage thanks to government subsidies designed to help them pay their premiums, and companies with more than 50 employees must provide health coverage to their employees. In addition, the ACA requires insurers to provide the same level of protection at the same cost<\/strong> to similar customers, regardless of their state of health at the time of enrolment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What does \u2018ACA compliant\u2019 mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An ACA-compliant health insurance is a private health insurance that has no limits on medical expenses. This type of insurance guarantees you full reimbursement with no waiting period, regardless of the cost of medical procedures and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is health insurance compulsory in the USA?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, not only is health insurance mandatory, but it is also highly recommended<\/strong>, due to the exorbitant cost of medical care and the stress involved in the event of a medical emergency or serious health problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source : Freepik<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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All residents of the United States, including expatriates, are required to have health insurance<\/strong>. While expat employees, entrepreneurs and investors must have health insurance that meets the requirements of the ACA, students are not obliged to be covered by an ACA-compliant policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Only employers with more than 50 employees are legally obliged under the ACA to provide health insurance to at least 95% of their employees and their children (not their spouses!), or pay a penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How much does it cost?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As in Switzerland<\/a>, Canada , Australia<\/a> and Singapore<\/a>, healthcare services for expats are very expensive in the United States<\/strong>. For example, a visit to a general practitioner costs between $120 and $230; a visit to a specialist around $300; surgery between $65 and $170 per minute; and an uncomplicated delivery between $20,000 and $50,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two types of emergency services (Urgent Care; Emergency Room) are dedicated to dealing with everyday accidents, in the first case, and extreme emergencies where the patient’s life is in danger, in the second. It should be borne in mind that ambulance services (the vast majority of which are private) come at a very high cost. The emergency number in the United States is 911.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Health insurance prices in the United States<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just as the cost of healthcare services in the country is high, the cost of health insurance (local or international) for expatriates is also significant. For a single person, you can expect to pay between $250 and $1,000 per month, and for a family with two children, between $1,200 and $3,600 a month, depending on your profile, needs and type of health insurance (local or international).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local health insurance: specific features to consider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Health insurance in the United States has a number of specific features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n