Parents in the US: health insurance, length of stay and medicines

For the visa application itself, see parents visiting on a B-2 visa and the parents’ visit planner.

Health insurance: the one thing not to skip

Visitors can’t use Medicare (it needs citizenship or a green card plus five years here), and ACA marketplace plans aren’t practical for a short visit. A few days in a US hospital can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Buy visitor medical insurance before they fly, starting on their arrival date.

What to compare:

• Maximum cover. For parents in their 60s and 70s, people commonly choose $100,000 or more where available; maximums drop with age.
• Pre-existing conditions. Most plans cover only an “acute onset” of a pre-existing condition: a sudden, unexpected flare-up, treated quickly (often within 24 hours), and not in the first days of cover. Limits are low and fall with age: one large plan caps it at $35,000 at 70+ and $20,000 at 80+. Ongoing care for diabetes, heart disease or blood pressure isn’t covered.
• Deductible ($0 to $5,000) and whether the plan pays a percentage after it (“coinsurance”).
• PPO network (which hospitals bill the insurer directly) and emergency evacuation home.
• Buy for the whole stay; most plans can be extended or partly refunded if they leave early.

Some providers families commonly compare (alphabetical; not an endorsement, and no one pays to be listed): IMG (Patriot America Plus), Seven Corners, Trawick International (Safe Travels USA), WorldTrips (Atlas America). Compare the policy wording, not the price alone.

How long they can stay

• CBP decides at the airport and records it on the I-94, usually up to six months. Check the exact date at i94.cbp.dhs.gov after they land; it’s the date that counts, not the visa’s expiry. The parents’ stay counter works out the dates.
• To stay longer, file Form I-539 with USCIS before the I-94 date passes, with a reason (illness, family event), proof of funds and insurance. Use the 09/15/26 edition: older editions are rejected from September 15, 2026. Long or repeated extensions make the next visa interview harder.
• Overstaying automatically voids their visa. More than 180 days of unlawful presence brings a 3-year bar, a year or more a 10-year bar.

Medicines

They can bring up to a 90-day supply of their regular medicines in original packaging with an English prescription or doctor’s letter. For longer stays, plan refills: a US doctor’s visit for a prescription is expensive without insurance cover for routine care, so bring enough.

A green card for parents?

Only a US-citizen son or daughter aged 21 or older can sponsor parents (Form I-130). An H-1B holder or green card holder can’t. If you’re on the green card path, that’s years away; see after the green card.

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Sources

1. USCIS: Extend your stay
2. USCIS: New editions of Form I-539 (mandatory from Sept 15, 2026)
3. State Department: Visitor visa (overstay voids the visa)
4. USCIS: Unlawful presence and inadmissibility
5. CBP: I-94 website
6. SSA: Social Security Act s.1836 (Medicare eligibility)
7. FDA: Personal importation
8. USCIS: Bringing parents to live in the US as permanent residents
9. Trawick International: Safe Travels USA Comprehensive (example acute-onset terms)

Rules change often. If something here looks out of date, it probably is; check the official source and talk to an immigration attorney about your own case.