To visit the US, it is highly recommended that you purchase health insurance that provides coverage of at least $300,000. The recommendation is related to the very high cost of doctors’ services – even a simple appeal for a fever can cost $200-300, a trip to the emergency room – no less than $1500, even if nothing is found in you.

The medical system in the United States is at a very high level both in terms of technical support and the qualifications of doctors. In almost any village you can get the same quality service as in a large city. A complex scheme of voluntary insurance and free care for the poor has led to higher prices for doctors and medicines. Anything that can be covered by insurance is substantially overpriced.

At the same time, even tourists without money and insurance will be guaranteed medical care in emergency cases. In most states, there are laws according to which the patient is first assisted and only then interested in his ability to pay. After receiving the bill, in the absence of insurance, you can bargain with medical institutions. It is more profitable for the hospital and the doctor to get at least something than the tourist leaves without paying at all, frightened of a huge amount.

The temperature in the USA is measured in degrees Fahrenheit. Anything below 100.2 (38°C) is considered non-serious, and at best your doctor will advise you to take Tylenol (a medicine containing paracetamol-acetaminophen).

If you need a doctor urgently, the nearest specialist or hospital can be found in the telephone directory. Emergency departments are called ER – Emergency room. You can also go there on your own.

If you need an ambulance or urgent care, you need to call the 911 rescue service, which usually sends 3 cars at once – an ambulance, a fire brigade and the police. At the same time, one should not hope that a high-class doctor will arrive in an ambulance – the task of urgent service paramedics (paramedics) is to determine the severity of the case and deliver the patient to the nearest hospital. If the condition does not require an immediate reaction of doctors (bleeding or a heart attack), then in the emergency department you can spend up to several hours waiting for your turn (the larger the city and the simpler the hospital, the longer the queue).

It should be borne in mind that many medicines in the US are available only on prescription (including codeine-based simple painkillers), which must be issued only by a local doctor.

American drug names can be very different from the nomenclature we are used to, and local pharmacists are mostly unfamiliar with the topology of foreign drugs. Therefore, in the presence of chronic diseases requiring specific drug treatment, it is required to import the necessary drugs with you (you need to find out in advance the permission to import certain drugs into the country). Due to the high price of medicines, even those sold without a prescription, it is recommended to take everything you need with you, from headache pills to brilliant green. Adhesive plasters, bandages and other first aid supplies are freely available at any grocery store or gas station.