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Your International Medical Insurance Guide - Working overseas

Medibroker are experts in international health insurance.

We offer free advice so if you have any questions or are looking for a free health insurance quote contact us today!

www.medibroker.com

Find us on:

Introduction

Are you planning on living or working overseas? Maybe you may agree with the 42% of expats we

interviewed who said their move, to some degree, was based on the additional income they could

earn by working overseas. With so many great opportunities when living and working abroad it’s

easy to see why so many people do, but you can always expect a lot of planning to come with it!

There are always going to be a few things you might take for granted. You might assume you’ll get a

free taxi from the airport on arrival or maybe your new accommodation will have a garage. With

something as stressful as moving abroad it’s totally understandable that some things aren’t going to

get your full attention.

However there is one important thing you cannot afford to overlook and that is the level health

insurance you need while living abroad.

As the British healthcare system is free many people do not even consider health insurance an issue

when working or living abroad. Some expats don’t attempt to purchase health insurance until after

they have moved abroad and in some cases this isn’t possible.

If your employer does not offer a health insurance policy then it is extremely advisable that you

arrange your own. With dramatically different standards in health care systems around the world

you should have private medical insurance to protect yourself and your family from any financial or

medical risks that could arise during your stay overseas. However even if you have a health

insurance policy, it’s vital to check it offers a good enough level of cover.

If your employer does provide you with a policy and tells you that it will protect you during your time

abroad, it is very important that you question the extent of the cover. Some companies may offer an

extremely comprehensive health insurance plan which will protect you against almost any medical

requirements, but the chances are that the vast majority won’t.

Health insurance is a complex product and some companies may not have even considered that

their plan doesn’t offer an adequate level of cover. Other companies may simply not be able to

afford one that does. Unfortunately this could leave you or your family open to huge financial risk.

So what are some of the questions that you should be

asking about your international health insurance plan?

Medibroker are experts in international health insurance.

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Which type of insuranceis right?

Depending on the length of your stay abroad your company may decide to offer you a travel

insurance plan as opposed to international health insurance policy. Travel insurance is likely to be

much cheaper and easier for your company to provide, but you must be aware that these types of

plans are almost certain to have a lower level of cover in terms of medical treatment.

As travel plans are designed for shorter trips they often include cover for loss of luggage, flight

cancellations, personal liability and other potential travel related issues. However when it comes to

medical cover, the majority of travel insurance plans will only protect against emergency treatment

and short term care. This means that if anything major happens to you abroad and you require long

term care or a more advance level of treatment, you could potentially be left with a substantial cost.

International health insurance usually doesn’t provide cover for the general travel related issues

mentioned, but you will almost certainly receive a better level of medical cover than a travel plan.

International health insurance plans can often be highly tailored to meet your personal medical

requirements. This means depending on the benefits available you can be covered for everything

from pregnancy to arthritis and any treatment you may require. It’s important to know the level of

protection and types of conditions covered by each individual plan.

Read more about the difference between health insurance and travel insurance.

Does the plan cover pre-existing medical conditions?

Pre-existing medical condition cover is one of the most important elements of any health insurance

policy. This refers to any medical conditions that you knew about or where diagnosed with before

you took out an insurance policy. There are policies which cover these and others which don’t. It is

absolutely vital that you declare any conditions you know you suffer from as these will almost

certainly have an impact on your insurance.

Pre-existing conditions can include any medical condition from asthma to arthritis. You must let your

employer or insurer know about any relevant conditions; as insurance is only intended to cover

customers for unexpected circumstances and not known health conditions. If you do not declare a

pre-existing medical condition when acquiring your insurance and require treatment relating to it at

a later date, then your medical insurance will almost certainly not cover this. It does depend on the

condition and the policy, so discussing the subject is always advisable.

Medibroker are experts in international health insurance.

We offer free advice so if you have any questions or are looking for a free health insurance quote contact us today!

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Which countries does the plan cover?

Different countries have different rules and regulations when it comes to health insurance. As such

you must ensure that your policy is valid if you are traveling outside the country you will be

working/living in. For example, if you have taken out insurance specifically for a stay in Europe; then

it is highly unlikely the same plan will be valid when visiting the United Arab Emirates.

That is not to say that all policies will not provide cover in a variety of countries, so it’s important to

check your policies’ terms and conditions. If you will be traveling to other countries outside your

area of cover you could take out short term travel insurance to cover you while you are away.

Does the plan cover repatriation of mortal remains?

There aren’t many things in life that are certain, but death is defiantly one of them. It’s never an

easy topic to talk about, but when it comes to working overseas it’s important to consider it from a

logical perspective. Even if you will not be in a high risk job or industry you could die tomorrow as

easily as the next person.

Not many people would take the time to consider the implications of dying overseas, but it is a very

complex and expensive affair if it does happen. Retuning a person’s remains to their home country

can cost tens of thousands of pounds and can leave families in a very difficult situation.

There is clearly a feeling from expats already living abroad that they consider this an issue. During our survey we asked expats…

There is a very unfortunate example recently of a 20 year old British national who died in a moped

accident while working as a photographer in Ayia Napa. The cost of flying his body home is nowhere

near affordable for his family and they are currently trying to raise enough funds to do so. You can

read more about the tragic story here.

This story is by no means unique and highlights what will no doubt be a continuing issue. There are

even reports of people going to extreme length to try and fly bodies home illegally. Recently two

women were caught trying take the corpse of a deceased relative back home by boarding a

commercial flight with his remains in a wheel chair disguised in sunglasses. Needless to say this plan

was quickly uncovered and they were apprehended at the airport; as this is illegal for many reasons.

Medibroker are experts in international health insurance.

We offer free advice so if you have any questions or are looking for a free health insurance quote contact us today!

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Does the plan cover pregnancy?

If there is any chance of you becoming pregnant (planned or not) then this is another very important

factor that must be considered. Medibroker have found that they have been contacted by a

noticeable number of expats who have moved to Singapore, fallen pregnant and only then

considered how important health insurance is.

If you fall pregnant while abroad, it will not be possible to take out a medical insurance plan

afterwards. Similarly to pre-existing medical conditions, insurance is intended for unexpected

circumstances, not to be a cheaper alternative to paying costs for maternity treatment.

Without cover many people can face huge financial risks with the costs easily exceeding $10,000 in

certain countries. If there is even a slight chance pregnancy could be a possibility for you or a family

member then you should read our full article on expat maternity cover.

Does the plan offer medical Evacuation Cover?

Where you are working in the world can define how accessible medical facilities are. Before

travelling to your new location it’s a good idea to research local health care system and facilities. If

you are in an area which is not in easy reach of a hospital or care centre, then you may want to

consider medical evacuation cover.

Medical evacuation means that customers are provided with transportation to nearest adequate

medical facility. In the more remote areas of the world this can be via air evacuation. Like almost

every aspect of international health insurance, medical evacuation has varying levels of cover. This

means that some plans will only cover transport up to a certain cost, so as always it’s important to

know exactly what you are covered for.

It is important to note that medical evacuation is not the same as medical repatriation. This allows

patients to return to their home country for medical treatment. Medical repatriation insurance could

be considered if you are not comfortable using local health care facilities. If you are certain you

would want to return home for medical treatment this is the best option, given that the costs can

very easily reach hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Medibroker are experts in international health insurance.

We offer free advice so if you have any questions or are looking for a free health insurance quote contact us today!

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Are dependants/partners covered on the same plan?

If you have a family they may be joining you on your overseas adventure. This being the case it’s

important that you know if they are covered by your medical insurance plan too. The last thing you

want is to be flicking through policy documents should a member of your family to need medical

attention.

Some policies may cover additional family members but if not they should arrange their own health

insurance cover. Even when family members are covered it is still important to consider all of the

factors that have been mentioned including pre-existing medical conditions etc. Any additional

people covered on a plan will face the exact same questions as the main policy holder and will likely

face a different level of cover.

At the end of the day, the more you know about your cover the better!

Needless to say these are just some of the things that you must consider when looking at the health

insurance plan you have for your time overseas. The important thing is to do your research and

make sure that the cover meets your personal standards based on where you are going and the type

of work you will be doing.

One of the best ways to do research is to talk to other people who have made the move abroad.

They know the ins and outs and you can always learn from their mistakes! Forums and social media

are a great place to start, such as our expat forum.

If after your research and questioning you feel your policy does not meet your needs then you

should look into alternative plans to find one that offers what you want.

If your employer is providing your cover then talk to them and address your concerns. If they will not

cover the entire cost for a policy you feel is more suitable, they may pay an amount equal to your

original policy. If they are not willing to compromise you should either consider taking out your own

health cover or reconsider working abroad for that employer.

Get a free health insurance quote If you would like any free advice regarding health insurance then contact Medibroker today. Our experts can offer free guidance on all aspects of health insurance and even provide free health insurance quotes from over 30 insurers.

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