Candour
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Age: 33
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Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 57
Location: UAE
Home Country: uae
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 Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:57 pm Post subject: A Guide to... Expatriate Medical Insurance |
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Having medical insurance while you're abroad may well be essential but it’s not going to be much good if there are conditions that are not covered under your plan. Most private medical insurance providers now operate on such a large, global scale that there are few glaring exclusions that could trip you up. However, a little time spent going over a company’s terms and conditions will bring to your attention some omissions in plans that you may want to know about before you sign.
The most important thing that might be missing from your plan, according to many PMI providers, is cover for chronic conditions. Obviously, a provider won't cover you automatically for any pre-existing conditions that would be like insuring a house that is already burning down, but should you develop asthma or diabetes after signing the plan, you will want to know that you are covered for this. Some providers, however, will only cover you in severe cases of any chronic condition that has arisen, such as a diabetic coma.
This means that some companies, particularly ones that offer basic-level plans, will cover you in an emergency or in the short term, but not for the routine, ongoing treatment that you need. From an insurer's point of view you can understand why they may do this as illnesses like asthma and diabetes are spreading in today’s world and costs could spiral out of control if they insured everyone. Yet there are a lot of plans out there that will cover your everyday treatment of such illnesses, so it's up to you whether you want to pay the costs or be covered for them, (albeit sometimes with restrictions on the amount you can claim), under your plan.
There are also other features that are worth checking to see if you are covered. One of the greatest omissions on many PMI plans is cover for congenital defects. It is worth checking to see if there are any restrictions in their plans when, for instance, they have a baby with a birth abnormality that needs treatment. There are restrictions to this with some providers. People buy healthcare when they reach a certain age, and are more conscious of protecting their family - for this reason people should check all that is covered under pregnancy cover.
It must be also borne in mind that pregnancy cover is usually only available after you have had your plan for one year. This is pretty standard, but will make you plan that bit further, especially if you are set to have a baby in a country where healthcare is expensive, like the US or the Caribbean. You may well want to check the amount you can claim for a normal pregnancy, too, as the average cost, according to Goodhealth, will be around US$4,500 - US$ 7,500.
Sports
Aside from treatment for serious illnesses, potential clients should consider what activities or sports they may like to enjoy. A lot of providers, such as William Russell, provide cover for all sports so you’re free to go white-water rafting or throw yourself off a bridge with some elastic tied round your ankles. Jenni Sobnack, marketing consultant at William Russell says: “You will be covered for all sports as long as you’re not doing it professionally. If, as is more likely, you have an injury playing something like football and break your leg, it is important to get in touch with us or our partner International SOS as soon as possible so that we can arrange to pay the hospital directly and leave you with no upfront fee to pay.” Other firms do have restrictions on what they would like you to do, so hang-gliding may have to be postponed.
A recent addition to some plans has also been infertility treatment which is often not covered. Some provides now cover investigations in to infertility up to the point of diagnosis. It also covers IVF treatment up to a limit of £2,000 a year with four attempts allowed in a lifetime.
Psychiatric treatment is another area that not every provider is agreed on. Most will provide some level of cover, but there it is often limited to inpatient care and the amount you can claim back. Landers says that providers put these restrictions in place as it is hard to know how many visits to a psychiatrist will need to be made and how much ongoing treatment will be needed. Although having cover for such things as emergency evacuation are of higher priority when selecting a plan, most PMI providers have warned of the dangers of stress, especially on a busy expatriate lifestyle.
As such, only by doing the boring work of checking a firm’s terms and conditions (or by speaking to an independent financial brokerage such as [url-http://www.candourconsultancy.com]Candour Consultancy[/url]) can you figure out exactly what you will be protected against and begin to compare plans.
Commonly left out of many policies are:-
* Pandemics - such as Bird Flu!
* Chronic conditions arising after purchase of plan
* Pregnancy cover, complications and congenital defects.
* Infertility cover
* Psychiatric treatment
* Sports (including extreme sports)
* AIDS (often not covered for individuals but under group schemes)
* Routine dental treatment |
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