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INSURANCE
Measuring standards - Picking the right policy for your needs.
International health insurance has the potential to cover all eventualities but the sheer breadth of policies on offer can be quite bewildering. Picking the right policy for your needs is no easy matter. One person's essential benefit is another's optional extra. This review of basic benefits suggests that expatriates would be well advised to set about their selection armed with a check-list of must-haves. And, before making any selection, you should ensure that your research reveals not only what each benefit covers but also any gaps.
You will see from the providers' benefit list on the following pages what is included in a range of "standard" plans available from the leading international healthcare policy providers. Here, we describe those benefits which expatriates have found, from experience, are necessary on any "essential to include" list.
Most insurance plans are marketed as having a fair degree of in-built flexibility, and you will find that with some providers you can save on premiums by signing up for a basic plan and then cherry picking the optional extras that your own life-style dictates and is treated as essential. So if your chosen plan does not include a particular benefit which you and your family need, it is always worth enquiring whether such a feature can be bolted on as an extra.
Accompaniment by a parent
Expatriates with children will want to think carefully about this benefit. Insuring your children within a family policy isn't enough on its own to ensure an accompaniment benefit is included. To appreciate how important accompaniment is you need to ask yourself some questions. Who will pay for you to accompany your child if an emergency evacuation is necessary? Who will pay for your accommodation while you are living away from your overseas home in order for you to be close to your child? This is a vital area of cover for parents and one which needs to be examined in detail, so read the small print. With some policies only insured adults are covered to travel with a child, or there may be a maximum age restriction, or the accompanying adult may have to be a family member. The rules vary between policies, so it is important to know what your particular plan is offering. Also some policies offer accommodation only, while others include both travel and accommodation expenses. Beware, some policies do not offer this benefit at all.
Emergency evacuation
BUPA International's records show that every month on average 20 of its policyholders will be removed from danger from locations as diverse as deepest Africa and downtown Oslo to receive urgent medical treatment that is unavailable locally. All of which suggests that emergency evacuation for expats is an absolute essential. Plans differ widely, in that some include this benefit as standard, while others offer it as an optional bolt-on to a standard plan.
Air-lifts to hospitals are often described as wings of mercy, not least by those who have had to call upon such services. It's one matter covering against unexpected illness or injury but the location of any such misfortune is important, too. Often these events happen in places with no regular transport, let alone medical assistance, and in some cases the location of any accident or injury could be remote. Accessibility is crucial in an emergency. That's why the air-lift benefit can prove vital.
Pregnancy cover and routine complications
Maternity and childbirth care is a classic example of a category which is an essential benefit to one family and a total waste of premiums to another. If you are starting a family, or plan to start a family, a policy which covers the costs of maternity and childbirth care will bring a sense of security and peace of mind. Look for those more comprehensive plans which cover both normal childbirth care and births which meet complications. You will find some plans even cover home births. If you know maternity care is not required, nor ever will be, look more closely at plans which have this as a optional extra and not as an integral benefit.
Out-of-area cover and home country cover
Where you live has a direct impact on healthcare policy premiums. Probably the most favourably priced zone is Europe. However, even when you are resident in a European country, if you intend to travel further afield either for work or pleasure you will need to check which policies offer out-of-area cover and for what periods. Some plans offer generous amounts of time per annum for travel away, but always check exactly what is and what's not covered and what's the benefit limit (there will be one).
If you do venture outside your policy's defined geographical zone, don't skimp on cover. Many policy providers offer limited cover even in the "expensive" regions, typically North America, Canada and the Caribbean, over a set period or number of days per annum at either no extra charge or for a minimal sum.
Alternatively, buying in extra insurance to cover short periods of time spent in those out-of-area territories as well as for visits back home, need not be too expensive and will prove cheap in comparison to the financial outlay you might have to make should a medical emergency arise.
And remember if your travels take you to a less developed location, emergency medical evacuation cover will be essential for real peace of mind. Double check with your insurance provider that your policy has this benefit and double check that the benefit extends to all the countries you will travel to.
Road ambulance
This is one of those types of benefit which no-one would ever think about until, of course, they came to need it. When we imagine an illness or accident, we think of hospitalisation and operating theatres - we never think of how we're going to get to them. Given that local road ambulance service is generally a classified benefit in its own right, check that it is listed in the standard benefits of your chosen plan. Without it, you risk incurring a bill which you'll sometimes have to pay for before you've even started treatment.
Sporting injuries
Sports lovers should research carefully as to whether sporting injuries are covered. This is a particularly grey area. Insurance policy providers who do cover some sporting injuries may not cover others and do not always state as much on the policy literature. Unfortunately, it is down to the policy-holder to check, and check again. Enquire in detail, making a list of every sport you may indulge in and confirming the cover on each one. Bear in mind that specific areas of cover which have been included in one year's policy may not automatically be included in another, so never make assumptions when renewing a policy. Check to ensure you don't come a cropper with cover when you come a cropper at play.
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