INSURANCE

Medical Insurance - Global

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. Read Full Article.