Thankfully it’s becoming less common for people to travel abroad without first making sure they have some form of health insurance policy in place. A few hard, headline hitting stories about those who have suffered illness, injury or misfortune overseas and been left to fend for themselves - because they were uninsured - have had a positive effect in terms of inspiring others planning on travelling or relocating overseas to get insured before they go.
Nowadays most people understand that their own medical insurance plan will probably become ineffective as soon as they head overseas. As a result, expatriates and international travellers alike now know that it’s important to source a medical and travel insurance bundle that will look after them if they encounter trouble abroad. However, when was the last time you got up close and personal with your international health insurance policy’s small print and policy schedule?
The reason for asking this question is that, despite what many people believe, not all insurance policies are the same…not all offer you the same breadth of service and quality of care. What’s more, there is one very common way for some international health insurers to cut costs and corners when offering a policy up for your consideration.
The majority of health insurance plans that expatriates purchase do not include so-called ‘medical evacuation benefits’ as standard, and this fact can place a massive potential financial and physical burden on you in the event that you’re stranded overseas and you need to get to a centre of care.
Now, you may well have heard of ‘repatriation cover’ – this is cover you can purchase that will ensure you are returned to your nation of origin in the event that you are seriously injured when abroad for example. However, medical evacuation is very different, far more effective, much more likely to be required and yet seldom included in your policy as standard.
Many expatriates live overseas in nations where the healthcare facilities are basic at best, rudimentary or even non-existent at worst. Furthermore, even in a country with a relatively sophisticated level of health care service, it is often the case that there is great distance between hospitals specialising in different types of illness or disease for example.
An expat who falls ill a long way from a decent medical care facility will need transportation to get to the treatment they need. Someone admitted to a basic hospital in one part of a country may benefit from specialist care from a hospital in another part of the country…what’s more, someone who has emergency treatment on the ground may need to be transported to a care facility for recuperation reasons. All such expats would need ‘medical evacuation benefits’ as part of their health insurance policy.
This part of a policy is effective if you need to be moved from your place of injury or illness to a place of specialist care. It also comes into effect if you need to be moved from one hospital to another; what’s more, it is essential if you need specialist transportation and the right medical support staff to enable your transportation. This part of your insurance cover could pay for emergency evacuation by air ambulance, it could pay for ‘routine’ transfer to a different hospital by road ambulance, and it could pay for the doctor, nurse or paramedic to support your transportation for example.
Without medical evacuation benefit you may not be able to afford transportation and you may not be able to source support staff to care for you during your transfer. You may also find it very difficult to be discharged from one hospital and readmitted to another – this is because many insurers will not make interim payments for your care, and because you are moving hospital or facility but continuing care, to your insurer it will be seen as an ongoing claim. However, a hospital you are asking or required to leave may want to be paid in full before they discharge you – and even if you can reclaim anything you have to pay at this point back at the end of the claim when your insurer finally settles up, not everyone will have the cash in the bank or the flexibility in their credit card to cover this interim bill.
As you can see, medical evacuation benefits are critical, very useful, often used and therefore required. Does your health insurance policy include them? If not, or if you would like to learn more about the scope of these benefits, contact HTH Worldwide, specialist insurers for expatriates and global travellers alike. HTH explain that: “buying a more comprehensive plan promotes more appropriate medical care,” and that their tailored policies will always ensure that the individual is properly and appropriately insured.
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