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Your international medical insurance checklist

Before choosing your International Medical Insurance, you need to consider which health insurance plan is right for you and whether it has the right medical insurance benefits. The following list, based on helpful documents provided by Interglobal, outlines some of the benefits from which you can choose in order to decide which health insurance plan best suits your needs.

Cancelling Your Health Insurance

When you have chosen a health insurance plan, some policies allow you to cancel your plan in full within a certain time frame should you change your mind after reading the policy documents. Some will keep a percentage of your deposit. If you are not 100% sure of your choice when you sign up, make sure that your healthcare policy provides a full refund.

International Health Insurance Helpline

Should you need medical treatment and you are not sure whether you are covered in full or in part by your international health insurance, does your health insurance provider have a helpline you can phone? Is this a limited service which you can only reach during working hours in the UK or does your health insurance provider offer its helpline service 24-hours a day, 7 days a week? Should a doctor or overseas hospital worker need to speak to your insurance company about your treatment, is the helpline multi-lingual? Ensure that your insurance company can communicate in full with whoever is providing medical treatment so that no misunderstandings about what your health insurance company will pay for arise.

Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation

While it is unsettling to consider the possibility of contracting an illness or receiving an injury severe enough to require emergency evacuation and repatriation to the UK, this scenario happens regularly. The costs can be overwhelming and only increase where your family and dependents need to travel with you. If you will not be able to cover the costs of flights and accommodation and even an air ambulance should you or a family member need to return home to the UK for medical treatment, then it is vital that you purchase a health insurance plan that will cover these costs.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

How does your international health insurance plan treat pre-existing and chronic medical conditions? If you suffer from a pre-existing condition that will require further treatment or a chronic medical condition then you should choose a health insurance plan that provides as much medical cover as possible for these conditions. Some health insurance plans will not cover you for pre-existing conditions for as much as five years, some for only two and some will not cover you at all for any illness or chronic condition that was diagnosed before you took out your health insurance policy. Make sure that your health insurance will enable you to get the treatment you need.

Direct Payment

Could you afford to pay for your treatment while you wait for reimbursement from your health insurance provider? If not, choose a provider who will pay the hospital or clinic directly so you do not end up out of pocket while dealing with an illness or injury.

Health Insurance Claim Forms

Does your health insurance policy provide for pre-authorisation of treatment or do you have to pay for your treatment and then file a medical insurance claim, hoping that it will not be rejected? Many health insurance providers prefer to consider your claim after-the-fact when you have paid for treatment and then filled out a form asking for reimbursement. Some policies will provide pre-authorisation for medical treatment where you can get approval over the phone for medical care without fear of having your claim rejected after the fact. If your health insurance provider says that you are not covered for a particular treatment and you cannot afford the costs, then you have the opportunity to seek alternate treatment that you can afford.

No Claims Discount

Some health insurance policies will offer a no claims discount similar to car insurance. If you remain healthy and do not file a claim for a certain length of time then some health insurance providers will then provide additional benefits or reduce your insurance premium.

Voluntary deductible (excess)

If you are in good health and are unlikely to need regular medical care or if you can afford to pay a small percentage of the costs of your medical treatment then taking out a health insurance policy with a voluntary deductible can reduce the cost of your health insurance premium.

Home Country Health Insurance Cover

Does your international health insurance policy cover you if you return home to the UK? Will you need cover in the UK? You should be certain that you are covered by your health insurance policy when you return to the UK, at the very least, make sure that you can claim free treatment from the NHS when you return to the UK and that you are happy to go through the NHS should you need medical treatment.

Emergency Medical Cover While Travelling

Some health insurance policies will only provide cover in one primary country of residence. If you travel regularly or will be travelling outside your country of residence, make certain that your health insurance will cover you for medical emergencies wherever you may be.

War and Terrorism

Will you be living or working in a country which has a threat of war or terrorism? If you are then you should consider an international health insurance policy which offers a passive War and Terrorism clause. This will ensure that you will have medical cover in the event that you are affected by an act of terrorism or find yourself caught in a war zone.

Out-Patient medical Treatment Cover

Not all international health insurance plans cover out-patient medical treatment. Unless you are prepared to pay for visits to the doctor or medical treatment which does not require a stay in hospital then look for an insurance plan which has out-patient medical treatment cover. Be sure to read the fine print regarding the level of out-patient treatment that your health insurance will cover. Some policies will only offer limited out-patient cover and some will give you full out-patient medical cover but at a higher price.

Delays to Out Patient Health Insurance Claims

Does your health insurance provider give a maximum time you will have to wait for a reimbursement for any out-patient medical care that you have received? Some insurance companies will guarantee a maximum turnaround time on dealing with your health insurance claim which means that you will not have to worry about how long you might wait to get financially reimbursed for any money you have paid for the costs of medical treatment.

Doctors’ Fees

Make certain that your doctor's fees are included in the health insurance cover you receive. Not all plans cover these fees or the costs of prescribed medication - they may only cover the costs of hospital stays and procedures. Be fully aware of whether or not your health insurance covers your GP's charges as well as treatment and what percentage of your doctor's charges - you may have to pay an excess.

Wellness benefit

You should look for an international health insurance plan that covers the costs of preventative medical treatments such as regular check-ups, cervical smear tests, mammograms, hearing tests, flu jabs and any other routine and regular procedures that your doctor may recommend to prevent you falling ill.

Chronic Medical Conditions

While most international health insurance policies will cover the costs to help stabilise a chronic medical condition with which you are diagnosed after you take out your policy, not all plans will cover you for ongoing maintenance. More and more international medical insurance companies are adding ongoing care for chronic conditions to their coverage so it is important, especially if you are of retirement age, to look for a plan which offers this so you will not have to worry about covering the costs of ongoing medical treatment should you contract a chronic condition.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Doctors are increasingly referring patients for alternative and complementary medical treatment from chiropractors, osteopaths, homeopaths, reflexologists and acupuncturists. If you like to use complementary medicine to maintain your health or you would consider using a doctor's referral for one of these services, then look for a health insurance plan that will offer cover for complementary medicine.

Dental treatment

Most health insurance providers will offer some level of dental protection as part of your international health insurance plan. You should ensure that you can receive in-patient treatment for accidental damage to natural teeth should you need it. You should also consider paying extra to receive emergency out-patient dental cover as well as cover for routine dental treatment such as x-rays, fillings, root canal surgery and other standard dental procedures.

Maternity Cover

If there is a possibility that you will get pregnant while living abroad, you should consider an international health insurance policy that offers Maternity Cover. This will typically come as an add-on to your health insurance which you can remove when you renew your policy should maternity cover cease to be necessary.

Compassionate Emergency Travel Home

Some international health insurance policies will pay for the cost of airfare back to the UK in the event of a medical emergency or death of a close family member. Purchasing a flight at short notice can be expensive so having compassionate emergency travel cover can offer peace of mind that you can afford to travel to be with your family should they need you.

Legal Expenses Cover

Some private health insurance policies will offer you the option of insuring yourself for legal cover should you be injured as a result of third party negligence. This means, should you be in an accident or suffer an injury that is not your fault, your insurance will pay for you to pursue a compensation claim against the person responsible.

Complaints

Should you have a problem with the way a claim has been handled by your health insurance provider you want to make sure that your health insurance company has a formal complaints procedure so that you can ensure that your opinions will be considered and you have recourse to appeal decisions made by your insurer.

These are just some of the important considerations you should make when considering your international medical insurance plans. If you would like further advice or a free, no obligation review of your international private healthcare, Chase Templeton has a team of highly trained private healthcare specialists available to provide you with a comprehensive review of the Private Medical Insurance market to ensure that you get the right health insurance plan for you.

If you want to discuss your international health insurance requirements with an independent international insurance broker please phone us on 0800 018 3633 to speak to an insurance advisor or email us today!

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