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Expatriate Insurance Tips
Expat Health Insurance Tips - International Health
Insurance
- Don't authorize any major health services or tests such as CT scans on your own once the
immediate emergency is over and your condition is stabilized. This is the responsibility
of your emergency assistance service. Make sure the claims will be covered
by the insurance company
- Always carry the name, telephone and fax numbers of your personal doctor.
- Carry a list of your medications and major illnesses along with prescription/doctor
notes, especially when traveling in the third world. Also, bring a copy of the
prescription if you are going through customs.
- Always examine your health plan before leaving for an overseas assignment and avoid
making last minute decisions.
- Avoid changing insurance companies if you currently have a medical condition which is
being treated or may reoccur. This is because your new plan may not cover that condition
because of the pre-existing clauses in most expatriate health plans.
- Obtain your out-patient medical health plan coverage before you become pregnant, as all
individual plans and most group plans will view it as a pre-existing condition. You will
still be able to get coverage, but with your current pregnancy as an exclusion.
- Article written by International Health Insurance Danmark's Specialist Lene Hoj called
"Precautions When
Traveling and Living
Abroad." More articles on similar subjects at http://www.ihi.dk
- If you are planning to have children in the near future, make sure your current health
plan covers maternity. Many plans don't cover childbirth or only cover it after a 10 to
12 month moratorium. Other health plans will cover maternity as a pre-existing condition
so that it either won't be covered at all or only to a certain maximum. Childbirth
expenses can be extremely high if there are complications.
- Check any health policies you already have very, very carefully. Find out if your coverage extends to emergency medical services outside the
country, what that coverage entails and whether that coverage is adequate if
something goes terribly wrong on your holiday. Then begin shopping for any extra protection you might need
- Don't take chances. Understand, that whether you are out of the country for two hours or two months, accidents are never planned and ill
health can come on very suddenly . You could find yourself too sick to travel home for medical treatment and we all know how expensive even a short
hospital stay can be. Be aware that you can't just buy your insurance when
you start to feel badly. Policies must always be paid in full prior to your departure
- Ask about the company's emergency procedures. What happens if you become injured and need medical assistance immediately? Is their Assistance
Center staffed 24 hours a day? How quickly and effectively will their medical staff react to your particular needs? If their 800 emergency number
doesn't operate from where you are, will they accept collect calls? Will the
person at the other end of the line speak English?
- Never lie on your application! All emergency health insurers have very strict
rules in regard to pre-existing medical conditions. Discuss these carefully with your
insurance company. It's absolute folly to go off without advising them of your medical problems because, in the long run, you will probably lose your
coverage and no payments will be made
- You get what you pay for! Never buy your policy based solely on the amount of the premium. If one insurance company is charging
far less for premiums than another, be wary. This is the time to ask a lot of hard questions because chances are the coverage will be far less, too.
- Try to personalize your policy. Think carefully about the kind of coverage
you need. Are you pregnant? Is this a skiing holiday? Are you traveling with children? Are you a diabetic? All of these factors will play an
important role in your choice of policies and they must be considered very carefully. For example, did you know that many policies don't automatically
cover pregnancy-related conditions or nursery care for premature infants?
- Do your research . Allow the same time and consideration for picking your policy as you would to deciding on a destination, shopping for your
airline ticket or buying a backpack that's just right for you. The wrong backpack can mean a sore back. Choosing the wrong insurance could mean
thousands and thousands of dollars in unnecessary debt!
- Deal with a broker who offers plans from several different insurance
providers.
- Xpatpals.com
- Great expatriate information resource. Expat links, resources and
classifieds.
Expat Life & Disability Insurance Tips
- Make sure the company that insures you is a secure and well known firm that will be
there for the long run
- Term insurance plans which are guaranteed renewable and convertible are well recommended
because if you become less or uninsurable because of sickness, injury or a lifestyle
change, you won't want to re-apply for coverage at the end of the five or ten year term
- If you smoke even one or two cigarettes a year, you'll still be considered a smoker.
Failure to answer honestly to this question may void the life or disability contract in
the event of a claim. Please note that some insurance companies have the same rates
regardless of whether you smoke or not.
- Make sure that the life insurance policy is portable if you change locations
- If you are thinking of starting a family, it is recommended that you obtain your life or
disability insurance before one's spouse is pregnant.
- Remember to pay your premium!
- Also, you should contact your insurance company if you have
changed your automatic banking debit or credit card or your policy
address. Many plans end up lapsing because of change in addresses.
These tips are for information
purposes only. Use of these tips or information are at your own risk.
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