Healthcare - Ensuring good health

The importance of a comprehensive healthcare insurance policy cannot be overemphasised by Dr Sneh Khemka, Medical Director at Bupa International.

Safeguarding your health is one of the key decisions you should make when considering a move overseas, or indeed while living abroad. International health insurance can provide you with the reassurance you need about your health and care. But with so many policies available it can be difficult to know which is the most appropriate one for you.

The growth in the expatriate population means that the international health insurance market is expanding rapidly. Generally, consumers are looking for a fast and efficient service, with timely access to the healthcare facilities they need, all at the right price. Research at Bupa International has shown that peace of mind is the most important factor when choosing your insurer. While price is an important consideration, quality of service, comprehensive coverage and the reputation and experience of the insurer are probably the most influential factors.

A variety of aspects will determine the cost of a policy. The age and medical history of a customer will clearly play a part; where you live influences the cost of purchasing health services on your behalf; and medical inflation, which will be reflected in premiums, continues to rise each year.

However, the financial impact can be reduced through paying a deductible excess. With Bupa International, for example, members can pay an excess of £100, £200, £500 or £1,000, which in turn would cut their monthly premiums depending on which deductible they wished to take.

Private Medical Insurance - Local liability

Cost motivated, long-term expatriates may decide to move their private medical insurance to a local provider once they have been in their new country for a while, but local policies are not always cheaper. Additionally, local insurers often lack the range of services offered by an international company, including the option for global emergency evacuation if you need it.

For the individual, continuity of cover is also an important factor when choosing an insurer. When moving to another provider, costs are often higher as the consumer has to be re-underwritten as they present an unknown risk to the new company.

Anyone taking out international private medical insurance should take care to ensure that the policy covers what they need. Everyone’s requirements are different when it comes to medical cover and the policy should reflect that. Make sure you choose a provider that will cover you worldwide not only for routine conditions, but also for specialist referral, emergency care and hospitalisation.
It is also very important when looking at a policy to make sure you are aware of what the policy does not cover. Some insurers do not cover long-term conditions, for example, hypertension, asthma or diabetes, which are often the aspects of your health that you are most concerned about.

In the case of Bupa International, we recently took the decision to extend our cover of long-term conditions beyond diagnosis to include treatment. Both drugs and consultations are consequently covered. Given the increasing prevalence of these diseases - hypertension, asthma and diabetes - the benefits of this move to customers cannot be underestimated, from both a financial perspective and the peace of mind this extended cover provides.
Many providers will also not cover pre-existing conditions – those that you have when you join or which you have suffered from in the past and which may recur. There may be exceptions to these exclusions and the provider will inform you of this. Bupa International has the flexibility to include these conditions in your policy in many circumstances.

International health insurance policies are renewed on an annual basis and a customer will continue on the same terms as the previous year. So if they’d had a medical condition excluded it still would be, but if a condition has developed within the last year, they will be covered.

It is also important that expatriates know where to go for advice and information about local healthcare arrangements. Look for an insurer that offers a multi-lingual telephone advice line 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, which can answer questions about matters such as inoculation, visa requirements, medical service and legal and embassy referral.

You should also consider whether you would like to be covered for emergency evacuation and repatriation. If you are based in Saudi Arabia for example, where you are likely to be able to access good quality medical treatment, this may not be necessary.

But if you travel a great deal, or live in some less developed parts of the world, it is vital that you have evacuation and repatriation cover so that you can get to the nearest centre of medical excellence to receive the treatment you need. It is also important to find out what you are covered for if you want to return home for treatment.

Comparing medical cover

Check and compare the clinic cover available from insurance providers – this should be as extensive as possible. For example at Bupa International, members have access to a worldwide network of 5,500 hospitals and clinics in 190 different countries.

Having to undergo medical evaluation and treatment can be a difficult and anxious time, so when people are ill, they do not need the added worry of settling bills. Therefore direct settlement is important and makes an enormous difference to people who have international health insurance. This means that customers do not have to pay their bills themselves – the insurer settles them with the hospitals, clinics, doctors and everyone else directly. In a nutshell, they don’t have to worry about paying up front and then claiming back from the insurer later.

What is more, as your insurer settles all hospital bills directly in the local currency, you will not lose out on any currency fluctuations that may occur during your treatment period.

To safely live or move abroad, getting appropriate medical arrangements in place must be a priority. International health insurance offers people peace of mind and the security and confidence to enjoy life overseas.