International Healthcare: the rules

While today’s range of health insurance products means that you can find and even design one that’s exactly right for you and yours, it’s likely that you will need a health insurance professional to help you obtain what you need.  It’s not surprising when you consider the thousands of different combinations of insurance needs thrown up by the basic check list of questions. Where are you going? How long do you intend to stay?  How old are you? Are you going to be working? Do you receive a UK pension? And that’s before anybody discusses health, family circumstances or medical history.

You’d be surprised at the number of UK expatriates living in the EU who thought that the old E111 European medical assistance form would give them complete access to the national health care provisions of the country in which they had settled. They were wrong. Of course the E111 has long since been replaced by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Whilst you should always carry one in your back pocket if you’re simply visiting, remember that it is for emergency use only and is designed to help you with conditions that arise during your stay. It will give you the same level of treatment a resident of that country would expect.

International Healthcare | Contributory costs

Of course, some countries expect their citizens to pay a contribution towards the cost of treatment, and that will include you. The cost of repatriation is certainly not covered, so it is important to have both an EHIC and a valid private travel insurance policy. In fact some insurers now insist you hold an EHIC and many will waive the excess if you have one.

There is a clear division between those countries where some free healthcare might be available to you and those where it’s not. On the one hand there are the nations in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. And on the other, there is the rest of the world. The EEA is composed of the EEC nations plus Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland. If you’re planning to live outside these areas, you will not be covered by healthcare paid for by the UK, and the sooner you start exploring the health insurance options open to you the better.

If you already have health insurance in the UK then that will be the place to start. This is because you will achieve continuity of underwriting and maintain any no claims bonuses you may have accrued. Your policy will still need to be reviewed in the light of the level of medical care available in your destination country. For instance, you may wish to add in repatriation charges - but at least you’ll avoid fresh set-up costs.  Within the EEA, the rules on how much help you can expect are complex to say the least. Furthermore, once you’ve moved, you won’t be entitled to the EHIC. In fact if you want to come home on a visit, you’ll need to apply for an EHIC issued by your new country of residence. On the other hand, if you’re receiving a UK state pension or long-term incapacity benefit, you should be covered to receive state healthcare paid for by the UK. But it is definitely worth checking exactly what’s available where you’re going. If you’re not in receipt of a UK benefit, you’re under retirement age and you don’t intend to work in your new home, you may still be entitled to two-and-a-half years medical care paid for by the UK.

International Healthcare | Presidential prerogative

Some of our European partner countries are, however, becoming increasingly tetchy about this. President Sarkozy of France, for instance, has just cut this benefit to two years and Spain is providing emergency cover only. If you need other consultations in addition to that then you will have to pay for them personally. Greece no longer offers free state healthcare to retired people entering from another country. Strange, when you consider that one of the major principles of the EEC was freedom of travel and settlement on exactly the same terms as in your original EEC country.
 
Some nations are even making the possession of International Private Medical Insurance compulsory for all new residents, whether working expats or retirees. This is particularly true in the Middle East, where Abu Dhabi and Dubai took the lead in declining free healthcare to incomers of whatever age or working status.

It’s not all bad news. The increasing demand for medical insurance internationally has lead to an explosion in the types and variety of cover available. Value for money has never been better as long as you know what you need and where to look for it. That means talking to an experienced healthcare provider such as ALC Healthcare. Our advice is free and we specialise in ensuring that our clients have the cover that’s exactly right for them and for where they’re going. These days, if you’re going to be living abroad, no matter where you’re going, tailor-made private medical insurance is readily available and it’s no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

‘There is a clear division between those countries where some free healthcare might be available to you and those where it’s not’