FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please ask your HR for information pertaining to
– your coverage, whether it covers hospitalization or not
– your annual maximum limit
– whether it covers private clinics or special department of public hospitals
– whether it provides international coverage
The insurer covering your company will have all these information. Should you require assistance to review your cover, please feel free to contact us and our consultants will be able to advise you accordingly.
It depends on the level of coverage, age of insured, medical condition, area of coverage, etc.
The key objective of an international health and medical insurance is to cover medical treatment for acute serious illness or injury. After that objective has been met, you can add dental or/and maternity coverage into your policy. Should you need to discuss further, feel free to contact us.
Generally, your insurance in your home country covers the medical costs in your home country only. For international medical cost, it will either be excluded or only a small amount will be covered. If you are staying abroad long enough, for example 3 months, you should consider buying an international medical or travel insurance.
No need. On the application form, a medical questionnaire is enclosed. You just need to answer the medical questions. For major pre-existing medical conditions, you will be requested to provide recent medical report.
Health insurance is always necessary. At the very least, hospitalization coverage is a must in case of an accident as hospitalization cost can be very expensive. Some policies are designed specifically to meet the needs of young, health expatriate. Do feel free to contact us to discuss further.
You are eligible for cover if you live or work outside of the country for which you are a passport holder. Most insurers will place an age ceiling for new applicants, varying from 60-75. Feel free to contact us should you need to discuss further.
Yes. Your spouse or adult partner, (whether or not of the same sex), who is permanently living with you can be included as a Dependant. Also, unmarried child/children/dependent(s) under the age of 18 if living with you, or 23 if in full-time education are eligible for cover. Some insurers automatically cover newborn, some up to 90 days. Generally, the minimum age for purchasing a policy is 18. Please feel free to contact us to discuss further.
Cover for all pre-existing conditions are excluded during the first two years of membership. After this period, should an eligible Medical Condition reoccur, provided you have been free of any symptoms, treatment or advice for a continuous period of two years since joining the plan, then future costs will be covered, subject to the terms of your policy.
Yes. Whether you are traveling on holiday or business, you are covered worldwide. If you did not include USA in your area of coverage, it will only be limited to Accident and Emergency Treatment only or it may not be covered at all depending on the plan chosen.
You are free to seek treatment anywhere within your chosen area of coverage. Traveling expenses will only be covered under the evacuation benefit if treatment is not available or appropriate locally.
Yes, most insurers do cover for winter/water sports. Should an accident occur while you are engaged in the sport, if you have opted for medical evacuation, your insurer should cover for rescue services from the place of accident to the medical treatment facility.
Depending on what you are claiming for, immediate coverage is possible if you can prove simultaneous transference from an equivalent insurance with another international health insurance company or in the event of acute, serious illness or injury. Insurers usually impose a waiting period which is the length of time you have to wait before making a claim. Different medical treatment has different waiting period.
The policy excess or annual deductible is the total amount you have agreed to pay before the insurer will reimburse. Deductibles can be per policy or per medical claim.
For planned admission to hospital, it is advisable to contact your insurer to clarify and to make payment arrangement. It is important to have a detailed list of benefits and exclusions which can be obtained from your insurer.
You will have a 14-30 day cooling off period, depending on insurer, from receipt of your membership documents in which you can change your level of cover or cancel your policy. After the cooling off period, the terms and conditions stipulated in your policy will remain unchanged until renewal. It is important that you receive all the important information before making that decision.
Yes, you will be covered if you are diagnosed with cancer after purchase of your medical insurance. It will be covered under in-patient and out-patient treatment. Depending on the development of your cancer, it may be considered as a chronic condition which will then be subjected to the limit set by your insurer. If you are diagnosed with cancer prior to purchase, it is considered as a pre-existing condition and therefore, most insurers do not cover. There are some who do but with loading. Should you need to discuss further, please feel free to contact us.
Whether chiropractics/osteopathy is covered or not and the level of coverage will depend on the terms and conditions of your policy. Should you require chiropractics/osteopathy to be included in your cover, feel free to contact us and our consultants will be able to advise you accordingly.
Whether physiotherapy is covered or not and the level of coverage will depend on the terms and conditions of your policy. Should you require physiotherapy to be included in your cover, feel free to contact us and our consultants will be able to advise you accordingly.
This all depends on the coverage that your company provides and what you need. You should ask your company to provide a detailed list of benefits and exclusions which should also include information such as:
– your coverage, whether it covers hospitalization or not
– your annual maximum limit
– whether it covers private clinics or special department of public hospitals
– whether it provides international coverage
The insurer covering your company will have all these information. Should you require assistance to review your cover, please feel free to contact us and our consultants will be able to advise you accordingly.
A travel insurance provides short-term medical coverage with no guarantee of renewal. An international medical insurance provides long-term medical coverage with guarantee of renewal.
What constitutes a good international medical insurance will depend largely on your personal circumstances. It is important to work out your needs so as to have a clear picture of what you are looking for. Feel free to contact us to discuss further.
Some insurers cover only group insurance. Thus your cover will cease when you are no longer with the company. Some insurers are able to continue your cover when you leave the company. The terms and benefits may remain the same or differ, depending on insurer. It is important to ensure that you get coverage even after you leave the company, regardless of your state of health. Thus do look for insurers which are able to provide guaranteed lifetime renewal. Feel free to contact us to discuss further.
It all depends on whether the local health system is acceptable to you and your loved ones. In some countries, there is a long waiting list and priority goes to local nationals verses expatriates.
It all depends on your future plans and whether the local medical facilities are acceptable to you or not. If you intend to stay permanently in the country where you have been relocated to, and that the local health system is decent and accessible to you, a local supplementary health insurance could be sufficient. However, if you plan to relocate, having a good international health insurance in place would be a wise decision.
You will have a 14-30 day cooling off period, depending on insurer, from receipt of your membership documents in which you can change your level of cover or cancel your policy. After the cooling off period, the terms and conditions stipulated in your policy will remain unchanged until renewal. It is important that you receive all the important information before making that decision.
Assuming the claim is covered under your plan, all the paperwork are completed and received by your insurer within the time period set out, you should receive your claim in about 2 weeks.
Yes, depending on what you are claiming for, this is possible if you can prove simultaneous transference from an equivalent insurance with another international health insurance company or in event of acute, serious illness or injury. It is always advisable to check with your insurer. Different medical treatment has different waiting periods.
Premium increase at renewal is adjusted based on medical inflation, loading and your move into a new age band and not according to the number of claims you made previously.
At application, you will be required to fill in a Medical Questionnaire. It is important that you provide accurate information. And if you are not sure as to what should be included, it is better to ask.
If you want to change to a new insurer, make sure that your coverage is the same as your current policy. If you are receiving treatment under your current policy, you can apply for CPME under your new policy so as to ensure that your coverage is not interrupted. Be careful not to lose coverage just because you want to save cost. A word of caution, agents or intermediaries are paid based on commission. Make sure you have a very good reason before you switch insurer.
An expat medical insurance is designed specifically to meet the changing needs of expatriates. It provides expatriates with access to more choices and high level of medical advice, treatment and facility wherever and whenever they need.
The process of choosing the best international health and medical plan for you and your loved ones is an extremely challenging and demanding process. Thus it is important that you work with the right party who is able to give you sound advice. Choose an intermediary who is professional, experienced, knowledgeable, truly independent and has professional liability.
An intermediary is a third party who offers intermediation services between two parties. In purchasing an International health and medical insurance, one can either go through an intermediary or directly with an insurer or their appointed agent. In choosing which intermediary to work with, one has to ensure that the intermediary is independent and has professional liability.
Most expat medical insurers provide coverage for cancer in their standard plan. Cover may include diagnosis, treatment, surgery, therapy, reconstructive surgery, home nursing, etc. It is important to read what is cover, what is not and the policy wordings before you purchase.
A pre-existing condition is any medical condition which you have had before your policy started.
Yes, unmarried child/children/dependent(s) under the age of 18 if living with you, or 23 if in full-time education are eligible for cover. Some insurers automatically cover newborn, some up to 90 days. Generally, the minimum age for purchasing a policy is 18. Please feel free to contact us to discuss further.
Yes, they will be (even if same sex).
Chronic condition is defined as a disease, illness or injury that possesses at least one of the following characteristics:
ongoing and has no known cure
likely to re-occur
permanent
requires long-term treatment
Some insurers have differing definition of chronic conditions. Some do not cover at all. Some do but with certain terms and conditions. Feel free to contact us to discuss further.
You will have a 14-30 day cooling off period, depending on insurer, from receipt of your membership documents in which you can change your level of cover or cancel your policy. If you decide to cancel and no claims have been made, the insurer will arrange a full refund of any premium paid, provided that they receive your written authority to cancel within the stipulated period. It is important to receive all the important information before making the decision.
This is dependent on the terms and benefits of your policy. If you have chosen a certain level of excess or annual deductible, insurers will only reimburse after that level is achieved. Insurers will pay what is considered usual and customary while your policy is in force.
Premium increase is due to various factors and age is one of them. As we get older, our body system deteriorates and we are likely to need more medical treatment. This in turn increases the risk exposure of the insurer, which is reflected in the premium. Most insurers will limit the premium increase at age 80.
Most insurers do not pay for investigations into and the treatment of infertility, contraception, assisted reproduction, sterilization (or its reversal) or any consequence of any of them or of any treatment for them. Even if some do, the amount is limited. Please feel free to contact us to discuss further.
Yes, cosmetic surgery will only be paid if it is administered immediately after an accident or disease. No insurers will pay for cosmetic (aesthetic) surgery or treatment, or any treatment relating to previous cosmetic or reconstructive treatment.
Yes, this can be included in your cover. The level of coverage will depend on your terms and conditions. If you require this to be covered in your policy, feel free to contact us for further discussion.
To make a claim,
- you can either pay first and claim later, or
- your insurer will pay directly to your clinic or hospital due to the direct payment network already established or payment guarantee issued prior to admission, or
- in cases where you need to be hospitalized immediately, most insurers will pay out directly provided they are informed within the time period set out in your policy agreement, usually within 48 hours of admission
If you are applying as an individual, all insurers will have a waiting period of between 10-12 months. The only way out to avoid waiting period is to join a group plan, where you are covered by your husband’s company or your employer covers you. Should you need to discuss further, feel free to contact us.
