International health insurance: 6 tips to help you
Choosing international or local health insurance is an important step in expatriation. This insurance is often essential and there are many points to check before choosing the right on. In this article you can find 6 points to help you choose international health insurance.
1. Better quality care
Living abroad can hold many surprises, good or bad. The experience of an accident or a serious illness in a country where you do not know the healthcare system, is often difficult.
Cultural differences, the language barrier or the failing health system in the host country are all elements that can make the process difficult.
An international health insurance will facilitate your procedures and will offer you the possibility to receiving the best care in the best hospitals. As well as the guarantee of access to a quality private health system with English speaking doctors.
2. Tailor-made for expats
Expatriate life is often punctuated between trips, business or leisure. Unlike local health insurance which can be offered, but including geographic constraints. An international health insurance will follow the expatriates lifestyle by covering them everywhere in the world.
Most insurance companies offer you coverage for the whole world or the whole world except USA / Canada. If you travel or move between countries often, international medical insurance is the best option as it will follow your journey throughout your life abroad (depending on the coverage area chosen).
3. Possibility to receive treatment in their origin country
It’s hard to find a doctor you can trust. When you live abroad, it is reassuring to consult this doctor, to receive his advice and care.
This is why an international insurance can cover the consultation costs, if this doctor is in your origin country. It is therefore reassuring to be able to continue to consult your family doctor during your holidays or to be able to seek treatment in hospitals in your country in the event of a delicate illness near your family.
In addition, if you move abroad you lose your rights to social security in your country, because you will no longer be a taxpayer. Consultations and hospitalizations will become chargeable. So it is important to choose the right health insurance, so what is the best international health insurance? the answer here
4. Financial guarantees
The main purpose of insurance is to refund your health costs, whether daily or more important. In case of an accident or a long illness, hospital costs in certain countries can be astronomical. Take the example of Hong Kong, more information on Hong Kong care here. Hospital costs are high and the care, although of very good quality, can put you in debt for a long time.
In addition in some countries, a single night of hospitalization in a private hospital can cost more than 1000 euros. And in case of a medical emergency or an accident, the guarantee of health insurance allows you to seek treatment in the best conditions, without worrying about financial matters.
5. Faster treatment
As indicated in the previous point, international health insurance offers you a financial guarantee. But this guarantee can also save you a lot of time, especially in critical situations.
Indeed in some countries where waiting times in public hospitals are long, for an appointment or an emergency. Health insurance allows you to have access to private hospitals which have had much shorter deadlines.
More importantly in some countries, like Thailand, hospitals require payment or a payment guarantee before providing care. It will be impossible for you to seek treatment without being able to pay. International health insurance offers you this guarantee. It’s very important in critical situations.
6. Being able to choose the best care
It is essential to have the choice! The choice in hospitals and doctors, to be as serene as possible. And the financial guarantee explained in point 4 can allow you to choose the doctor and hospital of your choice.
For example, the possibility of choosing a specific specialist on your pathology or more simply an English speaking doctor. Understanding is the key to getting the best care.
But choice have a price, and that price is often very high. This is why health insurance gives you access to hospitals while controlling your health expenses.
How to find this insurance?
The easiest way is to compare all the offers one by one. But the waste of time will be considerable.
To help you in this process, be help by a broker is often the most advantageous solution, because they can give you advice and direct you to the right insurance.
Our team of experts can help you with this process, and help you to find the perfect insurance for your needs. In addition, our perfect knowledge of Hong Kong, thanks to our representative office on site, allows us to stay informed as much as possible and to be as close as possible to help you. Contact us!
You can also read our article which lists the qualities of good insurance here.
