expat health insurance

Many expats are planning or have already booked a trip home in Christmas. When heading back from an expat assignment, we need to get a list of things such as plane tickets, gifts, hotels, etc. However, many may forget one less obvious thing: international health insurance. Be aware of your options for health care insurance coverage while you are celebrating Christmas with your family this winter.

To get the best protection, most expats will select the most common and relevant plans like travel insurance or annual international health insurance. Travel insurance is designed specifically to provide medical coverage while the policyholder is not at their country of citizenship. Annual international insurance is designed to provide ongoing

coverage for medical health care anywhere in the world. Expats may have coverage that only covers them in their expat assignment country, so they may want to get travel medical insurance for short trips abroad. If an expat is traveling home, he or she should make sure that the travel medical insurance plan will cover a trip to one’s country of citizenship. Some plans will include a trip home with a home return rider.

Despite the flexibility travel insurance holds, an annual international health insurance plan will be the better of the two regarding the actual level of coverage and service. This is because travel plans are designed to cover emergencies only incidents outside one’s country of citizenship. Many people may not realize that travel insurance plans will exclude any medical costs related to conditions such as pregnancy, pre-existing medical conditions, and accidents from sports, etc. In fact, travel insurance plans have more exclusions than an ordinary health insurance policy and many people are too late to know. International health insurance plans offer international direct

billing and can reimburse you for expenses much faster. You don’t need to pay for most medical expenses out of pocket. Furthermore, international insurance is a long-term medical plan focusing on recovery regardless of restrictive time limits and location. For example, if you applied for medical travel insurance and had an accident during your trip, you won’t be approved for coverage extension even though you need the treatment. When your travel insurance is coming to an end, you will be underwritten again, and the extended travel policy will not cover the treatment. However, international health insurance will still cover your expenses for the injury if you decided to extend your trip.

Finally, an international health plan will generally cover you globally excluding or including the USA. If you are an American expat, make sure that your expat health plan covers the USA if you plan to take a short visit home. Another option is to purchase short-term travel medical insurance for that trip to the USA, but make sure it covers you in your country of citizenship while living abroad.

Expat Financial offers a variety of international insurance plans on a group or individual basis. To maximize your expat experience and avoid unforeseen risks and costs, please contact us today to discuss your international insurance needs and requirements. Toll-free number: 1-800-232-9415 or email [email protected]