Photo by Jared BelsonWith people travelling from all over the world and relocating overseas, expatriates should take extra precautions when it comes to health and safety. In the last few years, public health experts were on high alert due to the rapid spread of diseases such as the Zika virus, Dengue fever, SARS, Ebola virus, plague and more. In this article, we will discuss several pandemic disease threats and tips for expatriates to protect themselves from those diseases while working and living overseas.
Moving abroad is one of the most important and exciting decisions you will ever make. Living abroad, either permanently or temporarily, can be a challenging and rewarding experience. To stay healthy and fit while living and working abroad, there are many health risks that you will want to avoid.
According to a recent Ernst & Young report, the market for private health insurance in China is increasing at a rapid rate. Insurance premium revenue jumped from RMB 1.5 trillion in 2014 to RMB 2.4 trillion in 2015 and is projected to reach almost RMB 5 trillion in 2020. The increase in premiums must indicate that more and more people are seeking private health insurance to protect themselves from medical costs.
With more than two million visitors each year, Costa Rica is consistently one of the hottest vacation destinations in Central America. More and more people are considering retiring in Costa Rica. In this article we will find out why Costa Rica has become a retirement hot spot for expat retirees.
Working in France yields many benefits when it comes to health insurance. The government-run healthcare program deducts contributions directly from salaries and reimburses patients usually 70 percent of their medical costs. Although this is great news for expats, many residents and expats alike tend to rely on an extended insurance policy known as a mutuelle.
Many expats and global nomads may wonder why they need international health insurance when living abroad. In fact, as a foreign national, you and your family will most likely not be covered by free healthcare in the country where you are residing. Read more
Moving overseas can be very challenging. This is especially true when you are not living alone. With international health insurance at hand, adequately preparing your children of all ages before relocation is very important and it will assist your family with the best start to a new life abroad. The following tips provide information on how to deal with different age groups when moving overseas with children.
Tips for expats when moving to a new country with children:
Many expats are planning or have already booked a trip home at 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 in their country of citizenship. Annual international insurance is designed to provide ongoing coverage for medical healthcare 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 decide 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 unforeseeable 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]
When you are an expatriate living abroad, you are initially faced with the question of local versus international health plan? Which is better for my expatriate assignment, long-term travel or overseas retirement? Some countries can offer local health coverage to expatriates after an initial waiting period. However, the truth is, the local medical plans are not designed for expatriates. An international health insurance plan can provide superior coverage for you and your family that will cover you both locally and globally.
Amazing news for all you global expats. Cigna International is offering a simple Cash Back offer for the Month of October. This first-time promotional period runs from October 1, 2015, through October 31st, 2015. So if you are in the market for an international health insurance plan, this would be a great time to get a quote and apply.
