International Major Medical Insurance

What is the best global health insurance plan that fits your needs?

As you are getting ready to become an expat, there will be plenty of things you’ll need to remember to do ahead of your move. One of the most important items on your checklist should be finding the best expat health insurance plan to fit your needs.

Find the Global Health Insurance Plan That’s Right for You:

There are lots of factors you will need to consider when you are choosing your plan and you’ll have to remember to pick the best plan to suit your individual needs. To help you get ready for your expat move, we’ve prepared this article which gives an overview of the questions you should be asking, what you’ll need to check for and which companies are the leading health insurers in the market.

How long are you planning on living abroad?

This might be a tricky question for some expats to answer as they are getting prepared for their move. You might not know at the moment the answer to the question and you might be planning to move abroad and see how it goes before your decide on how long you’ll stay.

If you are planning on living abroad long-term, we would strongly recommend that you get health insurance. Getting travel insurance just won’t work as this is only meant for short holiday trips and will not be sufficient. Most of the time, the longer you are planning on living abroad for a long time, the greater need you will have for health insurance.

digital nomad during the COVID-19 pandemic

What level of cover will you be going with?

Usually there will be lots of different levels for insurance cover, each costing a certain amount. All levels of the insurance cover things like hospital accommodation and surgeon’s fees.

Each plan level will usually have a various number of degrees for coverage in areas such as:

  • Physiotherapy
  • Rehab
  • Medical imaging, etc

Keep in mind that plans will have a maximum figure that you can claim per period of cover. The plans with the highest amount of benefit claims available, will also be the most expensive plans.

Are you moving abroad on your own or with family?

This will be the another question to ask yourself as you prepare to look for health insurance for your move abroad. If you are moving on your own, you’ll be able to just look for an insurance plan for yourself and it might be tempting to just go for the cheapest option.

But if you are moving with your family, they will need to be covered too. You should also consider having a plan that will cover pregnancy after the standard 12 month waiting period as such expenses can run into the hundreds of thousands if not insured.

Do you have a pre-existing health condition?

Another thing to consider is if yourself or any family members have a pre-existing health condition. Health insurance companies will ask you questions about this as you are going through the process of buying your plan.

If you have pre-exiting conditions, health insurance companies may or may not be able to provide coverage for them. This will be explained during the process of buying your plan which pre-existing health conditions are covered. Note that some pre-existing conditions may be covered by the expat insurer, but it really depends on the history, treatment, is there any ongoing treatment, cost, and the underwriter guidelines. You really don’t know for sure until you get a quote and apply online. You can contact us and discuss your condition and we can get you our opinion based on our extensive knowledge and experience in sourcing expat healthcare for expatriates and global nomads around the globe.

Health Insurance Cover

Do you wear glasses or contacts?

You may need to get cover for eye care, such as glassed or contacts. This is very important. Expats might not know this and it may come as a surprise but be warned, it can be very expensive to go for an eye exam abroad.

There are some health insurers who will cover this cost for you.  For example, with Cigna Global, they have an International Vision and Dental benefit that’ll pay for your routine eye exams and the good news is that will cover the cost of glasses and contact lenses.

What is the best global health insurance company to go with?

There are a lot of different options for you when it comes to selecting a health insurance company to provide your plan. A quick google search and you’ll see that there are many different companies that can offer you an expat insurance plan. Here is a breakdown of some of the top companies on the market:

Cigna

One of the most popular plans on offer is from Cigna Global.Cigna Global offer many different plans to choose from and can offer plans to meet almost any budget. Cigna has 3 core plans on offer:

  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Platinum
  • AND the Close Care plan that limits your coverage to destination country and country of citizenship

Cigna also gives you the option of paying for your plan in either USD or pounds sterling with many different plan options. Their plan is also ideal for insured nomads and those who are planning on being expats for life or over 65 as there’s no age limit. Their service and coverage is excellent and backed by a very large and well known insurance company with unlimited resources.

Allianz

Next up on our list is Allianz Care. Just like Cigna, Allianz Care offer three plan levels to choose from:

  • Core
  • Core Plus
  • Core Pro

The plans they offer include a choice of three different areas of cover:

  • Worldwide coverage including USA
  • Worldwide excluding USA
  • Africa Only

Click here to find out more about getting a quote for a global health insurance plan from Allianz. Allianz is a very well know European insurance company with excellent capabilities to match. They can cover new expat applicants who are 69 years or younger.

GeoBlue

Another option to consider is GeoBlue. GeoBlue offer plans that are specifically designed for American expats. So if you are moving from the US and want to rely on a US health insurer, this plan could be the one for you.

The Xplorer plan is an annual plan that includes comprehensive coverage inside and outside the U.S. It is designed for individuals and their families. Find out more about the GeoBlue plan HERE.

Why Choose Expat Financial When Searching For Expat Healthcare?

Regardless of which company you decide to go with, Expat Financial will be in a position to help you. We can offer:

  • Excellent customer service from a large and global insurance company, but also our assistance at no extra cost.
  • We are your advocate both before and after you apply.
  • Choice of several plans and options – including cover for geographic regions & currencies
  • Great value – from basic to comprehensive plans – you choose the coverage and options that can fit almost any budget.
  • Financial stability from our insurers, which are stable & financial secure companies.

Expat Financial – An Expat Health Insurance Resource for Global Citizens & Insured Nomads

When it comes to searching for international medical coverage, Expat Financial offers international health insurance plans for individual expats as well as those who would like cover for their entire family. We can offer plans from leading expat health insurance providers including the above, but also many others.

Note that expat health plans for individuals are subject to medical evidence and your premium and coverage is also subject to the insurance company’s underwriting approvals. Get a global health plan you can afford BEFORE you need it as that is how insurance works. If you have an existing expat health plan and you have pre-existing conditions, be very careful switching to a new policy as individual insured plans have medical underwriting and might not be able to cover you or your condition.

Please get in touch to discuss your global health insurance needs or get a quote online.