Ten key questions to ask when choosing international health insurance

17 January 2012 - Arranging international health insurance doesn’t have to be a difficult or daunting process. To make it easier, here are 10 key questions to ask, which could help you find the right plan and insurance provider for you.

1. Do I need worldwide cover?
If you’re an expat and you want to get treatment in the country where you’re living as well as in your home country or if you live in your home country but want more treatment options than the ones available there, then an international plan might be best for you. All international health insurance plans generally offer access to healthcare treatment anywhere in the world, which means that you get a massive range of choice when it comes to who, where and how you receive treatment for the medical conditions you cover.

2. Do I need access to outpatient care, like a GP for instance?
If you want your health insurance to cover things like visits to doctors, physiotherapists, dermatologists, paediatricians etc, then consider adding outpatient care to your plan. You should start by checking what services are publically available through your local healthcare system. If they’re not what you’re looking for, then you might consider adding outpatient care to your plan.

3. Do I need access to routine and complex dental care, for things like check-ups and fillings?
It’s often a good idea to add dental care to you plan, as it can be quite expensive to arrange when you’re abroad. Cover for routine dental care usually refers to treatment like regular check ups, scale and polishes and fillings. Complex dental treatment includes procedures like new or repairs to crowns, dentures, inlays and bridges. It’s worth noting that there’s likely be a waiting period before you can access dental care benefits. Typically you’ll need to be covered for between six and nine months before this benefit can be used. It’s also common that there is a co-insurance involved so you will share the cost of the treatment with your health insurance provider. Typically this will be around the 20% of the total bill.

4. Do I need access to routine maternity care?
If you’re thinking of starting or adding to your family, it’s worth considering a routine maternity option in your plan. Most insurance providers will cover the costs of emergency treatment during pregnancy and childbirth as standard, but not the routine costs. These would be things like pre and post-natal check-ups, scans and delivery costs for natural and C-section births.
Like dental care, there is always a waiting period before you can access this benefit. Typically it ranges from between nine and twelve months.

5. Do I have any pre-existing medical conditions that I need to declare?
These are any conditions that you currently have or have suffered from in the past. It’s important to declare all material facts to your insurance provider, otherwise your policy will become invalid.

6. Do I have any way of managing what my plan costs?
Most insurance providers will let you reduce your monthly premiums by adding an excess or deductible to your policy. This means that you will contribute that amount to the cost of any treatment.

7. Does this insurance provider offer everything I need?
Once you’ve decided on the key benefits that your plan needs to have, only consider providers who offer them all.

8. Do they have a good service track record?
As well as looking closely at a provider’s plans, it’s also worth finding out more about their customer service. For example, do they have service guarantees around how fast they pay claims or send out correspondence?

9. Do they give me the option to manage my plan online?
If you travel a lot and don’t having time for posting claims and calling to find out if your claim has been reimbursed, then look out for some of the providers who have online claims tracking.

10. Are they financially secure?
Look at a provider’s financial strength and stability. Ask who insures their business and how much experience they have in international health insurance.

Source: Now Health International