Posts Tagged ‘expatriate health insurance’

Health Insurance for Aging Expatriates

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Many retirees dream of enjoying their retirement as an expatriate, immersing themselves in a new language, culture and way life. Living out your golden years in another country can be exciting, thrilling and nerve wracking- all at the same time. As the number of older expatriates is increasing so are some concerns like healthcare and insurance. Health insurance for aging expatriates can difficult to understand and find. Some important questions you should consider before retiring are as follows:

  • Will my policy end when I reach a certain age?
  • Will I be covered if I return back to my country of citizenship?

As you begin to research the many expatriate plans out there, you will notice that a big eligibility factor with most of them is age. Unfortunately, age is a huge underwriting factor with most health insurance plans for aging expatriates. As we get older, we “age” out of eligibility for a lot of health plans that are available.

For some plans the age for eligibility completely ends at 65 years. Other plans offer “senior coverage” if you’ve had their plan for a specified length of time (this is usually 10 years of continuous coverage. Most plans that offer “senior coverage” have limited benefits and reduced maximum policy limits. Because of this, it’s wise to have an annually renewable international health plan in place – early.

There are several types of health insurance plans for aging expatriates available in the marketplace today. Some are annually renewable, providing worldwide coverage and others are short-term plans that will provide coverage outside the home country.

If you are considering a long-term, annually renewable plan then the Global Medical plan provides worldwide health insurance for aging expatriates.  This plan offers lifetime coverage if you enroll in the plan by your 65th birthday and maintain continuous coverage to age 75. Prior to your 75th birthday you will receive a summary of benefits for the new plan, “Global Senior Plan”, and an enrollment form for coverage. There is no additional medical underwriting required! You simply need to review the benefits, complete and return the enrollment form with your premium.

If you’re already over 65 and haven’t been enrolled in a long-term plan there are still other options available. The IHHP health plan offers annually renewable coverage to expatriates until 80 years of age. If taken out before 80 years of age, this plan will offer lifetime coverage, as long as you maintain your premium. This is a great health insurance for aging expatriates.

 

Major Medical Insurance for Expatriates

Monday, January 24th, 2011

As we develop into a more global society, living abroad is becoming more common than ever before.  Whether you’re living outside your country temporarily or permanently the experience can be rewarding, exciting and life changing. There are many reasons that people choose to live abroad. For example, some are students wishing to learn a new language or culture and some have relocated for their careers or new employment opportunities. While the majority of global citizens have found wealth and happiness since moving abroad, it seems that doesn’t apply when it comes to healthcare.

According to a recent survey by Bupa International, almost half of expats believe the standard of healthcare is worse in their new country. The research also shows that one in five expats say they would rather be treated outside their country of origin or current residence if they fell seriously ill.

The perfect solution to this dilemma is a major medical insurance plan for expatriates that offers worldwide coverage. International Citizens offers several major medical insurance plans that work for well for global citizens and the short-term traveler. A solid major medical insurance plan can not only protect your finances if the unexpected happens, it also provides peace of mind – knowing that you have access to great healthcare, should you need it.

As healthcare needs vary so can major medical insurance for expatriates. There are many types of plans out there available for global citizens. Some plans allow you to pick and choose which benefits you want while others have fixed benefits. The IHHP plan is an example of a major medical plan that allows you to pick and choose your benefits. This is great option for many global citizens needing worldwide coverage. The Global Medical plan is another great option, offering fixed benefits (meaning the benefits cannot be modified). If you have any questions about which plan is right for you or your family, please contact our licensed insurance agents who will be happy to assist you.

Major medical insurance plans are medically underwritten. This mean, you will have to complete an application that has health and lifestyle questions about yourself and/or dependents.  This application is reviewed by an underwriter. The two key purposes of the underwriting process are as follows:

  • decide whether to offer or deny coverage
  • determine what premium rate to set for the policy

Medical underwriting is necessary for the insurers as it prevents people from purchasing health insurance coverage only when they are sick, pregnant or need medical care. You can see from this how important it is to have a great major medical insurance plan for expatriates in place – before the unexpected happens.

 

Long-Term Expatriate Health Insurance

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

If you plan to relocate overseas, you will want to consider a long-term expatriate health insurance. Whether you are relocating for a job, retiring, or simply looking for a change of pace, long-term expatriate health insurance is an important consideration especially since the health care system may differ dramatically from what you may be accustomed to.

Some health care systems may have limited resources; others may allow you to go to public facilities requiring an insurance plan to cover private facilities. Knowing about the country you are traveling to and the health care they provide is crucial. Questions to ask yourself, include:

- What will I do if I have an emergency situation in my host country?
- Will I be able to seek treatment in a non-emergency situation?
- What type of doctors and hospitals will I be able to go to?
- Are there doctors and hospitals that I want to go to – will I be able to seek treatment there?
- What happens if I return home and have developed a condition that requires continuous treatment?

You should investigate your options so that you are properly covered at home and abroad. For many, individuals who are relocating overseas choose a long-term expatriate health insurance plan since it will give you flexibility in choosing your doctor or hospital – including at private facilities. Some insurance plans will even cover you when you return home for short or long-term visits, including if you need continuous care at home.

If you would like specific assistance, contact our licensed agents who would be able to recommend the best-suited long-term expatriate health insurance plan.

 

New Website Launched

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

international health insuranceWe are excited to announce the launch of our brand new website! The new site, a substantial improvement over the old one, now provides a much cleaner interface for users and makes it much easier for you to find the right international health insurance plan.

The new site now offers 3 main insurance categories:
- International Health Insurance
- Expatriate Health Insurance
- International Travel Insurance

We have also spent time updating and developing our insurance plan comparison pages to make them easier to understand, and the introduction of our PDF comparison sheet means you can now download the comparison of all our insurance plans.

Please take a moment to browse our new site – and if you have any questions please let me know.