Private Medical Insurance
We’ve been in the insurance business for almost 30 years, so we know that the most important thing to our clients is service.
To us, service means a timely response to queries and more importantly, a timely pay out for medical expenses. We promise to deal with you as we would like to be dealt with ourselves and there will always be a human available to answer your calls, not a convoluted automated answer service.
So, what do we do?
Well, we provide Expat Health and Travel Insurance to expats and locals around the world.
But why do I need Health Insurance?
Good question! If you are from Europe (let’s say), then you’ve probably been used to a ‘free’ state sponsored healthcare system (the NHS in the UK for example), or maybe a part funded system. However, when moving to a new country, these benefits are generally not transferable and one must seek to ensure that one and one’s family are covered to the extent that one has been previously.
Local v International.
You will generally find two levels of health insurance wherever you are. Local and International.
Local means that you will be restricted to a small network of hospitals, doctors and pharmacies within the country (or even city) that you reside. The premiums of course will reflect this but you don’t get to choose where you are treated.
International is the complete opposite. You have the choice to be treated locally in any facility of your choice BUT, importantly, you have the ability to be able to choose where you are treated, anywhere in the world. You could opt to go back to your home country for treatment or, you can choose the very best hospital in the world for your specific ailment.
For us, the element of choice in these situations is imperative. One will probably choose to see a locally based doctor for day to day issues but when it’s something serious then knowing you are covered worldwide is very comforting.
Portability
It is also important to remember that local policies are not portable. If you live in the U.A.E. (for example) for 2 years and then you move to Malaysia you will then have to apply for a local Malaysian insurance when you arrive.
That means that any illnesses you have had in the U.A.E. become pre-existing conditions and probably won’t be covered. A fully international plan on the other hand will cover you no matter where you live in the world.
Modules and deductibles.
So, how does it all work?
To start with we have modules and deductibles. Modules are tiers of coverage that one can choose from to make a bespoke package that suits you and your family’s circumstances. You can either fund this yourself through savings, or if you have had a relevant Private Medical Insurance in place then we can arrange for them to cover the treatment.
The modules are generally:
- Inpatient care (i.e. hospital stays)
- Outpatient care ( doctors visits etc)
- Medicine (Pharmacy bills)
- Dental
- Repatriation
As long as you take the inpatient module then you are free to choose as few or many of the rest as you like.
So, what are deductibles?
Very simply, deductibles allow you to choose how much of each claim you would like to pay. The bigger the deductible, the bigger the reduction you receive on the premium.
You can choose a zero deductible which means 100% of every claim is re-imbursed, however, in many circumstances, having some kind of deductible can be a very efficient way to reduce ones premiums.
A good example of this would be if you only took the inpatient module. Hopefully this wouldn’t be used all that often so having a $5000 deductible (i.e. you pay the first $5000 of each hospitalisation) can reduce the annual premium significantly.
The choice is yours however and we always spend significant time with each of our clients to ascertain their needs and requirements.
Our medical insurance is also a fantastic addition to a government run health service. For instance, if you’re in the UK you’re probably happy going to your local GP and pharmacy but what happens if you need to have a surgical procedure? Waiting lists for many non life-threatening surgeries can extend into multiple years. However, by using a top up insurance you can choose to go to a private hospital in your home country or even travel abroad. Imagine travelling to Thailand to have your operation in one of the best hospitals in the world and then recuperating on a beach in Phuket for a week!
