Wednesday, 9 November 2011

Having Health Insurance While Overseas

By Zachary Justice


When traveling to another country, you would not be able to qualify for insurance while there - always remember that. An international insurance plan would be required, and these are only available from insurance providers with multinational support. While they may be hard to track down, it is the best way to assure that in the event of an accident or illness you will be able to acquire medical attention if needed.

Six months would be the general length of coverage should you sign up for these plans. Do your homework - be armed with a plethora of information that would help the insurance provider assist you in the best way possible. This would normally deal with your previous health issues, like includes health problems minor and major over the past decade, hereditary conditions, and even details about use and abuse of alcohol and tobacco - they will ask you anything and everything related to your health. And you will need to give a double dose of information (or maybe more) if you are traveling with one or more family members to the foreign country.

Regardless of the hospital or clinic it is administered in, emergency treatment is usually part of the basic coverage offered. The opposite would apply for minor medical services. HMO or PPO - this is one of the most essential questions you need to have answered when shopping for insurance plans. An HMO, or short for health maintenance organization, would set the parameters and only restrict you to choosing facilities that are part of their network of medical providers. A comprehensive listing of these providers can be obtained from your insurer. PPO, on the other hand, stands for preferred provider organization, and would allow you your choice of health facilities with the caveat that the insurance provider would only be able to cover so much out of the final bill.

If you plan on staying abroad for more than six months then you will need to look into what is called expatriate health insurance. Coverage is wider than standard insurance policies available abroad, and you also get more options, but you will need to look at the top insurance companies, who are the only ones who offer this. The type of treatment options that are covered with expatriate health insurance are those that are labeled as specialty treatments, like chiropractic therapy and acupuncture. There are many options that can be applied to expatriate health insurance depending on your family's needs and how long you plan on spending abroad.

There are many options for health insurance when you are traveling abroad. When going on a trip abroad, most people are not the least bit concerned about insurance, preferring to focus on their business or personal concerns instead, so do not let yourself get sucked in by these seemingly important matters. Your health still matters the most, therefore the need for health insurance. Be sure you understand every aspect of your policy before deciding with any one particular company.




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