Are you planning to prepare an expatriation or are you already an expat living overseas ? The question of world health insurance for expats must be raised quickly in your project since often the model of your country of origin does not exist elsewhere: this is the case for most European countries, Australia, Great Britain, Canada… Expats sometimes find themselves confronted with reality.
Indeed, the costs of medical procedures in some countries are sometimes very high and the reimbursement rates lower than in your home country, and it is even common for the insurance company to apply an exclusion or additional premium to the contribution after a risk has been declared.
Many private insurance companies offer offers dedicated to expatriates depending on their host country. Among the many offers, they support all profiles: young or retired, all expatriates over 30 years of age in their expatriation project, without medical questionnaire or exclusion and some offer care adapted to all needs.
Criteria to consider when choosing your health insurance
It is often difficult, when preparing your expatriation, to choose a health insurance policy that meets your needs and those of your family. When you are looking for quality expatriate health insurance, you will find a variety of offers, depending on your situation and your age group. In addition to the usual coverage, you need to look at how the rates will evaluate according to your age: some may be very good for young people (who move for work) but will no longer be suitable after a certain age for example for pensioners who want to live abroad.
Some of the most popular insurances provide you with equal coverage and insurance policy regardless of your age, regardless of your country of expatriation, you and your dependents are covered for all your medical procedures.
How does expatriate insurance work abroad and in your home country?
As an expatriate, you are no longer affiliated with the default insurance of your home country. This can be very problematic if you want to get treatment during your stay in your country of origin: it can be Europe, Australia, Canada… Some insurances dedicated to expatriates manage this problem by offering global coverage (or alternatively with certain restrictions but will cover care in your country of origin)
A good price and cost basis to keep in mind can be around 70€ for health coverage in your country of residence with coverage for your health expenses and those of your dependents both in your host country, but also during all your stays of less than 6 months. You will need to ensure that the chosen expatriate insurance covers, among other things: your consultations with a general practitioner, the purchase of medicines, tests, hospitalization, dental care, vaccinations, optical expenses, emergency transport, etc. Thus, whatever your medical procedure, you and your family are protected throughout the world under the same conditions as the health coverage you had before.
Solo expat or moving abroad with family and children
Different options are available if you want to protect your family, your children with all-inclusive insurance or just you. Some companies that offer a salary package for expatriates provide health insurance for you. It is therefore good to ask for the possibility of having care for your whole family, children if something should ever happen to them. An accident happened very quickly, especially in South East Asia, so it is very useful to plan to take out insurance in your first few weeks in your new country.
Expat health insurance in South East Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia
Choosing a local insurance that covers care only in South East Asia can be interesting and very competitive in terms of budget. Indeed, since care is cheaper in countries such as Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam, taking out such insurance will be economical without neglecting the reimbursement of your care if you have to go to the hospital.
If you want to discover all the choices in terms of reimbursement, hospital service in Vietnam, quality of care, expat friendly hospitals; a full report of movetoasia.com (read it here) gives you all the leads and feedback of an expat in South East Asia.
Whatever your age, status or country of expatriation, you cannot be excluded from local insurance because some of them are dedicated to expats from all countries. In addition, you do not need to answer a health questionnaire for some of them. All you have to do is join online, mention your situation, your age and coverage will be applied within a week of joining.
Wold-Traveler and high-class expat: premium health service
If you wish to be covered worldwide, other more expensive offers are available. This applies if you are travelling to more developed countries such as Singapore, the United States, Japan, Dubai… You are covered worldwide, with no maximum reimbursement limit, and can benefit, among other things, from financial support if necessary, thanks to the health and social action budget. Depending on your situation, you may request quotes from different organizations to review the different offers and choose the one that best suits your needs.