Ensuring quality medical care for people working overseas is essential, as local medical facilities can be basic, expensive or even inaccessible. Therefore, most employers with staff based abroad ensure that an international or expat health insurance plan is in place, offering their staff (and families) peace of mind.
Those working abroad who are covered by a private healthcare plan are able to receive prompt access to medical experts and facilities. This reduces absences due to sickness and helps to maximize productivity. Where non-emergency treatment is needed in hospital, the employee will be notified of the date in advance, allowing their employer to make arrangements to cover for their absence.
Expat healthcare plans provide varying levels of medical cover, so you need to be fully aware of what you are and what you are not covered for. Clearly, if you have your family with you, then you will need to find out whether whether they are covered by your healthcare plan or not.
It is important to cover yourself for all possible contingencies, remembering to include cover for chronic conditions. If pregnancy and childbirth are also a possibility, these must be taken into account too. Whilst nobody really likes to dwell on worst case scenarios, evacuation and repatriation should also be taken into account.
Remember that healthcare insurance is essentially a business agreement. Consequently, many insurers will try to defer increases in premiums by introducing clauses and penalties which may run contrary to common sense, making it even more important for the purchaser to read the small print.
Naturally, the quality of care is highly important. An international healthcare package provider with a network of clinics and hospitals is ideal. Such a network means that invoices can be settled directly between the provider and the hospital, leaving the patient to focus on recovering and getting back to good health.
It can also be a great advantage to find a health insurance provider who has an office, or some kind of presence,in the area where you are staying. Finding one that offers a 24 hour confidential advice service, with medical staff who speak your language well, is beneficial too.
Companies that provide a quality private healthcare package for their overseas employees are seen to be caring organizations that respect their employees’ well-being. Unfortunately, not all companies provide a healthcare package for their staff who are based overseas, and, if that is the case, then you will need to find your own, as it is too much of a risk to simply do without it.
