Why do you need an Expat Global Medical Insurance?

A very informative post by David Deverson

Many international companies at times require some of their staff to relocate to foreign countries to head or manage the other branches there. This may be on a short to long term basis. Short term can be 2 weeks or less, medium term - up to six months, while long term can be from 6 months to several years. Most insurance policies in one’s home country do not cover you while abroad.

This is where the expat insurance cover comes in very handy to ensure that you can get proper health care while abroad and even cover for return trips in case of health emergencies. This expat travel insurance cover is not only meant for company employees but also for self employed persons who travel to foreign lands to provide their expertise or for business reasons.

As the aforementioned international companies strive to establish their presence on the global front, there is need for their expatriate employees to quickly adapt to the new environments as quickly as possible.

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Family Planning: Don't Forget Maternity Insurance!

When you start thinking of the excitement of adding a new addition to your family, don't forget to update your private health insurance policy. Otherwise you could get caught with significant pregnancy related medical expenses.
Most personal medical insurance policies will allow the addition of maternity coverage for an additional annual premium. Some, like the Pallas GlobalHealth plan from GlobalHealth Asia automatically includes maternity coverage for prenatal, delivery, and postnatal expenses, as well as any complications arising from pregnancy, birth defects and congenital conditions at birth.

Having personal health insurance coverage that includes maternity benefits can be a great financial relief when that new bundle of joy enters your life. After all, medical expenses for pregnancy and delivery typically run into the thousands of dollars, and this can easily double if there are complications, when a cesarean delivery is required, or in instances of premature births.

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What is Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation Insurance?

It would be nice if you could leave home and not worry about medical problems when you are traveling overseas. Unfortunately, however accidents and illnesses do occur during business and vacation trips.

Even more unfortunately, medical evacuation and repatriation is not covered by most health or medical policies if you are injured or become sick while abroad.

"It is bad enough to encounter a medical emergency or suffer an accident when you are home. It is even worse when you are traveling overseas," notes Mr. Joseph Griffin, Chairman and CEO, GlobalHealth International Group. "In addition to the stress of a dealing with an emergency while away from home, travellers may also be forced to deal with language barriers, different customers, and inadequate medical facilities."

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Why Is Expat Medical Insurance Important?

"Duty of Care for Protecting International Assignees," a 2009 executive summary published by International SOS, states that global organizations should consider their employment obligations when it comes to "health safety, and security of their employees," including those traveling overseas or assigned there. Companies that take interest in global mobility and expatriate assignments are advised to make every effort to provide specifically designed medical coverage for individuals and their families working and living abroad on temporary expatriate assignments.

Significance

While home-country health insurance plans will generally restrict or completely eliminate coverage for international assignees, expatriate medical coverage guarantees access to local health care professionals abroad. Some international medical plans provide limited coverage, however, so the U.S. Department of State urges outbound expatriates to check for policy limitations related to conditions or location.


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5 Tips For Those Thinking About Becoming An Expat

Thoughts of Donald Saunders

Every year thousands of people make the decision to move permanently abroad and to make a new life for themselves and their families in a foreign land. For many this proves to be one of the best decisions they have ever made, but for others the dream quickly turns into a nightmare. Here are just a few of the many things that you will need to consider.

Tip 1. Make certain that you really do want to live permanently abroad.

The grass is always greener on the other side and it is very easy to paint an idyllic picture of life in your chosen country. However, once you get there, you may well find that the grass is now a lot greener back home. It's also normally the case that your view of a country as a holidaymaker is very different from your view as a resident.

Not only should you visit the country several times before deciding to move there, but you should also do so at different times of the year and for increasingly lengthy periods of time. You should also try 'living' in the country by renting a house or apartment and living as far as possible as you would as a resident rather than a holidaymaker. If you still feel that moving is the right choice after you've spent six months or so 'living' in the country, then there's a good chance that you won't regret your decision.

Tip 2. Make sure that you understand the immigration policy of your chosen country.

Check out the current immigration requirements of your chosen country and also look at its past history on immigration and any known or rumored plans for change.

In many cases you will be required to meet strict visa requirements and these may be inconvenient, costly and leave you with little security. The last thing you want to do is to cut your ties with home, buy a house and settle the kids into school only to find that you cannot extend your visa and are given forty-eight hours to leave the country.

Tip 3. Examine your finances carefully.

Think carefully about how you will support yourself in your chosen country. Do you, for example, intend to seek employment in your new country to provide you with an income, or will you fund yourself from sources at home, such as savings, investments or a pension.
If you're going to look for employment abroad then how easy will it be to find a job? If you can get a job, what sort of salary can you expect? Will you be allowed to work at all? Many countries will require you to apply for a work permit and these are often issued only in exceptional circumstances or for employment requiring specific skills or qualifications. In many cases your visa will expressly state that you may not seek employment.

If you're going to fund your stay from sources at home, do you have sufficient resources not simply for today but for the next ten or twenty years or more? If you're taking a pension abroad will it keep pace with the rising cost of living? In many countries you may draw a pension abroad but, if you do so, you will lose any cost of living increases and your pension will be fixed at the level at which you start to draw it overseas.

Tip 4. Think about what you will do with your assets back home.

If you own your home will you sell it, rent it out or simply leave it empty? What will you do with your car, furniture and other possessions?

Your home of course is much more than simply an asset, it also gives you a tie to home and affords you an address back home which may be extremely useful if you don't have family or friends who are happy to let you use their address. Just wait until your credit card runs out and your bank tells you that they can only send the new card to the address to which the account is registered in your home country.

As far as your other possessions are concerned you can of course dispose of many of them if you wish, keeping only those or particular real or sentimental value, or you can take them with you. But how easy is it to ship things out and what will it cost? Look carefully too at the rules in your chosen country. Some countries will let you bring more or less whatever you want into the country, while others will have strict limits or impose high import taxes. In many cases for example it's a lot cheaper to buy a new car than to ship your own car out, pay high import duty and than have to have the car adapted to meet local requirements for registration.

Tip 5. Examine the provision of healthcare.

You may be fit and healthy now but, if you're thinking about moving abroad permanently, then a time is going to come when you will need to avail yourself of the local healthcare facilities. Just how good are those facilities, how do they compare to the facilities that you are used to and will the doctors speak English?

Another very important consideration is the availability of public healthcare. If you come from a country with a publicly funded healthcare system, such as the UK, then you might be more than a little shocked by the cost of medical treatment when you find yourself in a country with only private healthcare. On the other hand, if you're used to paying for your own healthcare, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that you can get the same of better medical treatment at a fraction of the cost.

Whatever the case, however, this is something that you need to check out very carefully and you will certainly need some form of expat health insurance policy.
This short list of just five tips is far from exhaustive but hopefully it will give you a starting point and set you in the right direction. Becoming an expatriate is a very big step and one that needs a great deal of careful thought.

Learn more about Expat Medical Insurance from GlobalHealth Asia.

Dealing With Your Medical Insurer

If you ever face a medical crisis, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the bills mount up, even with great insurance.
You could argue about whether insurers are inherently evil, coldhearted, or callous, but the bottom line is that insurers are businesses that want to get the most money they can out of you. Sometimes you will have to pay and there’s no way to get around that. However, there are so many mistakes, wrongly denied claims, double bills, and unnecessary charges at times that you may be able to reduce your bills somewhat, but only if you’re prepared to fight. Your insurer isn’t going to suggest ways for you to reduce your bills and they aren’t going to help you very much. Your insurer hopes that you will just pay the bill. You want to question everything and only pay what you need to. Here are some ideas if you ever need to go to war with your insurer.
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Global Health Asia is an exceptional provider of innovative expat health insurance. Global Health Asia International Group was created with one goal in mind – to become the best personal and family medical insurance service provider in Asia.

Work While You Travel: Strange Ways to Save Money

If you’ve ever wanted to travel extensively but aren’t sure how you could afford to be on the road for months at a time, work share arrangements might be the answer you’re looking for.


When you work share, you receive either free or discounted lodgings or meals in exchange for your labor. The work you may be asked to perform can include landscaping, maintenance tasks, cleaning, receptionist work, or helping arrange/host special events or parties. If you have special skills such as photography, accounting, or design skills, you may be asked to help with the books, or design a new brochure for a bed and breakfast.
If work share arrangements don’t appeal to you, you can also find other work in many destinations. Temporary work, seasonal jobs like farm work or Christmas tree sales, and part time jobs are also alternatives. If you need to supplement your income while you’re on the road, here are some ideas:

Work camping: As a work camper you will usually receive your site rental for free and possibly a discount on any metered utilities. You may also get some meals for free if the campground hosts a special event. You may have to mow the grass, answer the phones, clean the bathrooms, or help maintain the facilities in exchange for your freebies. Some work camping arrangements can be short term (just a week) or long term (a whole season). Many campgrounds post openings on their web site, but it can’t hurt to call and ask campgrounds in your area if they need help.

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