Selecting the right international medical insurance for your needs can be more involved than you first think.  Costs of treatment vary depending on the country in which you choose to reside, so it’s important to know your benefit limits and any exclusions of cover, writes Michael Brown, Chairman of Expacare.

If you are an expatriate looking for International Medical Insurance, you should ensure that the overall benefit limits are enough to cover the costs of treatment in your chosen country of residence.  For example, if you lived in Africa, you would not need the same overall benefit limits as someone living in the UK, USA, China or Dubai, where treatment costs are higher, and are increasing all the time.  At the same time no one should ever be in the position where they or their family have their treatment curtailed because of insufficient cover.  So it’s important for you to strike a balance.

The underwriting terms offered by a provider are also a very important factor for you to consider.  Expacare offer what is known as a 2 year Moratorium on individual policies.  This means we offer to cover any pre-existing conditions for which you had no treatment or symptoms in the 2 years prior to joining our plan.  Many other providers fully underwrite policies excluding all pre-existing conditions, no matter how long ago the condition occurred. This can seriously limit the protection available for you and your family.

Covering your circumstances

The range of benefits offered by a product is vitally important.  It’s important to work out whether you will need inpatient and outpatient treatment, whether you require cover for general GP visits and consultations or cover for other kinds of treatment including Cancer, HIV/AIDS, maternity cover and routine dental cover.

Many of these benefits become more of an issue depending on which part of the world you are planning to reside in.

Evacuation cover can also be vital, depending on your location.  In more remote parts of the world, including Africa and some parts of the Middle East, even the private hospitals may only be able to cope with a limited number of conditions.  So it’s important to know where you can be evacuated to in the case of a life threatening condition.  With that in mind, it’s important that the emergency assistance company your provider uses can evacuate you quickly and efficiently.

“Although price is an important factor when choosing cover, try to remember that you usually get what you pay for, so opting for the cheapest plan may not be the best option when it comes to protecting you and your entire family,” comments Beverly Cook, Managing Director of Expacare.

By offering a combination of high benefit limits, a broad range of benefits, moratorium underwriting and competitive premiums, Expacare have become the provider of choice for many individuals and families.  To find out more about Expacare’s full range of products and services visit our website www.expacare.com.

Help is never far away

Expacare use International SOS who provide medical assistance services to Expacare clients.  These include evacuation and repatriation, dispatch of medicine and general travel-related support.  You will be able to speak to a doctor 24/7 365 days a year.  Whether you’re reporting a missing passport, getting medicine dispatched or finding out about local medical facilities, support is available.

Expacare also offer three levels of cover:  Standardcare, Executivecare & Specialcare.  

Specialcare is the Expacare plan with the most wide-ranging benefits and offers cover that compares favourably with other leading products in the market.  We offer an extremely high overall benefit limit, full cover for chronic conditions, which is unheard of in the industry and cover for all inpatient and outpatient treatment.  Specialcare also offers routine dental treatment, complementary medicines and maternity cover.

Executivecare offers full inpatient treatment, chronic conditions cover and generous outpatient coverage.

Standardcare is purely for when you require basic cover for emergency situations, and do not require outpatient coverage.  With Expacare, Cancer treatment is covered as standard under all levels of cover.  Medical advances in Cancer treatment are leading to dramatic increases in treatment costs and protection against this all too common disease is of paramount importance.

No Excess

Expacare plans come with nil excess as standard, with the exception of routine dental cover, meaning you will not have to pay for a proportion of your claim out of your own pocket.

 Expacare's wide range of products and benefits are designed to make your life easy and provide peace of mind.  We know that no two individuals are the same, which is why our international medical cover is both flexible and offers a host of benefits to meet your specific needs.  For those who require cover on an afordable budget or those who require more extensive cover and full range of benefits, rest assured with Expacre, you are in good company.

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