Make Sure Your Health Is Covered Before Moving Overseas In 2022

When moving abroad, whether, on a temporary or permanent basis, it is vital to assess your options regarding international health insurance. With so much to plan, people often overlook the prospect of purchasing expat medical insurance. They assume the country they are moving to will have an adequate healthcare system or tell themselves that it will sort out once they get there. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and is definitely not an advised route to take, and here are the reasons why.

First and foremost, international medical insurance will cover you irrespective of your location. Therefore, you will be protected on your journey once you arrive at your new location. We all tend to assume that we will be fine – we won’t get sick any time soon, and we will have plenty of time to sort out health care once we get there! Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Plus, who’s to say that the healthcare system will be up to standard? Expats may not have access to local medical facilities. Facilities may also be very basic, and healthcare access could be expensive. This is why it is highly advisable to assess your global health insurance plans options before you leave.

Without health insurance, you are putting yourself at significant risk. If a problem was to occur, you could find yourself running up bills accumulating to thousands of dollars very quickly. From the cost of an operation to treatment to paying for a hospital bed to the price of blood tests, it all adds up! Medical expenses are something many people do not take into account, especially those that live in a country where there is a good public health system offering high-quality health care free of charge.

With global medical insurance, you are transferring the monetary risk to the insurer, whilst you have the peace of mind that you will benefit from a high standard of healthcare if something goes wrong.

It is also important to acknowledge that your health is exposed to greater risk in some countries. An excellent example of this relates to hot countries. After all, many people move abroad to enjoy a warmer climate. In such countries, it’s very easy for a mere cut to turn into a nasty infection. Allergies and respiratory illnesses can be triggered in even the healthiest people when moving to countries whereby pollution is a big issue, such as Indonesia, Dubai and China. Mosquitoes can be a real problem as well, potentially leading to Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria, Dengue and other illnesses.

The vast majority of insurance companies providing these health policies will give you various options to choose from so the plan is customised to your needs. This means you can stay in budget while ensuring all requirements are met. Aside from the typical and basic cover, you can expect everything from dental services and emergency appointments to prescription medicines, wellness check-ups, physiotherapy, and maternity care, as well as back care from the likes of Dr Richard Parkinson. You can shape the policy entirely to suit you.

There are a few other things you need to keep in mind when you are choosing the right insurance policy. You need to ensure the company provides the right coverage for you and that their policy is applicable to the country you are moving to. A lot of people assume because it is called a worldwide, global, or international health insurance plan, it covers every country in the world. It’s logical, right? Unfortunately, all plans have restrictions, so this is not always the case. This is why you need to read all of the terms and conditions before you go ahead and make the purchase.