Private health insurance is a valued benefit for expats as part of their remuneration package, according to research by a leading provider.
Seven out of 10 expats reckon their health cover offers good value for money, while 95% agreed good health insurance was vital for peace of mind.
The top essential is chronic health care cover, according to David Pryor, a senior executive at Medicare International.
“Good chronic care cover is the number one feature customers look for,” he said. “The reason is many expat healthcare policies only cover hospital care and the pay-out stops as soon as they are released. In many cases hospitalisation is just the start and the treatment and care are ongoing after discharge.”
Second on the ‘must have’ list of medical insurance features is a policy offering a full refund of medical costs without any excess payment.
Next is rolling renewals every year.
Medical history disregarded
In some cases, for employers with more than 20 international healthcare scheme members, underwriting for renewals is on a ‘medical history disregarded’ basis.
This is important for expats who may have a previous medical history who are considering changing healthcare providers.
Back home, many expats would not even consider war cover as part of their private medical insurance, but surprisingly, this is a sought after option by around a third of applicants, according to Medicare International.
The demand is heightening due to tensions in the Middle East and North Africa region following the Arab Spring revolts.
According to official statistics, US and UK contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan outnumber the servicemen stationed in the regions.
An important clause to check for in private healthcare policies for these contractors is passive war zone cover.
Passive war zone cover
This insurance covers contractors who may end up caught in a crossfire or serious accident.
Under passive war zone cover, healthcare providers guarantee full cover for treatment ranging from evacuation through emergency surgery to and longer term provision of prosthetic limbs or plastic surgery.
Recent incidents like the terrorist attack on a Nairobi, Kenya, shopping mall and an oil exploration station in the deserts of Mali highlight this risk.
Flexibility in costs and cover is another important factor for employers offering group schemes.
For example, medical insurance providers can offer discounts based on the number of scheme members – from as low as five employees.
Some companies offer benefits like paying all out-patient medical charges for an extra percentage of the annual group premium.
