Health Insurance Providers
Health Insurance Providers
The school I'm headed to doesn't offer very good coverage so I was wondering if people could list their providers. Thanks.
Response
You will need to provide us at the very least your region/location? What do you mean by "not very good"?
Any insurance you purchase is going to be at best a business policy or a tourist policy, which emphasizes medical evacuation. Otherwise your looking at paying high premiums, paying for services upfront and than filing a claim for reimbursement. Outside of the EU medical costs are very low. You would likely be paying premiums that are many times what your out of pocket costs for routine medical care would be. About the only issue this is going to matter is if thee is a catastrophe, in which case medical evacuation would be the ultimate plan of the provider after your stabilized.
Any insurance you purchase is going to be at best a business policy or a tourist policy, which emphasizes medical evacuation. Otherwise your looking at paying high premiums, paying for services upfront and than filing a claim for reimbursement. Outside of the EU medical costs are very low. You would likely be paying premiums that are many times what your out of pocket costs for routine medical care would be. About the only issue this is going to matter is if thee is a catastrophe, in which case medical evacuation would be the ultimate plan of the provider after your stabilized.
Re: Response
PsyGuy wrote:
> You will need to provide us at the very least your region/location?
-Actually you do not need to know my location as I am looking for a global provider...perhaps I should have said so.
> What do
> you mean by "not very good"?
>
> Any insurance you purchase is going to be at best a business policy or a
> tourist policy, which emphasizes medical evacuation.
-Not true. A tourist policy isn't even a valid policy for an expat.
>Otherwise your looking
> at paying high premiums, paying for services upfront and than filing a
> claim for reimbursement.
-Perhaps higher than a useless tourist policy, but I'm not going to skimp on health care for my family. Had direct billing with my last provider.
>Outside of the EU medical costs are very low.
-You could add US, Canada and regions with non-existent healthcare because it will cost you to get where you can get served.
> You
> would likely be paying premiums that are many times what your out of pocket
> costs for routine medical care would be. About the only issue this is going
> to matter is if thee is a catastrophe, in which case medical evacuation
> would be the ultimate plan of the provider after your stabilized.
-Well it would be quite the issue if you didn't have that in a poorly serviced region, wouldn't it.
So like I said I would just like people to post what providers they have used. Perhaps few will post because most are covered by their school. A good provider would do direct billing and provide in and out-patient care but I can investigate any and decide what is best for me.
> You will need to provide us at the very least your region/location?
-Actually you do not need to know my location as I am looking for a global provider...perhaps I should have said so.
> What do
> you mean by "not very good"?
>
> Any insurance you purchase is going to be at best a business policy or a
> tourist policy, which emphasizes medical evacuation.
-Not true. A tourist policy isn't even a valid policy for an expat.
>Otherwise your looking
> at paying high premiums, paying for services upfront and than filing a
> claim for reimbursement.
-Perhaps higher than a useless tourist policy, but I'm not going to skimp on health care for my family. Had direct billing with my last provider.
>Outside of the EU medical costs are very low.
-You could add US, Canada and regions with non-existent healthcare because it will cost you to get where you can get served.
> You
> would likely be paying premiums that are many times what your out of pocket
> costs for routine medical care would be. About the only issue this is going
> to matter is if thee is a catastrophe, in which case medical evacuation
> would be the ultimate plan of the provider after your stabilized.
-Well it would be quite the issue if you didn't have that in a poorly serviced region, wouldn't it.
So like I said I would just like people to post what providers they have used. Perhaps few will post because most are covered by their school. A good provider would do direct billing and provide in and out-patient care but I can investigate any and decide what is best for me.
Reply
@booboo14
Well it would help knowing your location and region, the reason being while your looking for a global provider, your not really a jet setting global traveler if your an IT, youre going to one place and barring holidays your going to be in that one location for a major portion of your time, as such our membership may contain someone in the same region who could recommend a local provider at much less cost.
"Expat" isnt really a technical term, it generally means one who has permanent or long-term residence status in 'a' country. Many ITs are transitional, I dont know if they really qualify as expats, maybe/maybe not, maybe ata certain point they do, and before they arent.
Regardless tourist can mean many things and their are certainly travelers who engage in studies, volunteer, missionary work, and yes teaching who have tourist type insurance. April Travel Protection will sell you a policy for up to a year, but as I described before its mostly focused on catastrophic events that require stabilization and then medical evacuation.
Why not contact your previous provider, ask for a referral. Outside of large multinationals or government managed health care plans. Many insurers would not have a network of direct billing with hospitals and clinics globally outside of a few main metropolitan centers.
I should have stated outside of the west.
Even in a poorly serviced region, you are going to need a local medical center of some type to stabilize you. Evacuation wont work if your dying on the stretcher attempting to transition home. You will have to settle for whatever is available.
Ive used travelers in the past, pricey but good service. I would also look into Blue Cross Blue Shield, their a premium provider and they are one of the two insurers for DoDDS, they may have something similar you can get as an individual.
Well it would help knowing your location and region, the reason being while your looking for a global provider, your not really a jet setting global traveler if your an IT, youre going to one place and barring holidays your going to be in that one location for a major portion of your time, as such our membership may contain someone in the same region who could recommend a local provider at much less cost.
"Expat" isnt really a technical term, it generally means one who has permanent or long-term residence status in 'a' country. Many ITs are transitional, I dont know if they really qualify as expats, maybe/maybe not, maybe ata certain point they do, and before they arent.
Regardless tourist can mean many things and their are certainly travelers who engage in studies, volunteer, missionary work, and yes teaching who have tourist type insurance. April Travel Protection will sell you a policy for up to a year, but as I described before its mostly focused on catastrophic events that require stabilization and then medical evacuation.
Why not contact your previous provider, ask for a referral. Outside of large multinationals or government managed health care plans. Many insurers would not have a network of direct billing with hospitals and clinics globally outside of a few main metropolitan centers.
I should have stated outside of the west.
Even in a poorly serviced region, you are going to need a local medical center of some type to stabilize you. Evacuation wont work if your dying on the stretcher attempting to transition home. You will have to settle for whatever is available.
Ive used travelers in the past, pricey but good service. I would also look into Blue Cross Blue Shield, their a premium provider and they are one of the two insurers for DoDDS, they may have something similar you can get as an individual.
-
buffalofan
- Posts: 350
- Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:08 pm
Re: Health Insurance Providers
How old are you? If you are in your twenties or early thirties and relatively healthy, you could just self-insure (ie. put a chunk of cash aside for medical care) to supplement the school insurance. You could also investigate if the country you are going to has some sort of government run social security type scheme that you would be eligible for.
If you older than that then I'd say you have a pretty big problem. Any policy you buy yourself from a typical thieving private health insurance company (name one that isn't) is going to have loads of strings and expenses attached.
If you older than that then I'd say you have a pretty big problem. Any policy you buy yourself from a typical thieving private health insurance company (name one that isn't) is going to have loads of strings and expenses attached.
Re: Health Insurance Providers
A lot of tourist policies are not applicable to people who are not still eligible for health care back home. I am not. Actually I did have a local policy...and which may be best again. I did however have to purchase insurance whenever I traveled and went back home...which adds up. I maybe spent $500 or more on my trips for a family of three.
Ok, Blue Cross, I will check them out.
Ok, Blue Cross, I will check them out.
Re: Health Insurance Providers
As a family we had a Bupa policy for a couple of years. I believe the deductible was US$10,000, because really the reality was, we weren't looking for a healthcare policy, we wanted a financial ruin prevention policy.
Re: Health Insurance Providers
That's a good of looking at it. If you are somewhere with lower costs it would make sense.