About Private Medical Insurance Overseas

 

While it may be acceptable for a single executive spending time on a short assignment in Europe to opt for a basic insurance package, taking the family to Dar es Salaam and taking risks with their health is another matter.

The expatriate world is full of horror stories about being taken ill while in some far flung part of the world and having to be treated in a hospital where the word basic would be a an understatement. We might moan about the good old NHS but it provides five star luxury treatment compared to the facilities available in many parts of the world.

The worst case scenario is that you or your loved one falls seriously ill in a part of the world where the medical facilities are poor and your medical expenses insurance cover is insufficient for your needs. Can you be flown home by air ambulance? What about the rest of the family? At times like these, you need the comfort of knowing that you and your family are getting the best possible treatment.

The phrase "you get what you pay for in life" is never truer than when it comes to PMI cover. So how do you go about choosing a policy that's right for you and your family? The first thing to say is that no one policy will be perfectly tailored to your needs. But if you look around you may find something that, while not bespoke, fits many of your requirements.

What should you look for? Well take some time to examine your own circumstances. Where are you going? What are the facilities like there? What will you be doing there? Are there any illnesses in the family?

List the healthcare options you can't do without, those that you would like and those that are unimportant or irrelevant. Then you have to weigh up the benefits versus the premiums. When you come to select an individual product, its well worth reading policy documents carefully to make sure the cover matches your expectations.

For example, with emergency evacuation - a priority for an expatriate in the Third World - you may find the policy only covers evacuation for you plus one person and with no accommodation for the second person. That's a worry you can do without at such a time of crisis.

There are an awful lot of products out there, however, and one way to focus in on which one is best for you is to use a specialist intermediary, such as US.