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International health insurance tends to look alike . . . . until you have a claim.
Buy Smart
Here are some brief - and we believe uncommon tips and highlights, intended to help you evaluate and compare international health insurance. Our goal is to help you "buy smart" in about 5 minutes._______________________________________________________________________________
8 Buying Tips - Temporary International Insurance
for US travelers abroad, for US visitors, immigrants, missions and more.Start with 2 simple facts.
(1) When comparing plans, you will find that benefits and rates tend to be similar.
(2) Often, the most significant differences are not in the benefits or rates, but rather in the plan definitions, exclusions, and conditions by which your insurance benefits are actually paid . . . or not paid!Here are 8 tips and suggestions intended to help you find the best choice for your exact needs and situation.
Important: Comparisons below are for guidance purposes only. Please confirm all details in plan brochures.
1. Coverage Period, or Policy Period
This is a seemingly obvious definition, but we start with this term as it is used in other definitions here.
If a medical condition is first diagnosed or treated during the "Coverage Period," then eligible insurance benefits will be paid (subject to policy limits).
2. Benefit Period (very important!) The "Benefit Period" is not the same as the "Coverage Period." The "Benefit Period" is the maximum period of time during which an insurance policy will pay benefits for a covered medical condition that was first diagnosed or treated during the "Coverage Period."
The "Benefit Period" may extend beyond the end of the "Coverage Period" (and often does). In many cases, a longer insurance Benefit Period is desirable.
* If temporary insurance is your only health insurance, then an extended Benefit Period is a vital feature.
A Comparison of temporary plan "Benefit Periods:"
Diplomat Plans ..."up to 52 weeks" Click Here for on-line plan information and quotes. Liaison International ..."up to 6 months" Click Here for on-line plan information and quotes.
Atlas Series ..."up to 180 days" Click Here for on-line plan information and quotes.
Note: There are temporary international health insurance plans being sold today whereby the Benefit Period ends when the Coverage Period ends (unless hospitalized or some other extreme contingency). This is OK if you have full coverage upon return to your Home Country. Otherwise, if your plan has no extended Benefit Period, then the last few days or weeks of your insurance coverage could prove to be of limited value.
3. "Pre-Existing Conditions" All private health insurance plans contain "exclusions," which are conditions, circumstances, or treatments which are expressly not covered. One common exclusion is for "pre-existing conditions." The definition of "pre-existing condition" varies by plan.
The definition of "pre-existing condition" and possible coverage (if any) for such conditions are important factors to consider when reviewing temporary insurance plans.
4. Do You Want The Option Of Home Country Treatment? On occasion, someone traveling abroad suffers an injury or illness, whereby they wish to return to their home country (including to the USA) for follow-up treatment and recuperation.
If you maintain domestic health coverage during your travel abroad, then this plan feature may not be of importance to you. However, if temporary international health insurance will be your only health insurance, then how a policy treats "Home Country Treatment" can be a very important consideration.
Diplomat
Plans - This plan contains a unique Home Country
option (add 10% of premium). If elected, this option allows for (1) Home Country
Coverage during one incidental trip back home (including to the USA) and (2)
Home Country Treatment for an
illness or accident first diagnosed or treated while abroad. The
Home Country Treatment coverage limit is $75,000 maximum (see brochure for details). |
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Liaison International - This plan shall pay for Covered Expenses incurred in your Home Country up to $5,000 maximum, for conditions first diagnosed or treated while traveling outside of your Home Country. (This $5000 limit does not apply for Emergency Evacuation or Repatriation benefits.) |
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Note: This is NOT the same as "Home Country Coverage," which is an optional or built-in benefit on many temporary international plans. "Home Country Coverage" provides limited, short-term medical coverage during one or more short-term trips back home.
In Summary:
* If you are a US citizen and you will NOT maintain domestic US health insurance while traveling, consider the Diplomat Plans (with Home Country Coverage option) or the Atlas Series.
* If you are a visitor to the USA, or a US citizen who maintains USA health insurance while traveling abroad, consider the lower-cost Liaison International.
| 5. Definition of Home Country |
Temporary health and travel insurance plans cover you while traveling "outside of your Home Country." For most people, this definition is straightforward. However, you should understand how each plan defines "home country" to be sure you are eligible.
| Diplomat Plans - The country where an eligible person(s) has his/her "true fixed and permanent Home established and to which he/she has the intention of returning." Under this definition, your citizenship is not a factor. |
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Liaison International - The country where an insured person has his/her "true fixed and permanent Home and Principal Establishment." Under this definition, your citizenship is not a factor. |
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Atlas Series - If you are a US citizen, your Home Country is the United States, regardless of the location of your Principal Residence. If you are not a US citizen, your Home Country is the country where you "principally reside and receive regular mail." |
Note: temporary health insurance plans do not go into effect until you leave your Home Country (as defined in the policy), and coverage typically terminates upon your final return. Exception: many plans contain limited coverage during one or more "incidental trips" back to your Home Country for a limited period of time, when you are able to demonstrate (for example, with a round trip plane ticket, etc.) the intention of resuming your travel abroad.
Important note for US Immigrants: If you are a recent US immigrant, please see our plan designed especially for you. (Plans & Rates, see category #5, US Immigrant Insurance.) As noted above, temporary travel insurance covers you while traveling outside of your "Home Country." As an immigrant, the USA is now your home country and ordinary temporary travel plans are not intended for you.
| 6. Who Regulates Your International Insurance Company? (very important) |
In the USA, health insurance is primarily regulated by the individual States. If you are a USA resident traveling abroad or a visitor to the USA, we strongly recommend that you seek out insurance from companies that are registered (either "admitted" or "approved") to legally conduct business in your State.
Here is a brief look at two ways an insurance company might be registered to legally conduct business in your State. (The exact terminology may differ from State to State.)
"Admitted" - The insurance company is fully regulated under your State's "life and health" insurance laws.
"Approved" - The insurance company operates under "surplus lines" insurance laws and is not fully regulated. However, if the State obtains credible evidence of unsatisfactory claims practices or unsatisfactory financial condition, then the State may revoke the "certificate of authority" under which the insurance company legally operates in that State. Such action could influence or encourage similar action in other US States and even in other countries.
We avoid insurance plans from companies that are not registered, either admitted or approved. All plans found here are backed by insurance companies which are either "admitted" (various US-based insurance companies) or "approved" in all States. (The insurance syndicate of Lloyds, operating as Lloyds of London, Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, etc., is "admitted" in KY and "approved" in all other States and DC.)
| 7. Lower Your Premium By Electing A Higher Deductible. |
The "deductible" is the amount you pay in eligible expenses before your insurance begins to pay. Most plans offer a choice of deductibles, such as $250, $500, $1000, etc. Today, most plan deductibles are cumulative, i.e. one deductible per policy period (up to one year), rather than a separate deductible "per incident."
Here are 2 reasons why we normally recommend that you elect a higher deductible.
Reason #1. A higher deducible lowers your premium. For temporary plans, you save on average about 10% with the next higher deductible option.
Reason #2. In the event of a medical claim, insurance companies often request copies of prior medical records. This is to show that your claim is not the result of, nor related in any way to a "pre-existing" medical condition. In the event of a small claim, the need to provide prior medical records may not be worth your time and effort.
Remember that insurance is primarily for the big expenses, to keep you from going broke or possibly to save your life. Consider saving money by electing the highest deductible with which you feel comfortable.
| 8. Be Sure You Have Adequate Maximum Coverage |
Temporary health insurance plans offer a choice of coverage maximums, typically ranging from $50,000 minimum up to $1,000,000 or more.
When considering Temporary health insurance, realize that medical bills exceeding $50,000 are not uncommon in today's world, especially in the USA and Canada.
Suggestion: For travel to the USA or Canada, we recommend a medical maximum of at least $100,000 or higher. Simply put, what good is a $50,000 policy if you require $100,000 or more in medical treatment?
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8 Buying Tips -
Long-Term, or Annual-Renewable |
Start with 2 simple facts.
(1)
When comparing plans, you will find that the benefits
and rates tend to be similar.
(2) Often, the most significant differences are
not in the benefits or rates, but rather in the plan definitions, exclusions, and conditions
by which your insurance
benefits are
actually paid . . . or not paid!
Here are 8 tips and suggestions intended to help you find the best choice for your exact needs and situation.
Important: The
comparisons below are for guidance
purposes only. Be sure to confirm all details in the plan brochure.
A check mark ()
indicates a potentially advantageous feature.
| 1. Pre-existing Conditions (very important.) |
This is one of the most important definitions found in any health insurance policy.
Virtually all private-sector health insurance plans exclude coverage for "pre-existing conditions." A small difference in the wording can make a big difference in whether or not a medical insurance claim is actually paid.
Here are two examples for illustration purposes:
1. Pre-existing condition: "Any condition which existed at or prior to the date the policy went into effect."
2. Pre-existing condition: "Any condition which was diagnosed, treated, or manifested itself in such a way as to exhibit recognizable symptoms, prior to the date that the policy went into effect."
Note that in example #1, the definition is very ambiguous. In this example, you could have a "pre-existing condition" and not even be aware of it. Examples might include slow growth cancer such as colon cancer. Another example might be heart disease, which often goes undetected for years.
If you happened to have a health insurance policy with such ambiguous wording and came down with a major illness, you could be in trouble. If doctors determined that your illness existed in any form at the time your policy went into effect, even if you didn't have any noticeable symptoms, your claim would be denied.
For more dependable coverage: If you are over age 40, we strongly recommend that you avoid any insurance policy which contains an ambiguous definition of "pre-existing condition" as described in example #1 above. (Even if you are under age 40, this may be a good idea as well.)
Suggestion: We work for you (guarantees). If you now have or have had any medical condition of concern, we suggest that you consult with us before applying for coverage (about us).
| 2. A Recent Routine Check-Up Is Recommended For Ages 40+ |
Given the "pre-existing condition" clause described above, we make the following recommendation:
For people over age 40, if you are in good health, then having your good health documented prior to becoming insured (or soon thereafter) could be of great value in the event of a significant medical claim later.
This documentation could be in the form of a recent routine physical exam. Or, it might be the records of one or more recent visits to a family doctor (for a cold or flu for example), where your doctor would have gathered routine medical information such as height, weight, blood pressure, etc.
If you do not have any such documentation of good health, then we recommend that you have a routine physical exam before, or soon after your insurance goes into effect.
Unless you are over age 60, having recent documentation of good health is usually not a requirement when you apply for most insurance plans. We make this recommendation because we work for you (guarantees) and in our experience, claims disputes are not uncommon. In the event of a dispute, your having recent documentation of good health helps us to help you.
While we strongly recommend this for people over age 40, we also believe that having recent documentation of good health is a good idea for everyone.
| 3. Who Regulates Your International Insurance Company? (very important) |
In the USA, health insurance is primarily regulated by the individual States. If you are a USA resident traveling abroad or a visitor to the USA, we strongly recommend that you seek out insurance from companies that are registered (either "admitted" or "approved") to legally conduct business in your State.
Here is a brief look at two ways an insurance company might be registered to legally conduct business in your State. (The exact terminology may differ from State to State.)
"Admitted" - The insurance company is fully regulated under your State's "life and health" insurance laws.
"Approved" - The insurance company operates under "surplus lines" insurance laws and is not fully regulated. However, if the State obtains credible evidence of unsatisfactory claims practices or unsatisfactory financial condition, then the State may revoke the "certificate of authority" under which the insurance company legally operates in that State. Such action could influence or encourage similar action in other US States and even in other countries.
Note: We avoid insurance plans from companies that are not registered, either admitted or approved. All plans found here are backed by insurance companies which are either "admitted" (various US-based insurance companies) or "approved" in all States. (The insurance syndicate of Lloyds, operating as Lloyds of London, Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, etc., is "admitted" in KY and "approved" in all other States and DC.)
| 4. When Comparing Health Insurance Plans, Check The "Exclusions." |
One of the first things that experienced insurance agents look for in a health insurance brochure is the summary or list of "exclusions." Often found in smaller print, "exclusions" are not covered under the plan. Sometimes, what's NOT covered can be just as important as what IS covered.
Many exclusions are typical (i.e. acts of war, self-inflicted injuries, custodial care, etc.), while others are not and should be carefully considered when comparing health plans.
All comprehensive international insurance plans contain an exclusion for "pre-existing" medical conditions. You should carefully read and understand this exclusion.
| 5. The Health Questionnaire - "Medical Underwriting" |
Long-Term, Annual-Renewable or "Permanent" medical plans are designed to provide comprehensive health insurance coverage for at least one year or longer. These plans are issued based on "medical underwriting" through the use of a detailed health questionnaire.
Personal medical history could be a determining factor when selecting a company to apply for insurance. Based on personal medical history, some people could be declined for insurance by one company, but accepted (or accepted with a medical "exclusion rider") by a different company.
Note: For the plans found here, if your health questionnaire is answered truthfully and accurately, and you are accepted for coverage, you cannot be cancelled or singled-out for future rate increases due to medical claims.
| 6. Activate Your Best Memory When Completing The Health Questionnaire. |
It is important to remember that by nature, the human mind tends to forget or minimize past or present illness. A positive mental attitude can beneficial in the healing process, but failing to properly disclose a material health condition on your insurance application could jeopardize your coverage entirely.
A "medical audit" (obtaining prior medical records, researching medical information bureaus, etc.) is often done when there is a major claim. By contract, the insurance company can revoke coverage and return all premium if it can be shown that the policyholder failed to disclose a material condition on the application.
Never give the insurance company a potential way out of paying a major claim. Activate your best memory when completing the health questionnaire.
| 7. For Any "Yes" Answer on Your Health Questionnaire - Note The Positives |
For every "yes" answer on your health questionnaire, be sure to give a clear and complete explanation.
Your completed health questionnaire becomes a part of your insurance contract, so it is important to be complete and truthful when answering all questions. When applicable, be sure to state the positives when giving an explanation to any "yes" answer.
If you have a condition that is well controlled by medication, give complete details. For example: high blood pressure, take 10mg (medication) daily, well controlled, take own BP readings, last reading 120/80 (& date).
If a previous medical outcome was good, say so in writing. When appropriate, consider descriptive terms such as "full recovery," "no further symptoms," and "no further treatment or consultation."
| 8. Lower Your Premium By Electing A Higher Deductible. |
The "deductible" is the amount you pay in eligible expenses before your insurance begins to pay. Most plans offer a choice of deductibles, such as $250, $500, $1000, etc. Today, most plan deductibles are cumulative, i.e. one deductible per policy period (up to one year), rather than a separate deductible "per incident."
There are 2 reasons why we normally recommend that you elect a higher deductible.
Reason #1. A higher deducible lowers your premium. For long-term plans on average, the savings often exceed 10% on the next higher deductible option.
Reason #2. In the event of a medical claim, insurance companies often request copies of prior medical records. This is to show that your claim is not the result of, nor related in any way to a "pre-existing" medical condition. In the event of one or two small dollar-amount claims, the need to provide prior medical records may not be worth your time and effort.
Remember, health insurance is primarily for the big expenses. Consider saving money by electing the highest deductible with which you feel comfortable.
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