Maternity

Many medical plans now give you international maternity insurance as an optional extra. You usually have to be a policyholder for a certain amount of time before making any claims on your plan; this is known as a waiting period. The international maternity insurance cover is usually very comprehensive and can prove very helpful as the costs of childbirth begin to quickly add up.

If you are planning on having children you need to decide on whether you will go private or semi-private for the delivery. Private rooms in the top hospitals abroad can be very expensive. If there are any complications then the bill will quickly rise to well above US$10,000.

In the unfortunate circumstances that your baby is born with any congenital birth defects the costs can be astronomical. This is a very useful area of cover to take out with your international maternity insurance and can give you very large savings should there be any problems with your newborn child. Some insurer put a limit on the coverage for newborns e.g. the first 30 days free of charge. But if the baby is in bad health then they will most likely refuse to continue the insurance after this period. Our experts can advise you on insurance plans that your child is ‘born into’ and therefore are guaranteed renewable for the rest of their life no matter what their state of health.

This list should provide you with an idea of what is covered by your international maternity insurance:

• Normal delivery and Complicated delivery costs
• Pre and Postnatal treatment
• Medically prescribed caesarean costs
• Delivery/Caesarean costs following fertility treatment
• Home delivery costs
• Home nursing costs in connection with home delivery

Expatriate Dental Insurance

Dental costs are extremely high in most countries and many expatriate employees do not receive dental cover from their company medical plans. If dental cover is provided it is usually well below the level and standard of care you are used to in your home country. Many internationally mobile people take out additional expatriate dental insurance to cover the shortfall.

Expatriate dental insurance has two main areas of cover:

• Routine Dental Treatment
  Provides you with cover for standard procedures including:
  • Examination
  • Cleaning
  • Fillings
  • Root treatments
  • Extraction
  • Surgery
  • X-Rays
  • Emergency treatment
  • Local anaesthesia
  • Occlusion bar
  • Prescriptions

• Special Dental Treatment
  Protects the policyholder against almost all dental problems. This level of cover is usually included with top expatriate dental insurance plans.
  
  Includes comprehensive cover for:
  
  • Gold Jackets, Porcelain Crowns, Gold Inlay and Temporary Crowns
  • Bridgework
  • Repairs including Build-Up and Recementation
  • Treatment of Periodontitis
  • Treatment of Gingivitis and Periodontitis
  • Root Scaling and Membrane Treatment
  • Tooth Adjustment
  • Dentures
  • Dentures and Repairs

Pre-existing conditions can often be covered by expatriate dental insurance. However, insurers usually enforce a waiting period to before pre-exiting conditions will be covered.

Chronic Condition verses Acute Condition

Chronic conditions are defined as “a disease, illness or injury that has no known cure and/or is likely to continue.” Good examples of chronic conditions include asthma, diabetes and heart conditions. Chronic Conditions are very important in medical insurance since once you have been diagnosed with a Chronic Conditions you are likely to need treatment for the rest of your life. It is therefore important to make sure you have medical insurance before you become ill.

Not all medical plans cover Chronic Conditions in full so it is important to check the details. Some plans will limit the cover to the ‘Acute Phases’ of the condition while excluding the palliative treatment. Other plans may place an annual or lifetime limit on the cover. If your expat medical plan covers Chronic Conditions in full it is likely to be more expensive.

It is recommended that if you are older you certainly look at buying an expat medical plan that fully covers chronic conditions as treatment for them will be ongoing and potentially very expensive.

Emergency Evacuation

Expat medical insurance plans give you cover for emergencies whilst visiting foreign countries. The expat medical insurance company will cover the expenses incurred for the clients medical evacuation in the event of serious illness or injury.

Reimbursement will be provided subject to the doctor’s and the insurer’s medical consultant agreeing on the necessity of transferring the patient. They must also agree whether the patient should be transferred back to their home country or to the nearest place with suitable emergency medical facilities.

Many expat medical insurance plans will also cover transportation expenses for one person to accompany the insured patient. A return journey for both parties will normally also be included in the cover but there are obviously certain restrictions. The ticket must be economy class and the trip must usually be made within 3 months after the treatment has been completed.

In the unfortunate event that the insured dies, the expat medical insurance plan will cover the cost of home transportation of the deceased and for statutory arrangements such as embalming and a zinc coffin. Next of kin have the option of cremation of the deceased and home transportation of the urn, or home transportation of the deceased.

You can contact our licensed advisers for professional advice.