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Planning to say goodbye to your expatriate life in the SAR? From looking for suitable places to live abroad to enrolling your kids in a new school, there’s so much to research, plan, and execute. It’s easy to overlook matters like your health insurance policy and forget to make sure everything is in order ahead of your move, so our friends from Pacific Prime Hong Kong are here to give you a dedicated health insurance checklist for relocating abroad.
Review your health insurance policy
First things first, look at your health insurance policy and check the ‘area of coverage’. If you’re relocating to a covered area, your plan may cover you until the following policy renewal date - though you’ll need to check with your insurer. Your coverage could also be limited for a specified amount of time (e.g. 365 days). Conversely, most policies typically offer up to 30 days of emergency coverage even if you’re outside the coverage area.
Do you have a group health insurance plan through your company? If so, you may also want to look into the ‘portability’ of the plan. Plans with portability allow you to keep the same cover even if you switch employers, as long as you continue to pay the premiums yourself. The advantage is that you won’t have to undergo new underwriting, so any pre-existing conditions will still be covered.
Evaluate the healthcare system in your new country of residence
Healthcare systems can differ wildly from one country to another. Some countries have a GP-led system of care, whilst others allow you to directly see a specialist. Additionally, some countries are more reliant on the public healthcare sector than others. Getting to grips with the new healthcare system ensures that you’re crystal clear on where to go and what to do in the event of a healthcare emergency from day 1.
Here are some questions to ask:
- Do expats have access to the same level of care as locals do? Is this dependent on securing mandatory health insurance ?
- How is the public and private healthcare system? What about concerns regarding quality of care, wait times, amenities, and language barrier?
- Are medical costs reasonable or high? Is it wise to have a private health insurance plan? If so, do you need to adjust the benefits, limits, and deductibles?
- How do you access healthcare in non-emergency and emergency situations? What are the hospitals/clinics near you? Is there a number to dial for healthcare emergencies?
Speak to a health insurance broker
Global health insurance brokers like Pacific Prime Hong Kong deal with expat relocations day in and day out, and can help you assess whether your current health insurance coverage is sufficient and guide you on how to go about securing adequate coverage. With offices around the world and multilingual staff on hand, they also provide localized support and take the stress and hassle out of navigating the local healthcare system.