What You Need to Consider When Comparing International Health Insurance Plans

Choosing the right international health insurance plan is vital to giving you peace of mind and comprehensive cover while you’re living abroad. However, with such a range of options and plans available, choosing the right solution for your needs can be challenging.

As experts in international health insurance, we’ll take you through the essential considerations when comparing and choosing your international health insurance plans, from analysing your budget to understanding your healthcare needs.

There are a number of factors to consider when comparing international health insurance plans, to ensure you find the right cover for your needs.

Your first consideration should be your budget. Different plans for medical insurance for professionals abroad varies bewteen providers in terms of cost and coverage, so you should first have an idea of how much you want to pay.

You should think about the factors that could affect your premium, such as how old you are, your job, where you will be living, and any pre-existing conditions you have. If you require ongoing treatment, you may find that your premiums are higher to cover the costs.

Some international health insurance providers, such as Expatriate Group, offer different tiers of insurance plans. For example, at Expatriate Gorup, we offer Select, Primary+, Primary+ Lite, and Primary plans, which all provide different levels of cover for different costs. When looking at your budget, you might want to consider whether a standard or premium plan is more suitable for your needs.

You should also consider the cost of paying extra for care that’s not covered in your plan. For example, some plans might not include dental treatment, which could lower the premium. However, you may be moving to a country where the cost of dental treatment when paying out of pocket is quite high. In this case, it may be beneficial to look for a higher-level international insurance plan that includes dental cover, as it could be more cost-effective.

Your other important consideration when comparing international health insurance plans is to look at the care that’s included. As we mentioned, different plans will have different levels of care – many standard international health insurance plans will include access to private healthcare, including stays in a hospital for emergency treatment, surgery, GP consultations, and emergency medical transportation. More comprehensive plans might also include mental health support, dental treatment, and maternity care.

For example, our Select plan is our most comprehensive international health insurance plan. It includes emergency and routine dental care, optical care, maternity treatment including caesarean and newborn care, plus preventative care, such as cancer screenings.

You will need to analyse your own healthcare needs to determine which plan suits your requirements and provides the cover you need. You should look at each plan in detail, as some level of cover might be provided but only up to a certain monetary amount, and the rest would have to be paid for out of pocket.

When comparing international health insurance plans, you should also look at how flexible they are. Some international healthcare providers only allow access to a network of hospitals or clinics. This can limit where you’re able to access treatment and may mean you have to travel for your healthcare needs if you don’t live nearby.

In contrast, Expatriate Group does not operate a network of hospitals. When you choose international healthcare insurance from us, you’ll be able to choose whichever hospital or clinic you’re most comfortable with, making getting the healthcare you need much more straightforward.

You should also consider the customer service offering and access. When dealing with healthcare matters, you’ll want to be able to speak to someone at your insurance provider when you need to, so you can get any issues sorted quickly.

At Expatriate Group, you’ll have access to our helpline 24/7, 365 days a year, so you’ll always be able to get through to our team. You can contact us via phone, email, or our online chat service, and our friendly and knowledgeable team will always be on hand to assist with your queries.

To verify the customer service for the insurance provider you’re comparing, you can look online at third-party review sites. Here, you’ll be able to read what customers are saying about the provider. Expatriate Group are proud to hold a Trustpilot rating of 4.6 out of 5, with overwhelmingly positive customer reviews.

In addition to customer service, you should also consider the claims process for your international health insurance plans. It’s important that filing a claim is simple and straightforward, so you can focus on your own health rather than organising paperwork.

Expatriate Group offers an easy claims process, using an online portal where you can submit your claim along with any paperwork needed. We also provide an emergency medical assistance team contactable via phone, who can liaise with your doctors and caregivers abroad to ensure you always receive the best care, even in an urgent situation. The team can also pre-authorise your treatment, arranging a direct settlement of large treatment costs with your healthcare facility, giving you peace of mind that everything is taken care of.

Expatriate Group is an expert in international health insurance, with over 100,000 unique customers in over 180 countries. We’re committed to providing the best expat insurance products to individuals, families and businesses.

We know that safeguarding your health while you’re abroad is essential. Our simple and effective plans are designed to support the unique needs of expats, with comprehensive, benefit-rich policies.

You can get a quote, view our plans, or contact us for more information.