Friday, October 24, 2008

Health Insurance for Expatriates

There was a time when expats had very few choices when it came to health cover whilst living in a foreign country. There has always been the option of long stay travel insurance, although this is somewhat expensive. In many host nations it is also possible to purchase localised insurance, however these are often inferior products and fail to meet the costs of repatriation to the home nation should serious illness require it.

In recent years, however, several insurance companies have seen the light and have begun to offer specialised expat insurance. These companies offer a variable policy which is based upon the country the expat is living within. Other optional extras are also offered such as evacuation cover which will cover the costs of needing to be transported to another country (if required) for complicated surgery or specialist treatment. Further upgrades include terminal illness care and disability payouts.

Finally, expats are being seen as a specialised market which needs specialist products - this can only be a good thing!

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