International Health Insurance

Home | Worldwide Private Medical Insurance

What will a global
health plan cover?
Healthcare options for expatriates
Country specific cover
Policy limits and excess
Understanding the local health insurance system
Worldwide medical insurance vs. travel insurance
Need some advice

International
Private Health Insurance

Designed to ensure you have access to private healthcare wherever you are in the world.

As healthcare services can vary considerably across the globe a worldwide health plan will often provide additional benefits including cover for emergencies, normal pregnancy and chronic conditions.

Benefits to You

Peace of mind knowing you are eligible to receive private healthcare wherever you travel in the world.

Designed to cover the cost of surgery, consultations, diagnostic tests and scans.

Cover for cancer treatment and access to a 24 hour GP helpline.

Highest standards of care, private rooms and round the clock visiting hours.

What is Covered?

Most plans cover inpatient and day patient treatment in full.

Opt for £1,000 limited or full outpatient treatment covering specialist consultations, scans and diagnostic tests.

Worldwide hospital list so you can receive treatment wherever you travel.

Pre-existing medical conditions and chronic conditions tend not to be covered on a personal health insurance plan.

Policy Options

Include outpatient treatment either capped (£1,000 per annum) or cover outpatient treatment in full.

Excess, the amount you pay towards a claim in any policy year, excesses range from £50 to £1,000.

Six week wait option, you agree to use the NHS if the waiting list is less than six weeks for the required treatment

Drewberry Insurance

Our aim is simple, couple expert impartial advice with a first class service.

We are wholly independent and compare all the leading UK insurers.

We use our buying power to find you the most competitive rates.

You are not a number in a queue getting pushed from pillar to post, speak to a named consultant with a direct phone line.

If you are looking for insurance and require some guidance then let us help, don't worry there is no fee for this service.

Health Insurance Advice

Worldwide
Health Insurance UK

Providing you with access to private healthcare wherever you are in the world.

Most global health plans premiums are based on the regions of the world where cover is provided.

Worldwide coverage often includes a level of emergency and maternal benefits with cover for chronic conditions.

For expatriates and others individuals who spend significant time abroad a UK only health insurance plan will not provide the level of cover required to ensure treatment can be received in countries outside of the UK.

What will global
health insurance cover?

With over 30 million expatriates living or working around the world many of the UK insurers have developed a range of international medical insurance products. These policies provide similar benefits to those provided on a UK only plan.

However given the international nature of the plan and the fact that those living abroad typically do not have access to State funded healthcare, additional benefits that may also be covered include:

Global health insurance provides additional benefits including emergency and maternal benefits and cover for chronic conditions.

All expenses for in-patient, day-patient and out-patient treatment
Specialists fees
Drugs and dressings
Home nursing
Pre-existing conditions;
GP costs;
Dentistry
Normal pregnancy and childbirth (optional extra)
24 hours, 7 days a week emergency help and advice lines to arrange suitable quality healthcare;

Healthcare options for expatriates

Like any health insurance product you tend to get what you pay for with a range of options available to both increase and reduce the scope of the cover provided. Given the global nature of the cover the products tend to have different pricing structures dependent upon the countries covered as health insurance costs can vary considerably across the world.

The most common categories are as follows:

Europe Only;
Rest of the world (excluding North America);
Rest of the world (all countries)

Country specific premiums
Some specialist international insurers and some of the mainstream providers offer regional or country specific rates which can help to contain premiums. Given the global nature of the plans the insurers are also often quite flexible in the currency they receive payment in offering a range of options to policyholders.

Policy limits and excess
Many are familiar with the term excess through their car or home insurance plan, a global health insurance policy also offers the option of including an excess.

Most commonly the excess is set up as a simple deductible, where the policyholder pays the first £x of any claim, it is more common on an international plan than a UK plan to pay the excess per claim rather than per policy year.

Co-payment
The alternative to a simple deductible excess is a co-payment option, with this option the insured agrees to pay x% of each claim. The risk imposed on the insured in the co-payment option is very different to the simple deductible excess and it is important to take these risks into consideration when deciding on the right worldwide health cover.

Understanding the local health insurance system

It is very important to understand the local health service customs in the areas you are to reside in or travel to.

When considering worldwide health insurance it is important to understand the local health service customs in the areas you are to reside in or travel to.

Across Europe alone there are many different state funded health services from the French Universal Health Coverage Act (CMU) to Germany's GKV scheme and Italy's Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN).

Each country has their own way of providing services and it is important to be aware of how these schemes work to ensure you are prepared should you require treatment.

All good international health plans and should take these differences into account as should your adviser when making any recommendations. Take the French system for instance, where it is based on the State paying a proportion of the total cost of treatment.

Difference between international medical
insurance and travel insurance

When taking out a travel insurance policy many focus on the issues that can come with taking a holiday, lost or stolen luggage, delays and cancellations however a key element of any good travel insurance policy is to cover health treatment abroad while travelling.

The key difference between the medical cover provided by a travel insurance policy and that provided on a global private medical insurance plan is that the travel insurance is focused on accidents and emergencies only with no cover provided for elective treatment or chronic conditions.

With travel insurance you are usually required to return home to continue treatment when fit enough whereas an international health insurance plan would allow you to receive ongoing treatment overseas.

Providing international health insurance advice

As with any insurance product it is important to truly understand what the product covers and any potential pitfalls. If you do not feel comfortable trawling through the insurer's terms and conditions then speak to an expert, the last thing you want to do is make a mistake when it comes to your health.

If you require any guidance, further information or quotes from the leading international health insurance providers then please do not hesitate to pop us an email or give us a call.

Our aim is simply to provide you
with the best possible service.

Drewberry Insurance are a London based independent insurance brokerage providing insurance services to individuals and organisations
throughout the UK.

Our health insurance site is a dedicated resource for individuals seeking information, advice and private medical insurance quotes comparing all of the UK's leading insurers.

We are here to help, if you can't find what you are looking for just give us a call.

We would love to hear from you, whether you are enquiring about our services, a career, or a business partnership.

+44 (0) 20 8432 7333

enquiries@drewberryltd.com

Drewberry Ltd

Vantage House

1 Weir Road

London

SW19 8UX

International Health Insurance

International
Private Health Insurance

Benefits to You

What is Covered?

Policy Options

Drewberry Insurance

Summary

Types of Health Insurance

Quote

Worldwide
Health Insurance UK

What will global
health insurance cover?

Healthcare options for expatriates

Understanding the local health insurance system

Difference between international medical
insurance and travel insurance

Providing international health insurance advice

International Health Insurance

International Private Health Insurance

Benefits to You

What is Covered?

Policy Options

Drewberry Insurance

Summary

Types of Health Insurance

Quote

Worldwide Health Insurance UK

What will global health insurance cover?

Healthcare options for expatriates

Understanding the local health insurance system

Difference between international medical insurance and travel insurance

Providing international health insurance advice

International
Private Health Insurance

Worldwide
Health Insurance UK

What will global
health insurance cover?

Difference between international medical
insurance and travel insurance