Understanding Global Health Insurance
Today, the world is interconnecting and so are the health-related concerns growing rapidly. People are travelling from one country to another, and risking their lives overseas is a big worry. So, having a plan in advance for a better travel experience with seamless 24/7 facilitation is compulsory for you.
Global health insurance gives you such freedom to explore the world, international businesses, or anything that's why you're flying abroad. It provides you an uninterrupted coverage and world-class health benefits in just one go. No matter where you hail, it allows you to have a significant parameter of a worldwide safety net. Read more about a global health insurance policy, its benefits, considerable factors and essential aspects before buying it.
What is Global Health Insurance?
Global health insurance provides comprehensive medical coverage to those who are frequently travelling or living in multiple parts of the world. Regardless of an individual's location, it offers you accessible quality healthcare services.
This kind of policy means no borders, encompassing a wide range of medical facilitation like hospitalization, medications, doctor's visits, surgical operations, and so on. In case of a severe emergency, it offers you a worry-free treatment and allows you to travel and live a regular life anywhere in this world.
Types of Global Health Insurance Plans
Global health insurance policy allows you to travel, live, work, or wander anywhere without thinking twice about a medical expense. Here is a table illustrating some of the types of global insurance plans you can buy at a reasonable range:-
Catastrophic health insurance | Specially designed to cover major expenses, such as surgical operations, hospital stays, health screenings, and so on. Comes with higher deductibles but lower premiums, to protect you against unexpectedly odd situations. |
Expatriate/Expat health insurance | It is a tailored health plan for expatriates who are working and residing abroad for an extended period. This plan typically offers a benefit in medical emergencies, treatment expenses, preventive care, etc. |
Student health insurance | It's often required by an institution/university for international students studying in another country. The plan has a broad coverage range including illnesses, medications, accidents, mental health facilitation for that instance, etc. |
International health insurance | Geared towards an individual or a family who lives and works or travels in multiple countries for an extended period. This plan has comprehensive coverage for medical treatments, hospital stays, routine check-ups, unexpected emergencies and many more. |
Remote work insurance | In an era of remote work culture, it's suitable to have a remote work plan for a digital nomad or individuals working remotely. Allowing them to live a flexible accomodating lifestyle in different locations, has to offer you a lot more of a medical expenditure. |
Retiree health insurance | If you're retired and want to live in a different country while serving your retiring years, then this plan is bliss. It is a great option for those who've decided to move to a foreign country permanently. |
Travel medical insurance | Accurately suitable for short-term travellers, or a tourist, covering their unwanted emergencies in need. It has to offer a benefit with medical treatments, evacuations or any kind of illness/accident that may occur while travelling to another country. |
What are the aspects of choosing Worldwide Health Insurance?
Without knowing how to opt and what to check for suitable and personalized worldwide health insurance, you can get confused. This table provides you with a clear understanding of what should you check before buying a global health plan:-
Coverage specifics & its limits | Coverage specifics Coverage specifics include- hospitalization, medical/surgical treatments, medication prescriptions, preventive care, check-ups, etc. according to your needs. limits Exclusions or limitations are subject to deductible/copay clauses. Sometimes a certain treatment might not be covered in your plan, so it's better to read your plan's terms & conditions prior. |
Healthcare providers' network and waiting period | Healthcare providers Go through the list of network hospitals, doctors or clinics, as in-network hospitals may cut off your out-of-pocket medical expenses. Given that the networking facilities must be not too far from your location of residence. waiting period Check if there's a waiting period for pre-existing conditions or some specific treatments because it might affect your plan's coverage widely. |
Geographical coverage and customer support | Geographical coverage Some insurance policies restrict certain regions/countries, so it's better to note whether your region comes under the purchased policy or not. Making sure of your location's coverage may help avoid hefty charges for medical care. Customer support In case of emergencies or assistance, a company should be responsive and helpful to its customers. Research in prior, to whether your insurance provider is reliable enough to help you or not. |
Services in Emergency & Evacuation | Services in Emergency Medical emergencies in such unexpected situations should be covered in your plan so that you can avail of on-the-spot benefits from your policy providers. Evacuation In a case where the patient needs extra care, a plan that allows them to be transported to high-quality facilitation. Or if the customer is stuck in a remote/high-risk destination, this plan specifics can work wonders for them. |
Claim procedures and cancellation policy | Claim procedures You must be aware of filling out the claim forms. Nowadays, you can easily avail a claim online through mobile apps. Make sure to take a query from your policy provider about how long will it take to fulfil a claim or receive a reimbursement. Cancellation policy If you need to cancel your policy somehow before the policy term ends, it's advisable to know your policy's cancellation terms and rules associated with it. |
What are the benefits of buying a Global Healthcare Plan?
Before buying a global healthcare policy, it's mandatory to know your why! And why should you choose a policy that takes a lot of effort to research? Even when you're not in your country but somewhere else, staying safe is important. We've tailored you a common checkbox that's considerable before hopping on a policy purchase.
- International Coverage Unlike your regular health insurance, it provides you medical coverage not only in your home country but in multiple countries as well. Global plans work for those who reside or travel abroad frequently.
- Comprehensive Medical Coverages It comprehensively covers a broad range of medical expenditures that includes- hospitalization, prescriptions, doctor's visits, surgical operations, medication, and certain medical care in emergencies.
- Accessive Quality Healthcare Depending upon your insurance providers and exclusive plans, some policies may give you access to world-class hospitals or doctors. It includes a wide network of reputable hospitals that are known for their high-quality medical coverage.
- Pre-existing Conditions To ensure you meet your emergent medical needs, some plans may provide you benefits for availing of pre-existing conditions.
- Financial Shield You may experience that medical facilitation is high in foreign countries. So, to save you from hefty incurring out-of-pocket expenses, this clause provides you an aid to medical protection.
- Preventive Care Some of the global health insurance plans may cover preventive care like vaccinations, wellness check-ups, health screening, certain tests, proactive health aids, etc.
Health Insurer Network Hospitals
How to make an informed decision to buy it?
Having a backup in advance and travelling the world is an adventure in itself. Medical support can help you avoid several unexpected or unwanted risks, that's where a worldwide healthcare policy comes into play. Here is a list of things you can consider before purchasing global healthcare insurance:-
- Coverage & Benefits Your insurance plan should cover medical treatments, preventive care, medications and life-saving drugs, vision care, dental care, surgeries, doctor's prescription, hospital stays, etc. Also, check if it covers all the countries' medical care access. Sometimes, a policy might have specific restrictions for some countries or regions. Hence, it should cover the regions that you're planning to travel to or reside in.
- Waiting Period It can primarily affect your coverage benefits, so it's better to check in advance. Check if your policy covers specific services or some pre-existing conditions till the completion of the waiting period. Some of the pre-existing conditions might not apply to a claim in your policy sometimes.
- Deductibles & Co-Payment Clause Know the deductible or co-pay amount that you need to pay in return for a medical treatment as it can also impact your budget at times.
- Limited Features & Exclusions To avoid urgent surprises, you should check if your insurance policy covers certain treatments, pre-existing conditions, specified activities and so on. Read through all the exclusions and limitations before purchasing a global healthcare policy.
- Claim Intimation & Cancellation Read all the clauses that say about your claim intimations, and settlements afterwards. Claim-settling procedures may vary from company to company. If you need to cancel your policy somehow before the term ends, make yourself familiar with this clause as well.
- Network Providers Entail down the list of all the doctors, clinics, and networking hospitals that are covered in your policy. Check if the in-network hospitals are mentioned in your plans, it can help you avoid hefty charges and medical expenditures. Networking hospitals in the location where you're planning to reside can help cut off extra out-of-pocket expenses.
Plans for Global Health Coverage
A comprehensive health plan that offers protection plus rewards and value-added benefits. Additionally, the plan also comes with in-built maternity coverage.
Unique Features
- Long Term & Family Discounts
- Zone-wise premium classification
- Critical Illness cover
Bajaj Allianz Global Health Care
This plan provides comprehensive coverage for planned and emergency medical treatment within and outside India.
Unique Features
- USD 1,000,000 cover
- Mental Illnesses covered
- Air Ambulance covered
Plan with comprehensive coverage up to INR 3 crores with benefits like OPD cover, global cover, women's care, and continuity benefits.
Unique Features
- Avail Global OPD
- Cancer treatment
- High SI
Manipalcigna Lifetime (Pros)
- No room rent limit
- Avail Loyalty discount
- Global OPD
- International Second Opinion
- 27 CI Covered
Manipalcigna Lifetime (Cons)
- Hazardous Activities not covered
- Injuries due to unlawful activities
- Obesity
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Injuries due to illegal activities
Manipalcigna Lifetime (Other Benefits)
- Travel Expenses Benefit
- Global Second Opinion
- Critical Illness Cover
- Women+ Cover
- Air Ambulance Cover
Manipalcigna Lifetime (Eligibility Criteria)
- Entry Age - 91 Days
- Max Entry Age - 65 Years
- SI - 1 L to 3 Cr
- Waiting Period - 30 Days
A plan with sum insured, premium payments and tenure options. Provides coverage for alternate treatments besides allopathy too.
Unique Features
- Flexible Sum Insured
- Avail Newborn Baby Coverage
- Travel reimbursement
Wrapping it up
As the world is readily connecting the dots of international market interface, our healthcare concerns emerge vividly with time. Here we are navigating a diversified landscape of healthcare services and their access worldwide.
This article must have given you insights into the ins and outs of a worldwide healthcare plan. So that the next time you pack your bags up, you fly worry-free, and without the hectic boredom of getting a health risk. Here's your call to sit tightly with a peaceful mind, embracing the beauty of global landscapes and wandering amid clouds. We're here to back you with a protective shield of tailored international healthcare plans, especially curated for you.
Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share?