[CleanSlate]

(12-01-2015 10:08 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  

Cigna Global has an option to add US coverage for peanuts (like $12 a month if I remember correctly).

This is false. I called Cigna Global to ask them the same questions I'd been asking here - expat plans monthly costs, ACA eligibility, extra rider to add US coverage, etc.

The person said they do not provide any extra options to add US coverage, nor are any of their plans eligible under the ACA.

Looks like 330 days out of the country or pay the penalty. I hope Trump repeals the ACA when he gets elected president.

[CleanSlate]

For those of you who use World Nomad or some "travel" insurance plan...

One question is, do you use it as your primary policy, or supplementary policy (i.e. you have local health insurance along with travel insurance)?

Have you ever actually filed a claim, and how did it go?

Another question I have when I found these tidbits in their fine print:

1. Coverage terminates once you return to your home country (this seems to conflict with World Nomad's brochure bullet point of keeping you covered in your home country as long as you're 100 miles away from your home address).
2. The insurance company can either determine if they will pay for your treatment at a hospital in the country you're in, OR they may offer to pay for your flight home.

Now, let's say you get in an accident. You go to a hospital in your poosy-paradise country. The doctor decides you need lots of medical care that runs into the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. He calls your travel insurance provider, and instead of covering the medical procedures your doctor wants to do, they offer to fly you home on their dime. That's nice, but once you get home, they no longer cover you (see point #1 above)... and if you don't have coverage at home, you're basically fucked, right?

It seems like a sneaky way to get out of paying for high-cost medical coverage. For that reason, do you buy local health insurance wherever you go, on top of travel insurance?

[Kamaki4]

That's why you need coverage in your home country in addition to travel insurance. I'm insured for inpatient and catastrophic illness or injury in Thailand and usually buy insurance when I travel in the region. Spent a lot of time researching plans and to be honest, found a lot of the info confusing and the local reps not very knowledgeable; +1 for Canada even with it's flawed system.

[DaveR]

Not familiar with World Nomads, but...

Travel insurance probably isn't what you need if you're planning to emigrate. Those plans usually only cover emergency medical and some travel-related expenses like lost luggage, cancelled/missed flights, etc. Also keep in mind that you usually need to have a return ticket to your home country, otherwise the policy may be invalid.

Better and more comprehensive medical insurance plans are available for expats. Some of them cover travel medical expenses as well as treatment in your 'home' country. The larger ones have a list of preferred clinics where you can get treatment without having to pay, collect invoices, lodge claims, etc. - you just go there and get treated.

You'll probably find it cheaper to buy a worldwide (excluding US) expat policy (Allianz, AXA, BUPA, etc. or contact one of the brokers I listed earlier). Then buy short-term travel insurance for your trips to the US as that's usually the expensive part.

[Thought Criminal]

I've been investigating the international and domestic USA health insurance. Below are my suggestions. I do not have personal experience with them.

GeoBlue Xplorer
http://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com
International Health Insurance. Both world and ex-USA coverage is available. For USA citizens and USA residents.
Independent licensee of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association (USA-based).
Does not meet the requirements of Obamacare. Medical underwriting is required.

For short periods in the USA there is Short Term Medical Insurance available. Minimum of 30 days and a maximum, depending on state of residence, of 364 days. Medical underwriting required. Insurance effectivity can be as early as 24-hours after application. This insurance market is evolving rapidly.

IHC Group Connect-Net STM
http://rverhealthinsurance.com
Insurance is only available through a licensed insurance agent. Uses the Cigna PPO.

[El Chinito loco]

(09-11-2016 03:12 AM)Thought Criminal Wrote:  

I've been investigating the international and domestic USA health insurance. Below are my suggestions. I do not have personal experience with them.

GeoBlue Xplorer
http://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com
International Health Insurance. Both world and ex-USA coverage is available. For USA citizens and USA residents.
Independent licensee of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association (USA-based).
Does not meet the requirements of Obamacare. Medical underwriting is required.

For short periods in the USA there is Short Term Medical Insurance available. Minimum of 30 days and a maximum, depending on state of residence, of 364 days. Medical underwriting required. Insurance effectivity can be as early as 24-hours after application. This insurance market is evolving rapidly.

IHC Group Connect-Net STM
http://rverhealthinsurance.com
Insurance is only available through a licensed insurance agent. Uses the Cigna PPO.

What's up 18 post man what incredible insights can you offer us into the world of healthcare and pissing into the wind.

[Carthaginist]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I have a question I have been researching for weeks and cannot find an answer to. Not on this forum, not on reddit, not on DuckDuckGo, not anywhere: Does anyone have experience filing a claim with expat/international health insurance?

Note: I'm not talking about travel insurance. I'm talking about insurance that will cover your treatment wherever you are (outside US/Canada, etc.) even if you don't have a permanent country-specific insurance. Stuff like Cigna Global, Aetna International, IMG Global, Integra Global, to name just the most popular ones on this and other forums. There is a lot of options out there, and I can read insurance documents but I need some assurance that when s**t hits the fan, bills get big, which is the only time when having insurance actually matters, my insurer won't pull all their lawyers to dodge the claim. All I can find is paid-for positive reviews or very bad reviews, most likely sponsored by the competition. So, once again: Has anyone here ever filed a claim with international/expat health insurace? If so, how was the experience?

[tatted-mormon]

Found this recently. $40/m for international coverage. I'm probably going to be using it on my next trip.

https://www.safetywing.com

[CleanSlate]

(02-11-2019 02:09 PM)Carthaginist Wrote:  

Does anyone have experience filing a claim with expat/international health insurance?

I have, twice.

One claim was covered but didn't pay out because it amounted to less than the deductible. The other was denied due to "pre-existing conditions", but that's not the problem.

The real issue here is that local hospitals often don't have contracts with international health insurance providers. So even if you have coverage, you still have to pay the hospital or clinic upfront in order to get the care you need.

Then afterward, when you get the invoice and forms detailing your care from the hospital, you use these to file a claim with your insurance. They may take two months to even process these claims, so you may not see a cent from them after paying the hospital upfront for all this time.

Plus, even with a low deductible, say $500 or $1,000, medical care is so cheap abroad that you may never hit that deductible if you don't have a serious or catastrophic emergency.

I'm now weighing the option of going with a local insurance provider that does have a contract with hospitals here (and buying travel insurance whenever I fly to other countries), or just paying routine medical expenses out of pocket while maintaining an international policy purely to cover catastrophes. But in the latter case, I'd still have to pay out of pocket at the time of care, which can be a real problem if get to the hospital unconscious.

[Carthaginist]

(02-11-2019 11:10 PM)tatted-mormon Wrote:  

Found this recently. $40/m for international coverage. I'm probably going to be using it on my next trip.

https://www.safetywing.com

SafetyWing is a travel insurance, not international health insurance.

(02-12-2019 12:58 AM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

One claim was covered but didn't pay out because it amounted to less than the deductible. The other was denied due to "pre-existing conditions", but that's not the problem.

Do you think the refusals were legit? Who was the provider?

(02-12-2019 12:58 AM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

I'm now weighing the option of going with a local insurance provider that does have a contract with hospitals here (and buying travel insurance whenever I fly to other countries), or just paying routine medical expenses out of pocket while maintaining an international policy purely to cover catastrophes.

Yeah, I'm trying to find the latter - international health insurance with high deductible (5k-10k). But the former might make much more sense. Which country are you thinking of to get a local health insurance?

[CleanSlate]

^ about the refusal, I don’t like it, but objectively, it’s legit. Can’t really argue against it.

[Tail Gunner]

(02-12-2019 03:41 AM)Carthaginist Wrote:  

(02-12-2019 12:58 AM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

One claim was covered but didn't pay out because it amounted to less than the deductible. The other was denied due to "pre-existing conditions", but that's not the problem.

Do you think the refusals were legit? Who was the provider?

There is a huge difference between international health insurance and travel insurance. In regards to travel insurance, there are certain time limits that, if ignored, will eliminate any coverage for pre-existing conditions. I have made this mistake so many times that it is almost comical.

This is the scenario: to get the best deal, you purchase your airline tickets about sixty days before your trip. Then a few weeks before your trip you remember that, as a prudent person, you should buy some travel insurance. Guess what? You blew your chance for coverage of any pre-existing conditions more than a month ago, because you waited too long to buy travel insurance. You must buy travel insurance shortly after making your first trip payment if you want coverage of any pre-existing conditions.

Quote:

When to Buy Travel Insurance

You should buy travel insurance right after you book your trip -- preferably on the same day. As soon as you pay for your trip, the clock starts ticking on the pre-existing condition waiver. You want a pre-existing condition waiver, as it cancels out an administrative hell that results in more than 20% of claims being denied, according to QuoteWright.com's John Cook. Some travel insurers give you 14 days after you started to book your trip to get the waiver, but some only give you 24 hours. To get the most options, think of booking travel insurance as something you do at the same time as booking your trip.

If you're a frequent traveler, travel insurance companies also offer multi-trip and annual policies that may be cheaper than buying a policy for each trip.

https://www.frommers.com/tips/health-and...re-you-buy

[Tail Gunner]

Oh, the other thing about travel insurance: I know that 90% of you guys will ignore this advice, but always read the actual insurance terms of competing insurance policies before making a purchase -- especially the exclusions section. Obviously, extreme sports and things such as hand gliding and mountain climbing will be excluded (or perhaps you don't know that either), but I have seen travel insurance policies that excluded any injuries or accidents stemming from alcohol use. Have a few drinks and accidentally step in front a car and you need to cover $100,000 in medical expenses? So sorry, not covered. You should have read the policy. If two travel insurance policies cost about the same amount and have similar coverage, but one has an exclusion for alcohol use, which policy would you purchase? If you never bother to read the fine print, you just might buy the policy with the alcohol exclusion.

[edlefou]

I haven't seen a policy without the alcohol exclusion.

Is there such a thing?

[Tail Gunner]

(02-13-2019 06:47 PM)edlefou Wrote:  

I haven't seen a policy without the alcohol exclusion.

Is there such a thing?

I think that the difference between policies can be subtle, but still significant. For example, one policy might have an exclusion for any injuries sustained while "under the influence of drugs or intoxicants," meaning that you must actually be drunk (likely determined by a police or doctor's report) -- while another policy's exclusion may include a prohibition on any alcohol use whatsoever.

[Cyclone]

(09-11-2016 03:22 AM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  

(09-11-2016 03:12 AM)Thought Criminal Wrote:  

I've been investigating the international and domestic USA health insurance. Below are my suggestions. I do not have personal experience with them.

GeoBlue Xplorer
http://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com
International Health Insurance. Both world and ex-USA coverage is available. For USA citizens and USA residents.
Independent licensee of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association (USA-based).
Does not meet the requirements of Obamacare. Medical underwriting is required.

IHC Group Connect-Net STM
http://rverhealthinsurance.com
Insurance is only available through a licensed insurance agent. Uses the Cigna PPO.

What's up 18 post man what incredible insights can you offer us into the world of healthcare and pissing into the wind.

I am actually gonna give a +1 to GeoBlue here, and have been using them for 2 years already. Incredible value at $175 per mo and $0 deductible.. which means they pay for EVERYTHING. Not only that but they go above and beyond with customer service, i.e. doing things like direct billing with out-of-network clinics that they're not even supposed to. Love em.

https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insu...s/geoblue/

My only quibble with them was the first free annual checkup was valued at maximum of $3000, but then they knocked it down to $1000 next round without telling me ..

[Carthaginist]

Unfortunately, GeoBlue is only for Americans.