Insurance for expats

[abbby]

Is there any insurance for expats with maximum coverage for whole family..asking on behalf of a friend who just moved here..

[Strong Eagle]

Is there any insurance for expats with maximum coverage for whole family..asking on behalf of a friend who just moved here..

I posted this to another expat a short while ago.

I ran my own business in Singapore so I wasn't the beneficiary of any company supplied medical policy. However, you should be aware of these items as you review the coverage of your company policy, if any.

1. Lots of Singapore medical insurance policies (both privately purchased and company provided) cover you only for accidents and illness in Singapore. Take the ferry over to Batam Island (Indonesia) for a round of golf, get injured when a golf ball hits you in the head and you've got no medical coverage. Some people get around this by purchasing travel coverage to supplement their Singapore insurance plan. Some plans are quite comprehensive (and expensive).

2. If you travel much at all out of Singapore, you'll probably find the above solution unsatisfactory. In that case, you'll want to look at "global" policies that cover you anywhere you travel... almost. There are two kinds of global policies... those that cover illness or accident in the USA and those that don't. That's because of the USA's hellishly expensive healthcare system and USA coverage will cost a LOT more.

Even those that don't cover the USA offer you a few days coverage in the USA but if you're planning on being there for any period of time, you'll need to opt in for USA coverage. Like most policies, you have choices about deductibles, items covered, etc. I went with zero deductible, cover everything, and included the USA. Glad I did. Broke an ankle in Vietnam while offroad motorcycling, had an extended stay in the USA while working for a client.

3. You may wish to include evacuation insurance. If you come down with a serious illness while visiting in Sri Lanka, you may prefer to be evacuated to the nearest properly equipped hospital. Of course, you're going to have to argue with the insurance company if the evacuation is required but this does give you an option to get to a proper hospital or to be helicoptered out of the remote jungle in Laos.

4. Finally, you may wish to consider repatriation insurance. This additional coverage guarantees that you will be returned to your home country in the event of catastrophic or long term illness and that your insurance coverage will continue. Think cancer, getting both your legs eaten off by a Bengal tiger... things like that. Most global policies cease to operate if and when you return to your home country, so this coverage, which is quite inexpensive, ensures coverage if you must return to your home country permanently.