INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL INSURANCE AND HEALTH INSURANCE FOR OVERSEAS GLOBAL COVERAGE

GLOBAL COVERAGE, INTERNATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE

Although international medical insurance is important it is also important to be so prepared in order to avoid health problems overseas.

EXPATRIATE HEALTH

Travel Supplies Checklist Other Risks
General Medical Travel Kit Miscellaneous
10 Commandments of Travel Medicine Reference Materials
Traveler’s Diarrhea Nutrition
Diseases Travel Doctor
Pregnant Expatriate  
The goal of this manual is to present something that is small enough to be usable and that will be added to in a dynamic fashion, frequently enough to meet the needs of expatriate workers. It is not intended to replace your own personal physician, and it is the position of our organization that you should have your own primary care physician who will be either be a family physician, internist, pediatrician, Ob/Gyn or general practitioner. The problem is that many doctors do not travel internationally and may not have a clue about the health hazards you will face. It is for this reason that we want to cover areas that the average American physician might not recommend. There is a newly developed specialty called Tropical Medicine and Travel Health. It has a board certification. The knowledge is expanding rapidly, and it is difficult to keep up.
“Just because you have a dependable means of transportation doesn’t mean you don’t need international health insurance.”

Because there are so many exotic diseases that might affect the specific area of the world where you are working, there are many diseases not mentioned in this treatise. Our organization and others use screening histories on a computer-based questionnaire that correlates with Center for Disease Control (CDC) risks anywhere in the world. This is the best possible approach because the best defense is a good offense in prevention, doing this before one goes overseas. It is invaluable in taking care of the problems you may encounter. 90% of medical diagnosis is actually detailed history and not necessarily expensive lab and hospital tests.

I freely welcome constructive criticism of the contents of this health manual, additions, or deletions. It is intended to be useful to those people working and living abroad. Changes, additions, and websites at the end of this document will be recommended for you to consult, specific to the geographic area of your service. Your questions and e-mails are welcomed. Keep in mind that medicine is rapidly changing and there are new vaccines.

Sincerely,

Jon Askew, MD