Information for international non-profit organizations regarding health coverage:
Important questions international non-profit organizations should ask
If you are one of many international non-profit organizations looking for health coverage, you should consider the following. Not all insurance brokers or carriers are created equal. Not all of them know the international market well; especially if you have staff working in more remote areas, or unfamiliar areas. This is where having a good neighbor helps. It’s our job to make sure you/they have what they need to:
- Stay safe.
- Stay funded.
- See the job done.
This is our goal and mission, to help you succeed overseas.
Here are some items that international NGOs, non-profit organizations, charitable groups and sending agencies need to consider when choosing health coverage; especially self-funded options for their overseas staff.
- What are your goals by insuring/self-insuring?
- What current issues are there? What are your current needs?
- Do you desire for an insurance partner to help assist you,
or for a company that will do it all for you? - International coverage and expertise? (broker/carrier/other parties)
- International specialization? (broker/carrier/all parties)
- International TPA (third-party administrator) if self-funding
- Selecting from international stop-loss/reinsurance carriers (avoiding “lasering”)
- Customized plan design to control costs (How-to?) – Implementation? Success rate?
- Amount of risk/reward you are willing to tolerate?
- Breakdown of internal ‘groupings’ of staff to target savings
- Amount of reserves on hand
- Limits and amount of reinsurance (Specific per person and aggregate)?
- Deductibles and co-insurance
- Customized benefits and features
- Internal staffing for benefits administration
- “Buy-in” from employees/staff?
- Would staff be more willing to consider a plan if they had $0 deductibles and $0 co-insurance?
- Age of staff/health of staff/recent claims history?
- Will local nationals be on plan? Other nationalities? Not needing home coverage? Do you need coverage in the USA?
- Is ACA-compliance necessary?
- What benefits/limits are “must-haves,” or most used? Which are desired? Which can you do without?
- How important is minimizing out-of-pocket expenses for staff?
- Timing and lowest base rate – Is this the best time to switch/best time to self-fund?
- Renewal date(s)?
- Should you get competitive quotes?
- How hard does your current insurer/broker negotiate on your behalf?
- How much does your broker actually help you? Do you need more help?