Learn More About Your Expatriate Medical Insurance Part 2

Here is part two of our series on how to use your expatriate insurance while in the U.S. and throughout our wonderful world!

Good Neighbor Insurance (GNI) provides international expatriate health insurance for those moving overseas or living internationally for 12 months or longer. We specialize in expat insurance for individuals and families moving abroad for work, social good projects, missions, entrepreneurship, choosing to live abroad, digital nomads, or retirement. We provide insurance solutions of all ages and nearly every destination.

We offer expatriate health insurance in addition to international term life insurance, travel insurance (for those going abroad less than 365 days), group team insurance, international employer group insurance, and nomad insurance.

We feel these “understanding your expat insurance” videos will provide you valuable information.  However, our international insurance agents are here anytime you want to connect with them via email ([email protected]), phone (1-480-813-9100), or contact us page (gninsurance.com/contact-us) for more detailed information on your expat medical insurance.

1. Understanding how to submit an insurance claim on your expat medical insurance
2. Understanding how co-insurance and out-of-pocket maximum works on your expat medical insurance
3. Understanding how deductibles work on your expat medical insurance
4. Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on your expatriate insurance policy

 

Ashley and her husband had emailed our Good Neighbor Insurance team, here in Gilbert Arizona, with questions on how to submit their expat medical insurance claims while they reside these next few years in Vietnam – https://www.gninsurance.com/health. 

Here are some of the key points we shared with Ashley and her husband via email, and then a week later we followed our email conversation up with a phone call.

Ask Doug – about expat medical insurance is a series of videos providing information on how to use your expatriate insurance best for you and your family. This video will go over the process of submitting your expatriate insurance claim form to your international insurance company.

If you receive treatment within the United States while on an international expatriate plan, your medical provider will file the claim with insurance company. Please make sure to have your international medical insurance ID cards with you. 

• Your international medical insurance ID card will have information about
  • Your ID number, your name and birth date.
  • PPO provider information (in the U.S.)  You may use any western medical facility outside the U.S.
  • Emergency phone numbers of your international medical insurance carrier.

Each international insurance carrier has different methods for submitting claims for treatment outside of the United States.  Some options for submitting claims will be emailing the claims form and documents or through your online portal. This information may be found on your annual confirmation email.  If you do not see that, please call (1-480-813-9100) or email ([email protected]) our Good Neighbor Insurance office and we will be glad to provide that to you.

Please make sure you have the following information in order to submit claims – (1) The policy’s claims form.  (2) Itemized receipt for paid medical treatments and (3) Medical report – If the doctor writes everything down on a prescription pad, this may still be used.

Please allow up to six weeks for processing (not including weekends and holidays). Claim processing may take longer if:

• Medical records requested (copies of this request will be snail-mailed to you).
• Documents need to be translated
• Incomplete information ex: missing receipts, no itemized billing / receipts

 

Hannah called into our Good Neighbor Insurance international brokerage office this past week here in Gilbert, Arizona – https://www.gninsurance.com.  She, and her husband Zachary with their two children, are heading over to Guinea-Bissau to work with one of the leading social good organizations.  Their home base will be in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau.

Hannah wanted to know all about expat medical insurance options for her family of four and how co-insurance and out-of-pocket maximum works, since this was their first time living as expatriates.

Ask Doug – about expat medical insurance is a series of videos providing information on how to use your expatriate insurance best for you and your family – https://www.gninsurance.com/resources/ask-doug.

This video will go over important information regarding how co-insurance and out-of-pocket maximum works on your expatriate insurance policy.

With international medical insurance policies, medical claims for treatment within the U.S. could be subject to coinsurance. Hannah, here is a definition of Coinsurance –

• It is the percentage of covered expenses the covered person is responsible for paying (after the applicable deductible is satisfied and or copayment paid). Coinsurance is the amount, usually a percentage, the insured is responsible to pay for covered costs after the deductible is met, and serves to lower premium.
• Coinsurance may have an Out of Pocket Maximum, for example 20% up to $5,000 maximum. Once you have paid the out-of-pocket maximum, the insurance pays the 100% of the remaining covered costs up to the policy limit.
• Some policies may have a higher coinsurance percentage for treatment received outside of the Preferred Provider Network for the policy.
• Typically, medical treatment outside of the U.S. has no co-insurance.

Three key points to share with you about your expat insurance, Hannah – https://www.gninsurance.com/health.

• Some medical benefits on your international insurance policy may have a deductible for you to meet, but no coinsurance.  But there are other medical benefits on your international insurance policy that may have you meet your deductible and co-insurance part before your international insurance policy covers 100 percent of your covered medical benefits.
• Just like there is a deductible to meet on our car insurance (unless one chooses zero-dollar deductible) there is a deductible on your expat insurance. But the deductible has to be met each time you use your car insurance, Hannah. The good news is that your deductible and co-insurance on your expatriate insurance has a cap.  This means you will know, worse case, how much out-of-pocket maximum you have per policy person for the calendar or policy year.
• Hannah, most international medical insurance policies have out-of-pocket maximum for 2 or 3 persons on your family policy. This means, on a worse case situation, the maximum out-of-pocket maximum for your family will be 2 or 3 times the out-of-pocket maximum for your whole family on your family policy.

We wish you, Hannah and your family, an amazing, safe, and spectacular expat journey in Guinea-Bissau.

Hannah called back into our Good Neighbor Insurance international brokerage office (https://www.gninsurance.com) yesterday here in Gilbert, Arizona and had another great question relating to expatriate insurance she was looking to invest in for her and her family. She, and her husband Zachary with their two children, are heading over to Guinea-Bissau to work with one of the leading social good organizations. Their home base will be in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau.

Hannah wanted to know all about expat medical insurance options for her family of four and how deductibles worked on their future expatriate medical insurance policy, since this was their first time living as expatriates.

Ask Doug – about expat medical insurance is a series of videos providing information on how to use your expatriate insurance best for you and your family – https://www.gninsurance.com/resources/ask-doug. This video will go over important information regarding how deductibles work on your expat insurance policy.

Hannah, here is a good definition relating to medical insurance deductibles.

• The dollar amount, as selected on the application and specified in the declaration, that the insured person must pay of eligible medical expenses per period of coverage prior to receiving benefits or coverage under this expat medical insurance, and not including any applicable coinsurance (or copays).

• Another name for “deductible” outside of the U.S., is also known as “excess.”
• When applying for an international medical insurance plan, the deductible that is chosen will be a factor in the overall premium.
  • The lower the premium, the higher the financial risk is for the insurance company.
  • We recommend a “middle-of-the-road” deductible, usually around $1,000 (USD), for the year.
• Expenses for medical treatments that are not covered on your expatriate insurance policy does not accumulate toward meeting your deductible amount. You are solely responsible for these costs.
• Some international medical insurance policies will offer a “deductible carry forward” – https://www.gninsurance.com/health.
  • If a deductible has not been met for the period of coverage, charges at the end of the policy or calendar year will be applied to your next year of coverage.
  • Depending on which expatriate medical insurance plan you are looking at, Hannah, we can check your expat insurance option to see if this is offered.
  • Expatriate medical insurance options may offer this for the last 30, 60, or 90 days of your policy or calendar year.
• Family deductibles are offered on most international medical insurance policies.
  • A family deductible is typically around 2 to 3 times the chosen individual deductible.
  • One person in the family can only meet their own individual deductible.
  • All members of the family can contribute to meeting the family deductible.
• For some international health insurance options, treatments received outside of the U.S. may have a discount in the chosen deductible
• For treatment in the U.S., once meeting your deductible, there may be additional co-insurance to pay.

We wish you, Hannah and your family, an amazing, safe, and spectacular expat journey in Guinea-Bissau.

Since our founding in 1997, here in Gilbert Arizona, Good Neighbor Insurance has had the privilege of serving thousands of expatriates residing outside of their home country with a variety of expatriate medical insurance options – https://www.gninsurance.com/health.

Ask Doug – about expat medical insurance is a series of videos providing information on how to use your expatriate insurance best for you and your family. This video will provide answers to some of our most frequently asked questions on your international expat health insurance policy –  https://www.gninsurance.com/resources/ask-doug.

Question – I am a U.S. citizen, and I plan on being outside of the U.S. for more than two years without returning. Should I apply for my expat insurance coverage to exclude the U.S?

Answer –

• Although the choice is entirely up to you, we recommend including the U.S. when you are a U.S. citizen.
• In a worst-case scenario, if you are diagnosed with a serious medical illness, having U.S. medical coverage on your expatriate medical insurance will allow you to return home for medical treatment.

Question – Are expat medical insurance plans Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliant?

Answer –

• International medical insurance policies are not required to meet ACA requirements.
• Therefore, each applicant will go through a thorough underwriting process.
• Acceptance on an international expatriate insurance plan is not automatic.
• Exclusions for medical pre-existing conditions may be added to an international medical insurance plan in order to issue new expat insurance coverage.

Question – Do all expat insurance plans cover maternity benefits – https://www.gninsurance.com/health/maternity?

Answer –

• No, not all international medical insurance plans will cover maternity benefits.
• Most of the more comprehensive international insurance plans will either include maternity coverage or will offer to add maternity coverage at the time of your annual renewal.
• All expat medical insurance plans that do offer maternity benefits will have a waiting period of 10-12 months.

Question – Does my expat insurance policy cover emergency medical evacuation?

Answer –

• Yes! All expat medical insurance options, that we offer through Good Neighbor, have coverage for emergency medical evacuation.
• Please check the summary of benefits on your international health insurance policy to know how much is covered on your emergency medical evacuation benefit.

Question – I like to SCUBA dive.  Does my expatriate medical insurance policy cover adventure sports, like SCUBA diving?

Answer –

• Most international medical insurance plans exclude for SCUBA diving or adventure sports.
• We at Good Neighbor provide specific adventure sports insurance that will offer adventure sports coverage for additional premium. Please inform us at Good Neighbor that you would like coverage for adventure sports and we will make sure that you have this benefit.

Question – My date to depart my home country is not for another six (6) months. How soon should I apply for my expat medical insurance coverage – https://www.gninsurance.com/health?

Answer –

• Most expat insurance plans will only accept a new application thirty (30) days prior to your requested start date for your international medical insurance policy.
• Also, expat insurance plans usually will have a restriction on how much time is allowed in your home country prior to your departure.

Question – I received different international health insurance quotes. Why are some company’s quotes so much higher than others?

Answer –

• There are budget friendly expat insurance options, and then there are expat insurance options with more comprehensive medical benefits.
• The budget friendly expat insurance options will be more for new medical injuries and new medical illnesses.
• Whereas the comprehensive friendly expat insurance options will have extra medical benefits such as annual wellness checkups, maternity coverage, and longer time allowed for U.S. coverage, for example.

We wish you and your family an amazing, safe, and spectacular expat journey!