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Understanding My Expat Medical Insurance – Part 1

Good Neighbor Insurance provides expatriate medical insurance for individuals, couples, and families moving overseas.  We have over 25 years providing the best expat medical insurance available. The videos below will provide information on how to best use your global insurance while you are residing overseas.

  1. How does my deductible work in the U.S?
  2. How do I renew my expatriate medical insurance?
  3. Who can get an expatriate international medical insurance plan?
  4. What are copays on our expatriate medical insurance?
  5. Why my international insurance member portal is important
  6. Do I have office visit copays on my expatriate medical insurance?
  7. Does my expat medical insurance have the HSA option?
  8. Telehealth on expatriate insurance
  9. Understanding our Explanation of Benefits on our expatiate insurance
  10. Do I need to pre-certify before a hospital admission or surgery?
  11. How to handle a pre-certification during an emergency hospital visit

 

Question – Doug, how does my deductible on my expatriate medical insurance work in the U.S?

Answer – Great question, Anna.  Yes, the deductible you choose on your expat insurance will be the deductible amount here in the U.S.

Here are a few other key points to share about your deductible in the U.S, Anna.

  • Do make sure you use your in-network medical network.  This will allow you to save money since in-network providers provide discounts to you. An in-network medical provider is a doctor, hospital or other medical facilities that accepts your global insurance. 
  • Your in-network deductible will be the amount you will pay out of your own pocket before your expat medical insurance starts paying for medical care.
  • You can see your in-network provider information on your insurance web portal and usually it is stated on your medical card.
  • You may see on your in-network provider, PPO.  This means Preferred Provider Organization.
  • Your deductible will start on your policy effective date or start on a calendar year which would start each January 1st, depending on the global medical insurance policy.
  • If your plan runs on a policy year, your effective date of coverage will be the start of your policy year.
  • For example – your expat medical insurance started on June 1st, Anna.  This means that your policy year deductible would start on June 1 and end on May 31st, the following year.
  • Whereas a calendar year deductible would start from January 1st to December 31st, that same year.  Do keep in mind that if your effective date is in August, for example, your deductible amount starts over on January 1st, the following year.
  • Lastly, Anna, to find all your global medical insurance benefits please head over to your expat insurance online portal for policyholders, or you can get a quick snapshot view of your summary schedule of benefits on your expat insurance brochure.

Change is always in the air!  So please check our web page at  https://www.gninsurance.com/health for the most up-to-date information on your expat medical insurance –

Your GNI team here in Gilbert, Arizona, wishes you and your family safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels, Anna.

https://www.gninsurance.com

 

Question – How do I renew my expatriate medical insurance, Doug?

Answer – That is a great question, Isla. If you’ve been living overseas for a year or more, you may wonder how you can keep your international medical insurance up to date without returning to your home country. 

Often, when your expatriate medical policy is close to its expiration, you may receive correspondence from your global insurance provider by email.  Isla, generally, you will be notified 30-60 days in advance, though sometimes you may have to log into your insurance provider’s website or “portal” to finalize your renewal.

If you’ve been working with a broker like Good Neighbor Insurance, we also send out an email about your expat insurance renewal. This way we can also help make sure you receive your renewal information since we may have more than one email address to connect with you.

Good Neighbor Insurance at www.gninsurance.com, is dedicated to helping you understand and use your international medical insurance benefits to their highest potential, so you can stay protected through all of your international adventures.

Learn about the global insurance benefits of your current expatriate plan, or get a quote for a new benefit-rich plan at gninsurance.com.

Change is always in the air!  So please check our global health insurance options on our web page at https://www.gninsurance.com/health for the most up-to-date information on your expat medical insurance –

Your GNI team here in Gilbert, Arizona, wishes you and safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels, Isla.

https://www.gninsurance.com

 

Are you looking for the best international insurance options while you live or work overseas?  How do you know if an expatriate international medical insurance plan is right for you?

International medical insurance plans are designed for people who live and work overseas, outside of their home country, for a year or more.  Whether you’re living overseas for work, or with your family, or you’ve chosen a nomad lifestyle, there are specialized international medical insurance plans designed for your lifestyle.  These expatriate medical insurance plans are designed for people who plan to live outside of their home country for one year or more.

Is an expatriate international medical insurance plan right for you? Find out with Good Neighbor Insurance.  We specialize in helping global citizens protect their lives, their families, and their wallets! We offer education on how to use your expat medical insurance while you are overseas.  We also provide comprehensive global insurance plans that include international health coverage, emergency evacuation coverage, international term life insurance, and much more.

Good Neighbor Insurance is a full-service international insurance broker dedicated to keeping you and your family and also your employees safe on every project around the world.

For the most up-to-date information on our expatriate insurance options please –

Safe Expatriate Travels – from your GNI Team here in Gilbert, Arizona!
https://www.gninsurance.com

 

Morning Doug, this is Cho. My wife Sofia and I are heading overseas for the next few years and will be residing in Vietnam. We are looking at all your expatriate medical insurance plans, https://www.gninsurance.com/health, for our international insurance cover for our family.  One of our questions, Doug, is we need to understand what copays mean on your expat insurance plans.  

Great question, Cho.  A co-pay is the portion of a medical service bill that you are responsible for before your insurance is billed.  Not all global insurance plans have co-pay benefits, Cho and Sofia.  Sometimes expatriate insurance only has a deductible and coinsurance benefit with no copays. This type of global insurance allows for a lower premium, such as our GMI expatriate insurance at https://www.gninsurance.com/health/img-gmi.

Commonly, a co-pay will be a nominal fee for service, such as $30 for a primary care visit and $60 for a specialist’s medical visit. This is just an example of one of our expatriate insurance plans, Cho. Your international insurance plan will specifically list your co-pays if they have this benefit. Typically, a co-pay is collected at the time of service.  However, it can also be billed later if there are questions about what your global insurance may cover.

Cho and Sofia, while you are at your doctor’s office visit, their administration will collect payment for your co-pay in the amount listed on your international medical insurance card.   Cho, sometimes you will be responsible to pay the entire cost of this medical service if the international healthcare provider cannot verify your global insurance or does not take direct insurance payment.  If you are asked to pay for the entire service, don’t worry Cho and Sofia. There is a simple process for your global insurance provider to reimburse you for the covered expenses.  This is called submitting a claim to your insurance.  You may submit a claim by following the directions provided in your expatriate medical insurance documentation, or by visiting your online insurance portal – which we will discuss a little later.

After you visit your medical care provider, you will receive in the mail or on your online insurance portal a document called an Explanation of Benefits, also called an EOB. This document is not a bill. Your EOB is simply a breakdown of what your international insurance company has paid, and what portion of the bill is your responsibility, if any.

Cho, with today’s technology, your online insurance portal will be the best way to retrieve your EOB.  When you purchase your international medical insurance plan, you will receive registration information to get on your online insurance portal.  Your insurance portal, Cho and Sofia, is the best place for you to find plan specific information as well as the best place to get in touch directly with your global insurance carrier.  You may log into your portal by visiting the website of your international insurance carrier and following the instructions provided with your plan documentation. 

Cho, once inside your insurance portal, you will have access to your EOBs and plan documentation.  You may use their self-service features to do things like submit claims and even renew your global insurance policy.

Cho and Sofia, to submit a claim, you will need the itemized receipt you received from your U.S. or international healthcare provider. You will simply fill out the claim form provided within your portal online, and take a picture or scan your receipt in order to be reimbursed for your covered medical expenses. Your international insurance company, Cho and Sofia, will review your medical claim and issue payment usually within 30 – 90 days of your claim (international insurance companies are provided more time to handle claims due to different global processes).  If you do have copays on your global insurance policy, Cho, your insurance portal will also include documentation on where you may use this benefit. 

When considering your co-pay, you may also have questions about your deductible, Cho and Sofia.  A deductible is an amount of money you may pay out of pocket for in a single year while on your international medical insurance plan before your global insurance company starts paying on your medical care.  International insurance does not work like U.S. domestic Affordable Care Act (ACA) medical insurance, Cho. Typically, your co-pay will not contribute toward your maximum out-of-pocket expenses. This means the money you pay as your co-pay does not accrue like the other service costs to meet your out-of-pocket maximum amount.

Cho and Sofia, some of our expat medical insurance plans have an option to choose a $0 deductible, which means you are not responsible for any of your health insurance costs outside the U.S. (up to your expat insurance plan dollar limit).  Some of our international insurance plans have a higher deductible option that even go up to $25,000. Most of our clients, since our founding in 1997, usually choose the $1,000 or $2,500 deductible limit for their global insurance plan, Cho and Sofia. 

It is important to understand how your specific expatriate insurance plan structures international co-pays and deductibles, Cho and Sofia.  Your online insurance portal is a great resource for this and for sure, Cho and Sofia, your team at GNI here in Arizona is always here as your international insurance resource.

We understand insurance terminology can be confusing. We hope this video has helped you learn more about your co-pays with international health insurance plans.  Good Neighbor Insurance, here in Gilbert Arizona, is dedicated to helping you understand and use your global insurance benefits to their highest potential, so you can stay protected through all of your international adventures. Learn about the benefits of your current plan, or get a quote for a new benefit-rich international insurance plan at gninsurance.com.

Change is always in the air!  Check out our global health insurance options on our web page at https://www.gninsurance.com/health for the most up-to-date information on your expat medical insurance –

Your GNI team here in Gilbert, Arizona, wishes you all safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels, Cho and Sofia!

www.gninsurance.com

 

My wife and I live on our international medical insurance member portal, Doug.  Do you know why?

Why is that Carlos and Annisa?

Doug, our member portal allows us to do many things such as –

  • Review our expat insurance benefits
  • Print or email to us our ID medical cards
  • Allow us to pre-certify a medical procedure
  • It is our claims center which allows us to send medical claims to our global insurance company, see our medical claims in queue, and be able to grab our EOBs (Explanation of Benefits) once each of our medical claims has been completed.
  • Print our email us our visa letter to enter Thailand
  • Update our payment information
  • Update our contact information like our emails, home address in the U.S. and even our Thailand mailing address.
  • And there is so much more we can do on our expatriate medical insurance member portal.
  • It just makes it so nice to have all of our international insurance information for our family in one place, Doug.

So true, Carlos and Annisa. 

  • Your member portal is a great place to know all about your expat medical insurance as well as a great place to track your medical claims.
  • As you have noticed Carlos and Annisa, your member portal is a program you can log into to see and manage all of your international medical insurance-related information 24/7.
  • And when you are stuck and cannot find what you are looking for, you can connect with us at GNI and we will assist you.

Carlos and Annisa, every global medical insurance company that Good Neighbor Insurance (GNI) works with has a member portal for their clients.

Your Good Neighbor Insurance Team is dedicated to helping you understand and use your expatriate medical insurance benefits to your highest potential, so you can stay protected through all of your global adventures, Carlos and Annisa.

Change is always in the air!  So please check our global health insurance options on our web page at https://www.gninsurance.com/health for the most up-to-date information on your expat medical insurance.

Good Neighbor Insurance is a full-service international insurance broker dedicated to keeping you and your family and also your employees safe on every project around the world.

For the most up-to-date information on our expatriate insurance options please –

Your GNI team here in Gilbert, Arizona, wishes you and safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels, Carlos and Annisa!
www.gninsurance.com

 

My wife and I are on the GMI expatriate policy with you all at Good Neighbor Insurance, https://www.gninsurance.com/health/img-gmi, Doug.

We really enjoy the medical benefits of our GMI international insurance and especially the lower premiums with lower out-of-pocket maximums than our U.S. domestic insurance, Doug.  But we were wondering if our GMI expat medical insurance has any office visit copays?

Great question, Aki and Melissa!

  • Yes, your maximum out-of-pocket dollar amount being really low with your GMI policy
    • Outside the U.S., your out-of-pocket dollar amount is $500 per policy period per each person
    • And in the U.S. per policy period for each of you, it will be your deductible of $1,000 with co-insurance.
  • In fact, today’s maximum out-of-pocket (2022 plan year) with a U.S. domestic insurance plan is $8,700 for an individual and $17,400 for a family.  And the monthly premiums are a lot higher than what you are paying on your global insurance, Aki.

As for your question on medical doctor visit copays

  • You do not have copays on your GMI expat policy.
  • However, your deductible outside the U.S. is $500 each for you and your wife (your deductible is cut in half when used outside the U.S.). 

We do have expat medical insurance options that do have copay coverage. 

  • These international medical insurance plans do come with a higher premium. 
  • Having copays on a medical insurance plan usually causes monthly premiums to increase. This is why some global medical insurance plans do not have copay options.
  • Instead, global insurance plans, like the one you are on now, provide a lot lower deductible and maximum out-of-pocket dollar amount to help keep more of your money in your wallet.

Furthermore, Aki and Melissa, we do provide expatriate medical insurance plans that have doctor office visit copays.  Two of our most popular global insurance plans that provide doctor visit copays are our Cigna Global and Navigator expat insurance options at https://www.gninsurance.com/health.

Your Good Neighbor Insurance Team is dedicated to helping you understand and use your expatriate medical insurance benefits to your highest potential, so you can stay protected through all of your global adventures, Aki and Melissa.

Change is always in the air!  Check out our global health insurance options on our web page at https://www.gninsurance.com/health for the most up-to-date information on your expat medical insurance –

 

Your GNI team here in Gilbert, Arizona, wishes you all safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels, Aki and Melissa!
www.gninsurance.com

 

Doug, my wife and I are enjoying our time in Indonesia and have our GMI expat medical insurance through Good Neighbor Insurance at https://www.gninsurance.com/health/img-gmi.  

  • We have been sharing with one of our friends here in Surabaya about our expat insurance.  
  • They did have a question on HSA’s: Does expatriate insurance work with HSAs?
  • Can you help us answer that question so we can share this information to our friends?

That is a great question about expat insurance and HSA’s, Lucas. As you know, a HSA, also known as a health savings account 

  • Allows for tax free deposits into a HSA bank account where you can withdraw at any time to pay for medical expenses.  
  • You can open and deposit your money into this account as long as you have an HSA medical insurance policy active. 
  • There are other key factors to a HSA bank account, Lucas, such as making penalties from the government if you use any of that money for non-medical withdraws in the U.S. specifically.

Lucas, you may open a HSA as an individual in the U.S., but the challenge is that you would only be able to make contributions if you are covered by a HSA qualified medical insurance option.  A qualified medical insurance plan, in this discussion, is ACA (Affordable Care Act) compliant.  

On expatriate insurance plans, they are not qualified health plans since they are for primary coverage outside the U.S. You would need to be on an ACA compliant plan in order to contribute to an HSA. ACA medical insurance options are only applicable for those residing in the U.S.

One added thing, Lucas.

  • You do not need to have a HSA qualified health plan to withdraw monies from your HSA account, Lucas.
  • Just make sure the money that is withdrawn is used for medical expenses.

When receiving healthcare in other countries, such as where you are living in Indonesia, your expatriate insurance will cover the majority of your medical expenses.  Many expatriates find they don’t need an HSA in addition to their expatriate coverage as their healthcare expenses are much lower than if they were living in the United States.  A health savings account is a great tool here in the U.S. when it comes to high deductible plans, like those that are compliant with ACA.

Fortunately, you have selected low deductible plan option with your GMI expat insurance, which is what our insurance experts advise for international health plans.  For more information about low deductible plan options you can share with your friends, visit gninsurance.com/health.

Good Neighbor Insurance, here in Gilbert Arizona, is dedicated to helping you understand and use your global insurance benefits to their highest potential, so you can stay protected through all of your international adventures.

Change is always in the air!  Check out our global health insurance options on our web page at https://www.gninsurance.com/health for the most up-to-date information on your expat medical insurance –

Your GNI team here in Gilbert, Arizona, wishes you all safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels, Lucas and Ariana!

www.gninsurance.com

 

Doug, my wife Sofia and I are looking at getting on one of the expatriate medical insurance options, https://www.gninsurance.com/health, you provide at GNI.  Can you explain to us about the telehealth benefit?

Great question, Cho and Sofia! Yes, telehealth, also called telemedicine, is the general term for a service which provides medical care through remote or online appointments.

  • But first, if you are having a medical emergency the best thing to do is call 911 or an equivalent depending on where you are currently residing.
  • And if that phone connection is not available, then please go to the nearest medical facility.
  • Some common tele-health providers include tele-doc, livango, and kareo.
  • This benefit is relatively new, and has been tested all over the world over the last few years.
  • Tele-health development has proven to be extremely helpful for expatriates seeking health care from remote areas.
  • Telehealth doctors can prescribe medications, examine patients, and make medical recommendations in the many of the same ways a primary care physician can in person.

Cho and Sofia, because tele-health is remote care, it is treated differently than traditional in-person healthcare.

  • Typically, a standard preventative or acute care doctor’s visit would require a co-pay followed by submitting a claim to your international insurance company.
  • With telehealth, typically this billing process is streamlined through direct insurance billing and little or no copay for the service.
  • This streamlined process eliminates stress and potential errors or delays in claim payment for the subscriber.

Here are some additional benefits of telehealth benefits

  • Telehealth physicians can be located 24/7, 7 days a week.  This gives you peace of mind knowing you can connect with a medical doctor if not to solve, to at least give you the next steps of seeking medical care.
  • While they are available 24/7, it’s still important to remember that tele-health cannot provide emergency care.
  • Cho and Sofia, it has been shown that close to 60 percent of the telehealth physicians can solve the medical challenge and thus eliminate the need to go to an “in person” medical visit.
  • Since you all will be living in the rural area of the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, it will be a lot harder to find specialty medical facilities close by.  Thus, telehealth can help solve that challenge and put you in touch with a variety of medical specialist that is on your expatriate medical insurance network in a matter of minutes.

Most of our international medical insurance plans include telehealth benefits, Cho and Sofia.

  • For example, the Global Medical Insurance option at https://www.gninsurance.com/health/img-gmi includes telehealth as a featured global benefit.
  • Expatriates with the GMI plan can schedule their own telehealth appointments to manage their healthcare.

Global employer group insurance options, here at https://www.gninsurance.com/group-health, can also include telehealth benefits for international employees.

  • For example, our NGO+ plan, https://www.gninsurance.com/group-insurance-services/ngo-plans, designed for social good groups working internationally, includes telehealth benefits for all members of the plan.
  • International employer group insurance works the same way in that your medical claim process with telehealth providers is typically streamlined, and requires just a copay.

Many of our GNI clients on their international insurance policy already include telehealth benefits.

  • To find out, the policy holder may log into their global insurance provider’s portal or review your plan documentation.
  • You may log into their web portal by visiting the website of their international medical insurance carrier and following the instructions provided with their plan documentation.
  • Once inside the portal, you will have access to your plan documentation as well as instructions or links required for you to use telehealth care.

Most telehealth providers are simple and easy to work with.

  • Once your appointment is scheduled, you will be asked to answer some simple questions as well as provide any insurance information if you haven’t already.
  • Your insurance information can be found on your insurance card or in your plan documentation, which is also available through your portal.
  • Once the standard intake forms are finished you will receive care through a video call on your mobile device or computer.
  • In some remote areas where a video call may not be possible, telehealth care can be provided through a direct phone call.
  • If you plan to go to a remote area where a video call is not possible, check with your healthcare provider before leaving to make sure any and all necessary documentation is in place to provide care without video access.

While telehealth is a major breakthrough, Cho and Sofia, there are some drawbacks to remote care.

  • Telehealth providers do not have the standard tools to examine patients, including touch. This may make diagnosis difficult.
  • Remote providers may not be able to diagnose or treat depending on the presenting symptoms. For example, a telehealth provider could not diagnose strep throat for sure without a culture or sample for a test.
  • A telehealth provider also could not directly treat an injury or set a broken bone.
  • Because of these limitations, it’s best to always have a backup plan for in-person healthcare in case of a medical emergency.

Telehealth is an amazing benefit for international employees and expatriates. We hope this video has helped you learn more about your benefits including telehealth care and telemedicine benefits.

Good Neighbor Insurance, here in Gilbert Arizona, is dedicated to helping you understand and use your global insurance benefits to their highest potential, so you can stay protected through all of your international adventures.

Change is always in the air!  Check out our global health insurance options on our web page at https://www.gninsurance.com/health for the most up-to-date information on your expat medical insurance –

Your GNI team here in Gilbert, Arizona, wishes you all safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels, Cho and Sofia!

www.gninsurance.com

 

Doug, my wife Amy and I are going over our Explanation of Benefits (also called EOB) via our insurance member portal here at home where we currently reside right outside of Penang, Malaysia. We printed out the three pages of our current EOB and need help understanding all of this information. 

Can you help give us a rundown of the different parts of what is on a typical Explanation of Benefits, Doug?

Samuel, you and Amy are feeling the same challenges I had when my wife and I stopped glancing and really going line by line of our own Explanation of Benefits.  It is quite daunting for sure! But we sure can help.

Let’s do it this way, Samuel and Amy.  I have a good breakdown of an Explanation of Benefits here on my desk.  Let me go over it line by line.  Now, not all EOB’s will be this extensive.  But this will give you some great information to work through your Explanation of Benefits.

Let me grab some more coffee as we dive into all the exciting parts of an Explanation of Benefits form, Samuel and Amy.

  • Your Explanation of Benefits is a summary of how an insurance company shows how your claim or claims were processed. 
  • Remember that your EOB is not a bill, Samuel and Amy.  But your EOB can show if you, the policyholder, owes any money to a medical facility.
  • Please keep in mind that actual Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) may vary depending on the type of medical facility you have visited.

Here are 28 key parts and what most Explanation of Benefits form will have for you to view.

  1. Your international medical insurance sends a claim statement anytime they process a claim, which is the EOB form.  This includes the name and address of the insured member, patient, or alternate payee.  This document details how the benefits cover the cost of a service of a medical provider and what is owed by the patient.  Please realize, Samuel and Amy, that the EOB is not a bill. 
  2. The customer service information area shows
    • date that the EOB was prepared
    • contact information of your international insurance customer service department
  3. Member ID number – this is the identification number that your international insurance uses to keep track of member’s claim activity in their claims system.
  4. Claim number – this number is assigned by your global insurance claims system when the claim is processed.
  5. Date of service – the date(s) the member received treatment
  6. Service code – the type of services or products the members received from the medical provider
  7. Total charge – the full amount billed by the medical provider to the insurance policy.
  8. Not covered – the portion of the total charge that was not covered or eligible for payment under the insurance policy.
  9. Reason code – a code that corresponds with the remark code description
  10. Discount amount – the amount saved by using an in-network medical provide
  11. Covered by your insurance policy – the portion of the charges eligible for benefits
  12. Less deductible – the deductible is the amount for which the policy holder is responsible during each period of coverage
  13. Less copay – a set amount that the policy holder pays for certain covered services, such as office visits or prescriptions.  Copays are usually paid at the time of service.
  14. Amount subject to coinsurance – the total benefit amount subject to coinsurance
  15. Paid at – the actual coinsurance percentage
  16. Less patient share of coinsurance – the amount of the policy holder’s share of the coinsurance
  17. Payment amount – The amount paid by the insurance policy for each claim line.
  18. Column totals – the total of each of the columns
  19. Total policy holder’s / patient’s responsibility – total amount that the member is responsible for paying after the insurance benefits have been applied.
  20. Other credits or adjustments – any adjustments, credits, or previous payments applied
  21. Total payment – the total amount paid by your insurance policy.
  22. Service code description – an explanation of the procedure (service) codes listed on the claim. These codes describe the services that were rendered by the medical provider.
  23. Remark code description – an explanation of the remark code used on the claim
  24. Additional information – applicable appeal language / and / or general information
  25. Copy of the front of the voided check image
  26. Copy of the back of the voided check image
  27. Payment details – explains to whom the payment was issued, the check / wire number and amount.
  28. Accumulators / amount – amount applies to deductible or out-of-pocket amounts.

We hope this has helped, Samuel and Amy.  Please keep in mind that this information may change due to updates on software and U.S. federal laws that may change the look and feel of the EOB.

Change is always in the air, Samuel and Amy!  So please check our web site at https://www.gninsurance.com for the most up-to-date global medical insurance information –

We wish you both, Samuel and Amy, a spectacular rest of the year in Malaysia!

www.gninsurance.com

 

Doug, this is Haruto.  My wife, Stephanie and I are going over our expat medical insurance last night at our new home in Malaysia and we have a quick question on precertification.  Do we need to pre-certify before a hospital admission or surgery, Doug?

Great question, Haruto and Stephanie.  Yes, pre-certification is required for hospital admissions and surgeries. Prior to receiving treatment, you or a medical provider need to contact your international medical insurance to pre-certify your treatment.

Haruto and Stephanie, here are a few other key things to keep in mind about precertification

  • Precertification is not a verification of benefits
  • Precertification is not a guarantee of payment (GOP).
  • Precertification is the process of determining in advance whether a medical procedure, medical treatment, or medical service will be covered under your expatriate medical insurance plan.
  • Another way of understanding what precertification, Haruto and Stephanie, is the process for determining whether the medical services delivered or scheduled to be delivered to a patient are medically necessary and appropriate.
  • Precertification also helps ensure you get the right care in the right setting, potentially saving you from costly and unnecessary medical services.

Good Neighbor Insurance, here in Gilbert Arizona, is dedicated to helping you understand and use your global insurance benefits to their highest potential, so you can stay protected through all of your international adventures.

Change is always in the air!  Check out our global health insurance options on our web page at https://www.gninsurance.com for the most up-to-date information on your global medical insurance –

Your GNI team here in Gilbert Arizona, wishes you all safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels throughout Malaysia and beyond, Haruto and Stephanie!

www.gninsurance.com

 

Doug, my wife Mikayla and I are going over our expatriate medical insurance benefits here at one of our favorite cafes in Vietnam.  Over the course of our conversation, we came across the whole process of precertification and have a good grasp of it. However, we had a question on how do we pre-certify if we have a medical emergency and do not have time to do this precertification process?

That is a fabulous question, Ryan.  First, always get your medical emergency taken care of first for sure.  Paperwork can come right after that medical emergency has been taken care of.

Yes, as you know, precertification is the process of determining in advance whether a medical procedure or medical service will be covered on your expatriate medical insurance.

Also, your precertification makes sure the medical procedure or medical service is medically necessary and appropriate, Ryan and Mikayla.

In the event of an emergency hospital admission, Prenotification / Pre-certification must be done within 48 hours after the admission, or as soon as is reasonably possible. Your global medical insurance must be contacted by you, a relative, the medical doctor or the hospital.

Key note – your precertification is not a verification of benefits or a guarantee of payment.

Ryan and Mikayla, I hope this has helped.  Just remember that the sooner you send in your precertification form, the better.

Good Neighbor Insurance, here in Gilbert Arizona, is dedicated to helping you understand and use your global insurance benefits to their highest potential, so you can stay protected through all of your international adventures.

Change is always in the air!  Check out our global health insurance options on our web page at https://www.gninsurance.com for the most up-to-date information on your global medical insurance –

Your GNI team here in Gilbert Arizona, wishes you all safe and awe-inspiring expatriate travels in Vietnam, Ryan and Mikayla!

www.gninsurance.com