health insurance for American expats?
dan...@my-deja.com
Can anyone recommend a good health insurance policy for an American
living long-term/retiring in Southeast Asia? Or abroad wherever one
can't buy into the local national health care program (as I hear
retirees can do in Mexico and Costa Rica).
I'm afraid most of the cheaper "traveler's insurance" policies:
1) are meant to supplement health insurance policies one is already
assumed to have back in the States
2) aren't worth the paper they're written on; i.e., with all the fine
print, you don't learn that the company won't reimburse, in practice,
most of your expenses until you're in a medical crisis.
I imagine Europeans, Canadians, and Australians would need a good
health insurance policy outside of their home countries as well - or do
these countries' national health care programs cover their citizens
living abroad in retirement? How much would a policy cost a single,
healthy non-smoking person in their 30's?
Thanks very much.
- D.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Evleth
> I imagine Europeans, Canadians, and Australians would need a good
> health insurance policy outside of their home countries as well - or do
> these countries' national health care programs cover their citizens
> living abroad in retirement? How much would a policy cost a single,
> healthy non-smoking person in their 30's?
The French system covers people traveling and probably overseas but only
to the extent of cover the costs to the same extent as in France. Thus
a hospital stay in America would be covered but only on the same daily
rate as in France (around $800/day in France). This goes for procedures
too. There is a special agreement to accept other EEC nationals in other
than their home country in Europe itself, so somebody covered here would
be covered in Holland.
I am not knowledgeable of what the coverage is if one permanently moves.
The American Medicare system, on the other hand, is not transportable at
Overseas American ex-pat organizations have lobbied for change with Congress
but to no effect. An American retiree to a foreign country will just have
to find extra insurance. The AARO is one organization which has arranged
group insurance for its members.
Basically the Congress is not overly reactive to ex-pat request because
they do not have specific representatives in Congress, they do not elect
representatives. Their voting power is diffused since on votes in the last
state of residence. Next, all Americans wherever they reside are subject to
US income tax on income. There is some relief on earned income but
retirement income, such as from a pension, is subject to full taxation in
the USA, so going overseas will results in your having to still file a
return and pay whatever liability is due. One might also be subject to
taxation on the same income by the country one is living in depending on the
tax treaty between the USA and your country of residence. One might receive
some relief from double taxation but that relief is not total, one might end
up paying more total tax than one would pay if one were a normal resident
in the other country or in the USA. Basically, both countries will try to
get a hunk of you.
The net result on health coverage is that your protection under Medicare
vanishes outside the borders of the USA or its dependencies, even when
traveling for pleasure. I am an American citizen residing in France and
get some US Social security payment, so I also have a Medicare card. It
would serve me when visiting the USA but is useless in France. However
I am covered by the French social security system, which does cover me
when traveling in the USA. In fact I have sort of double coverage. In
addition some of my other insurances happen to cover medical expensives in
the USA.
So the French system gives me better coverage than the American does for
Americans. The irony of some European coverage was that a German friend of
mine fell ill traveling in the USA, had an emergency operation, was in the
hospital for a couple of weeks and at the end his coverages actually
generated more income that his medical expensives! So he did not have an
"ain`t it awful story", rare in the health care area. Another friend,
American, who gambled in not having medical coverage insurance fell ill
here and was hospitalized for nearly a month after an emergency operation.
He had a total bill of over $30,000 which he came up with.
Lech K. Lesiak
> The French system covers people traveling and probably overseas but only
> to the extent of cover the costs to the same extent as in France. Thus
It works roughly the same way for Canadians. It's wise to get extra
insurance when travelling in the US, however. There are any number of
people who suffered severe financial loss after getting sick in the US.
The latest issue of the Canadian Association Of Retired Persons magazine
has an article on this topic. One example cited is a woman from Toronto
who went to Buffalo for the day, suffered a brain aneurism, and ended up
spending $150,000 on medical expenses in the US.
Cheers,
Lech
Jack
dan...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>
> Can anyone recommend a good health insurance policy for an American
> living long-term/retiring in Southeast Asia? Or abroad wherever one
> can't buy into the local national health care program (as I hear
> retirees can do in Mexico and Costa Rica).
Try to find the websites for PPP Healthcare, BUPA, and Exeter Friendly.
These are British companies that offer expatriate coverage - and you
can buy a policy whether you are British or not. It is expensive, but
coverage usually comes in three tiers so you have come control over
price vs benefits. I looked into health policies offered by U.S.
companies....the costs were enough finance a moon shot. Not even in
the ballpark of reasonable.
I have a group policy through an association that I belong to and it is
far cheaper than the Brit policies. The group policy excludes coverage
for children and any costs connected to pregnancy and childbirth;
therefore, the rates are far lower than what I'd pay elsewhere.
Jack
karl...@my-deja.com
PPP has a web site: http://www.ppphealthcare.com/
Also see: http://www.worldtravelcenter.com/eng/index.cfm? which offers
annual major medical specifically for US expats.
Sean
In article <8r9i3f$6g8$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
Me
<dan...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:8r3ec0$t1p$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
>
>
> Can anyone recommend a good health insurance policy for an American
> living long-term/retiring in Southeast Asia? Or abroad wherever one
> can't buy into the local national health care program (as I hear
> retirees can do in Mexico and Costa Rica).
If you haven't done so, try contacting the nearest American embassy
or consul to you. You might also find info on this subject on the web
at http://travel.state.gov/
Jack
"Me" <sr...@home.com> wrote:
>
> <dan...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:8r3ec0
$t1p$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> >
> >
> > living long-term/retiring in Southeast Asia? Or abroad wherever one
> > can't buy into the local national health care program (as I hear
> > retirees can do in Mexico and Costa Rica).
>
> or consul to you. You might also find info on this subject on the web
> at http://travel.state.gov/
I tried that route when I was researching living abroad, and the
information they give out is largely cautionary. As far as health
insurance goes any book on living abroad will give you more information
than a clerk at the consulate. This is not something they prepared to
assist on.
Jack
mad...@vietnamvacations.com.au
D,
There's a link on our links page to the "Travellers Medical &
Vaccination Centre" & they also do an expat madical protection plan.
the e-mail is
Hope it helps,
Max
....................................................
Griswalds Vietnamese Vacations
Tours with a difference !
http://www.vietnamvacations.com.au
Griswalds are a Vietnam Based Travel & Tour Operator,
Specialising In Tours To Vietnam For Singles, Couples,
Small Groups & Families.
or
dgt...@my-deja.com
I would recommend www.expatfinancial.com
Great rates!
In article <39dde590...@news.dingoblue.net.au>,
mad...@vietnamvacations.com.au wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Sep 2000 01:07:14 GMT, dan...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
> D,
> There's a link on our links page to the "Travellers Medical &
> Vaccination Centre" & they also do an expat madical protection plan.
> the e-mail is
>
> ex...@tmvc.com.au
>
> Hope it helps,
>
> Max
>
> >
> ....................................................
>
> Griswalds Vietnamese Vacations
>
> Tours with a difference !
>
> http://www.vietnamvacations.com.au
>
> Griswalds are a Vietnam Based Travel & Tour Operator,
> Specialising In Tours To Vietnam For Singles, Couples,
> Small Groups & Families.
>
> or
>
> Gris...@vietnamvacations.com.au
>
Jack
But...
Are these policies accepted by any hospitals in the area in which
you're planning to live in abroad? Or do you have to shell out all of
the expenses yourself first and then hope that they will come across
with something.
If the latter, what's their track record?
How frequently and how much do the rates increase as you age?
If you are without kids and not planning on having any can you get a
cheaper rate without the unneeded coverage for minor children and
pregnancy? You should be able to as a large proportion of expats are
not in the child-bearing/child-rearing categories.
Look into local expat organizations in the country you're moving to.
Some of them have group policies - usually without pregnancy coverage
or coverage for minor children.
Beware of brokers dealing in expat insurance, better to deal directly
with a well-known company with an established track record.
Jack
Spehro Pefhany
> Beware of brokers dealing in expat insurance, better to deal directly
> with a well-known company with an established track record.
Why would you not deal with a well-known company through a broker?
Best regards,
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ste...@uswest.net
money into a special account that funds incidental medical costs.....and
then buy an indemnity (no provider network) medical plan (catastrophic)
with a very high deductible. A number of companies offer these
plans.....many do not exclude charges abroad. If you do not spend the
money in the account, it rolls over for use the next year...in what ends up
to be a retirement-type account. There are tax benefits to an account like
this....and it works well for those in fairly good health, self-employed,
and fairly fiscally astute.
Tracy Rosenberg
I can say that SOS (www.intsos.com) will actually come through
if needed. I believe their expat package runs about $275US/year.
Best,
Tracy
ste...@uswest.net
cover the underwriting costs of an insurer providing a major medical
plan. I suspect what you are talking about here is a suplemental or
evacuation plan. Big difference between that and full medical
coverage.
Tracy Rosenberg
treatment while abroad and evacuate if necessary. That's what all the
expat plans do. My point was that, unlike many of the others, my experience
is that this company actually was a help when an "incident" occurred.
Tracy
ste...@uswest.net wrote in article <39FF6AA1...@uswest.net>...
karl...@my-deja.com
"Tracy Rosenberg" <twr...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Of course. Isn't that what we're talking about? They'll cover
emergency
> treatment while abroad and evacuate if necessary. That's what all the
> expat plans do. My point was that, unlike many of the others, my
experience
> is that this company actually was a help when an "incident" occurred.
>
> Tracy
Absolutely not. What you are talking about is travel insurance for
travellers. An expat lives outside his home country and needs 365 days a
year cover in his country of residence (where he is an expat) plus cover
whilst travelling plus repat cover if needed.
--
Cheers,
Sean