Questions to Ask When Choosing International Health Insurance

Choosing the right health insurance isn't easy. Finding the right one is a personal journey dependent on many individual aspects of your life which go beyond the question of passport and travel itinerary.

Here are common questions that you should ask yourself before signing up for your next health insurance.

🌏 When and where are you covered?

Destination Country

• Does the insurance cover all of the places you are planning to travel to?

Flexibility / Changing Countries in Future

• Do you have a waiting period before your insurance starts?
• What happens if your plans change or you decide to move to a new country in future? Will this insurance still be able to cover you?
• Do you need to inform your insurance when changing travel plans? How often can you change your plans and how long does it take until the change is valid?
• If/when you move to a new country, what about any medical conditions that you may have developed in the meantime and any ongoing treatments – will they remain covered?

Home Country Coverage

• Are you planning to spend any time in your country of citizenship? If so, will the insurance cover you there, or do you need to maintain additional insurance cover for your home country?

Length of Coverage

• Is there any limit to how long you can remain covered (e.g. a maximum policy length or age limit)?
• Is there any limit to how many days you can remain covered in a single “trip” outside your home country or how long you can stay covered in a particular country?
• In which circumstances can your insurance company cancel your cover?

✅ What’s covered?

Limits

• Are there any limits on the medical costs covered by the insurance (per year or lifetime)?
• Are there any sublimits for particular types of treatments or costs, for example, outpatient care?
• Do you understand what deductible means in practice?
• Is there any waiting period you need to be aware of?

Sports and Activity Coverage

• Are all sports and other activities covered? Are there any sports or activities that are excluded?
• What about sailing trips, for example?
• Are injuries caused by car and motorcycle accidents covered? Are there any restrictions (for example, do you need to have a certain type of license to be covered for scooter accidents)?
• Are you covered in the event you caused the accident, or you didn’t wear a helmet?

Chronic Conditions

• Are chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer, or Crohn's disease covered?

Pre-Existing Conditions

• If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, can they be covered? Or can they be covered after a certain waiting period?
• How are pre-existing conditions defined by the insurance?

Dental, Vision, and Mental Health

• Is dental care covered? Emergencies only, or routine care as well? Are there any limits?
• Is vision care covered? Emergencies only, or routine care as well? Are there any limits?
• Is mental health covered? Are there any restrictions (for example in-patient only) or other limits?

Alternative Medicine

• Does the insurance cover alternative treatments like osteopathy, acupuncture, and homeopathy?

Maternity

• If you are planning to have children at any point in the future, make sure to check:
• Does the insurance cover pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partum care?
• If so, is there any waiting period for maternity cover? (most insurance excludes pre-existing pregnancies, so make sure you sign up for insurance in advance)
• Can you choose where to give birth? Are homebirths covered?
• Can you add your baby to the insurance immediately at birth?

Home Health Care and Rehabilitation

• If you have a serious injury or illness, does the insurance cover ongoing care (for example home healthcare/nursing or rehabilitation) after you are released from the hospital?

Second Opinion

• If you want a second opinion from another doctor, is it covered?

🚑 Getting Care

Hospitalization and Emergencies

• If you are hospitalized, does the insurance pay the hospital directly? Or do you need to pay the hospital yourself and then file a claim for reimbursement? And if you need to file a claim, how long does it need to be reimbursed?
• If you are hospitalized, does the insurance guarantee payment to the hospital? (this is important so that the hospital starts treating you instead of waiting for you to prove you can pay)
• Does the insurance provide a 24/7 hotline for assistance if you are hospitalized?

Provider Choice

• Can you choose any doctor or hospital when you need treatment, or are you restricted to a specific list of providers?
• If there is a specific list of providers, make sure to check in advance:
• Are they the doctors/hospitals you would choose yourself?
• Do they speak your language?
• Do they have appointments available?
• Are they conveniently located?

Pre-Approval and Referrals

• Do you need to ask the insurer for approval before going to the doctor or for certain treatments? If you need approval but it was denied and you see this doctor anyway, how does this affect your cover?
• Do you need a referral from a general practitioner to see a specialist?

Claims Processing and Reimbursements

• What’s the process for submitting a claim? Can you do it all online?
• How long does it typically take to process and pay claims?

Medical Transportation

• In case you have a serious injury or illness and need to have major surgery and/or a long recovery:
• Can you choose where to have the treatment?
• Will the insurance pay to transport you to another country for the surgery/treatment?
• Can you choose which country you’ll be transported to, or are you required to go back to your country of citizenship?
• Are there any cost limits for medical transportation? (can be much more expensive than normal travel)

🦊 Other Considerations

Jurisdiction

• Where is this insurance company based? Are they in a location with strong consumer protection laws (like the European Union) or did they choose an obscure location with lax regulation?
• If you had some dispute with the insurer, is there a government agency you could contact who would be able to help?

Policy Clarity

• Read the insurance conditions. How easy is it to understand what's covered and what's not?

Payment

• Can you pay monthly, or do you need to pay for an entire year upfront? Can you pay by card?

Financial Security

• What company ensures that there will be enough money to pay out all of the medical claims? Is the insurance backed by a large/well-known risk carrier or re-insurer?

Customer Support

• What customer support options are available and how responsive are they?