American Health Cover Abroad

The level of health care cover available in America is second to none – if you can afford access to it or insurance for it that is!

What this invariably means is that when Americans travel overseas for work or pleasure, or are relocated abroad or expatriate, they notice a deterioration in the services that they can easily access.

American heath cover abroad becomes essential, with repatriation insurance a must for many as well, depending on where in the world they are visiting or living.  In this article we’ll provide the advice and information required by Americans who are venturing away from home.

American based medical insurance and Medicare and Medicaid do not cover an American abroad.  Therefore, even if you’re only travelling across the border into Canada or Mexico, you need to take out a suitable healthcare policy that will cover all of your potential health requirements.

If you’re travelling abroad temporarily, you may only need a travel insurance policy that covers you for basic emergency care.  However, do bear in mind that should you fall seriously ill or suffer a broken bone for example, you may need to be repatriated to the United States for ongoing care and treatment, and this repatriation can cost anything in the region of USD 50,000 – so whilst a basic policy is ok, do still insist that it will get you back to the US should the need arise.

Some credit card companies like American Express include travel and basic health insurance as part of their services.  So, if you have a personal or corporate credit card, ask your provider about any level of cover that they give you.  Additionally, when you take out travel insurance to cover your flights, baggage etc., this can sometimes come with a level of health cover included.  Look closely at what is and is not covered.

When it comes to pre-existing medical conditions, everything gets more complicated.  Firstly it is our advice to take a letter from your doctor or healthcare provider giving details of your condition should you need treatment for it when you’re abroad.  Secondly, many insurance policies refuse to cover you for pre-existing conditions.  Certainly travel insurance based policies with add on medical care don’t.  The better, more comprehensive international health care plans may cover you, depending on the severity of the health issue - but they will usually require additional premiums and perhaps even stipulate a period of time during which you should not have a recurrence of the condition before their level of cover will kick in.

So far what this information should show you is that a great deal of research needs to be done into finding the right type and level of cover for you.  The good news is that there are many providers of cover for Americans abroad, the bad news is that this just makes everything that much more complex! 

If you’re expatriating for a prolonged period of time then the whole issue differs again.  It will not be sufficient to have a simple travel/health insurance policy in place.  You will need a comprehensive health insurance plan in place to cover you for all medical needs in your new nation.  In Western Europe the availability of health care is relatively good – it’s on a par with American levels of care if you go private as well.  You will have a choice when you take out health insurance as to the level of cover and care you insure for.  You can insure for simple conditions, emergency care and basic doctors visits as a bottom line.  Alternatively you can scale up your level of cover as far as you want so that it even includes provision for dental care, private medical procedures etc.

For a simple travel based medical policy, look around in America and on the internet for international providers of such schemes.  For long term insurance coverage in a given nation, look more closely at the providers who work in that country specifically as they are likely to be the ones best tailored to meet your needs.  You can move abroad with basic travel insurance in place and then once you have settled into your new life you can ask colleges, associates, new friends, fellow expats and neigbours for recommendations on who to insure with.

Remember to look closely at the wording of any policy – get it translated if needs be.  Find out about any exclusions to the policy and any periods of time for which you are not covered – e.g., most policies won’t cover a woman who falls pregnant during the first year of insurance.  And finally – find out all about your excess and make sure you’re comfortable with it and able to pay it.

Finally, if you do venture abroad uninsured and fall ill, you may be fortunate enough to receive the care and treatment you need, but you will certainly be presented with a bill at the end of your care.  In some other nations they won’t even give you anything more than the most basic level of emergency treatment if you cannot prove that you’re insured…and so you will have to have the funds and means available to pay for the care you need.  Your consulate should be able to advise you if you have any concerns, but they will not pay for your treatment of care.