Sometimes it hard to tell at first glance the quality of a product or service; two new cars may look identical from the outside – but in reality one is a top of the range model, with every luxury built in – while the other is a base model with no accessories at all.  Similarly two rings may look identical at first glance – but while one is made with a high quality diamond – the other has a lower value cubic zirconia stone.  Understanding the underlying quality and value of a product or service is essential if you are to get the best possible value for your money.

The same is true when you’re buying international private medical insurance.  The promises of cover may all look similar from the outside – but scratch below the surface and you’ll find that there is a wide range of different benefits, different standards of cover and different medical treatment options.  For the expatriate or international traveller, buying the right standard of cover is essential if your private medical insurance is for use in an emergency.

Emergency evacuation cover
Take for example emergency medical evacuation cover.  There are few plans on the market which don’t offer evacuation benefits – but there is a real risk that some expatriates are purchasing plans which would fail to provide evacuation cover for serious medical conditions and others which could force expats to abandon their dependants overseas.

At InterGlobal, our emergency medical evacuation cover entitles members to be accompanied by their partner and all of their dependent children.  In comparison some other plans only allow a single adult to accompany the patient.  This means there is a real risk of expats being forced to leave their spouse and children behind – just think of the stress this would add to the patient and family and how much longer it would take a patient to recover if they were worrying about their family.

We also provide unaccompanied, non-emergency evacuation to a high quality medical facility for more minor medical conditions if no adequate treatment is available locally.  In comparison some other plans only provide evacuation if a condition is ‘life threatening’.  This may not sound a major distinction, but it is possible that people could be refused evacuation because their condition wasn’t considered life threatening even though local facilities were inadequate.  In these circumstances we believe it is far better to evacuate a patient on a scheduled flight to a decent regional hospital.  This provides better quality care and prevents treatable conditions from becoming chronic.

Is it covered?
InterGlobal will provide cover for members who have experienced previous medical conditions, if the complaint has not been present for two years before the policy commenced and does not reoccur during the first two years of continuous cover on one of our plans.  This approach, known as Moratorium underwriting is ideal for people with a good medical history as the application process is quick and easy.  Under this system existing conditions are not covered if they were present within two years of taking out the policy or reoccur within the first two years of cover.  As a result, people who are concerned that a complaint such as diabetes or high blood pressure will reoccur, should take care to ensure that they have made their own plans to cover the cost of any treatment.

All private medical insurers stress the importance of insurance to protect against the high cost of private healthcare – but in an increasingly unpredictable world most are very quiet about what their members should do to protect themselves if they got caught up in a major political incident or natural disaster.  At InterGlobal, however, we provide a 24/7 security advice service provided in partnership with global security specialists red24.  Members are able to access 24/7 telephone advice about their personal security in the world’s hot spots and personalised pre-travel advisories.  Members of InterGlobal’s Ultracare Plus and Comprehensive plans also benefit from access to emergency evacuation and repatriation in the event of a life-threatening situation such as political or civil unrest or a natural disaster

Like many products and services, International Private Medical insurance is only as good as the features and benefits offered and the quality of the company behind the promise.  Not all plans are the same and with InterGlobal expatriates can be confident that they are receiving a diamond standard of cover from a company with a long established reputation for innovation and excellence rather than the cubic zirconia alternative.