English
Oct
15
Some Expatriates Find Healthcare Abroad Unsatisfactory
Posted on Oct 15, 2010 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)
Bupa International, a leading international insurance provider from the United Kingdom, has recently published the results of a survey the company conducted to determine the level of satisfaction with the healthcare provided to expatriates living abroad. The survey revealed that from the more than one thousand expatriates participating in the survey, a surprising 20 percent felt that their health deteriorated after having moved overseas. Furthermore, of the expatriates participating in the Bupa International survey, close to 50 percent expressed dissatisfaction with the medical services received in their new home country. This high percentage may not necessarily indicate that the healthcare standards in the new country are lower than those provided in their home country, but it may point to the fact that the medical services were found lacking after the need for them were unavoidable, for instance, due to an emergency situation. Examining the real reasons why expatriates believe that medical services are inferior overseas and why they feel they are less healthy in their new home country, also shed some insightful light as to what can be done to improve the situation for expatriates in similar circumstances. On the reasons why expatriates are dissatisfied with the healthcare they receive abroad, it became apparent that persons requiring urgent medical attention were less likely to know much about the medical services available until that moment of need. Such critical time may actually be the worst possible time to make a fair judgement call about the appropriateness of the care or facilities imparting the said medical attention. On top of this, the methods of care and delivery of service vary from country to country, and in some cases, even within the medical facilities in the same country. The experience in a hospital is often-times determined by the nearest and more frequent point of human contact: the nurses. A comfortable hospital stay in most occasions can be attributed to the constant care and attention the nurses deliver to the patient. However, in countries like Spain, Turkey and Northern Cyprus to name a few, the basic nursing duties are expected to be performed by relatives of the patient. In cases where the expatriate is single, or one that has only one partner accompanying him/her, more likely than not the quality of the nursing care will be deemed poor, affecting the overall level of satisfaction perceived from the healthcare standards in general in that country. As a conclusion, the report released by Bupa International recommends to expatriates planning to relocate overseas among other common-sense preparations, to study some basic information about the healthcare system at the destination country, before moving in. Knowing in advance the details on how to gain access to the medical services and facilities as an expatriate will afford better preparedness, should an emergency situation occur. Another critical decision for an expatriate planning to relocate overseas is the type of medical insurance selected. It is of utmost importance to choose the right type of medical cover whilst living outside of the home country. It is not uncommon to choose the wrong type of medical insurance, having to end paying excessive and unexpected medical bills as a result. The decision centres around selecting between local or international medical insurance for an expatriate buying medical insurance abroad. The destination country has, up to a certain extent, some bearing on which type of cover to choose. Most expatriates choose an international medical cover over a local plan for the following reasons: 1. Local medical insurance plans provide cover only in that country. This can be extremely important to the expats living in a country where medical facilities are inferior to those in their home country. Should the expat have an accident or become sick, being able to go home for treatment or to an alternative country where the medical facilities are of a higher standard gives a level of protection that brings piece of mind. 2. An international medical plan will follow the insured everywhere they decide to go, whilst the local plan would need to be cancelled and new cover taken out upon leaving the country of the local cover. This can bring problems in as much as a new policy will have waiting periods and some conditions may now be excluded as they will be considered as pre-existing. 3. An international medical plan allows the freedom to select where and by whom treatment is carried out. Most local plans have a limited local network of hospitals that will accept their coverage and therefore no choice is available to the expat or their family. 4. International medical plans are normally renewable for life. Whereas local plans will not renew cover when the client is typically over the age of 65. 5. All insurance companies have exclusions, but generally international medical policies have far fewer. The level of cover is also much higher with an international policy, typically the annual limit is over US$1 million. 6. Renewal premiums for local medical plans are based on the previous years claims, whereas an international policy is generally community rated. This means that the renewal premium is based on policy holders worldwide. Ensuring that the renewal premium is always manageable no matter how ill the insured is or how many times the person has had to go to hospital. 7. Most expats select international medical cover for themselves and their families because of the overwhelming advantages and peace of mind that this protection gives them. 8. Local plans can be seen as cheap at first sight, but long term they may prove to be very disappointing and inadequate in the level of cover available through them. Insurance Company mentioned: Bupa International
Bupa was established more than 60 years ago in the UK and it now has ten million customers in over 190 countries, and over 52,000 employees around the world. Bupa is a leading international healthcare provider, offering personal and corporate health insurance, workplace health services and health assessments. As a provident association Bupa has no shareholders, because of this it uses its profits to invest in healthcare and medical facilities around the world. Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the US, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.