Africa Garners Attention and Plans for Expansion from Top Health Insurance Providers.

Posted on Mar 05, 2013 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)

Health insurance providers looking to expand their operations internationally have been looking to Africa for potential opportunities. The latest news to come from this region refers to two health insurance powerhouses, InterGlobal and UnitedHealthcare International, a UnitedHealth Group business. InterGlobal has established a new partnership with the insurance broker SATIB, which operates primarily in the Southern Africa region, to assist in designing and creating Aloe Healthcare Insurance plans. These plans aim to meet the special and unique requirements of companies working in Africa's tourism industry, and will be marketed by SATIB while being underwritten and administered by InterGlobal. The Aloe Standard and Comprehensive plans are designed with the specific needs of those in the hospitality and tourism industry in Africa that host and operate safaris and employ adventure guides, lodging staff, maintenance workers and other employees who work in the wilderness that may face dangerous animals. The Aloe plans will be valid throughout Africa, ensuring that members will be able to have full coverage no matter their nationality and no matter which country they may be in. Those under the plans will be able to receive treatment at a hospital of their choosing, and may even have the option of electing to be medically evacuated, be it in a medical or non-medical emergency, to a facility that will be able to adequately treat the member. Another benefit to the Aloe Standard plan is that is offers coverage for inpatient and daycare treatment in addition to evacuation and repatriation benefits. For members with the Aloe Comprehensive plan, they will be able to enjoy outpatient treatment, maintenance of chronic medical conditions and additional coverage for cancer care. Members under both plans will be able to access SATIB24 Crisis Call Centre, which is a special unit that offers around-the-clock services to customers in case of a medical or personal emergency. These services are available and offered even in remote and hard to reach areas. "We have gone to great lengths to ensure thorough coverage for our clients without exclusions or premium loadings for the typical activities and locations associated with tourism in Africa. Adventure activities such as cage diving, hot air ballooning, white water rafting and driving safaris are rarely covered by 'off-the-shelf' private medical plans," said Andre du Toit, Director, SATIB Insurance Brokers. "Coupled with the fact that our clients can benefit from cover throughout the African continent, they can be confident that the Aloe plans have been designed very much with them in mind." "We have worked closely with SATIB to develop the new Aloe plans to meet the typical medical demands of life working in the African Safari, hospitality and tourism industry," said Antony Brown MBE, Regional General Manager - Africa, InterGlobal. "SATIB's intimate understanding of the industry, together with InterGlobal's expertise in delivering international health insurance solutions on the continent, has allowed us to provide exceptional yet affordable cover tailored for businesses operating in the African safari and tourist trade." In addition to this recent collaboration, InterGlobal has made other efforts on the continent with its expansion of its business development team in Africa and the appointment of Robyn Wayland as business development executive. Wayland, previously with insurance broker and broker consultant specialist Betterbond/Bettersure, has more than nine years of experience in financial advisory roles to help InterGlobal's Africa operations. In her new role, she will work closely with InterGlobal's network of supporting brokers in Africa and provide sales support to Bavaneesha Naidoo, who recently joined InterGlobal as business development manager, Africa. UnitedHealthcare International is also making its presence known in the Africa region with the creation of a new 'cashless' medical provider network for people traveling to the continent. The company is hoping that the recent agreement with Medical Services Organisation (MSO) in South Africa will further expand UnitedHealthcare's Global Solutions members access to care at medical providers on a cashless (direct settlement) basis. In addition, UnitedHealthcare International hopes that the agreement will assist with various claims and other services in more than 30 countries in Africa. In addition to their expansion in Africa, UnitedHealthcare International now has new coverage options for their Global Solutions plan members that may be traveling or residing in the Czech Republic. Global Solutions is UnitedHealthcare's global health insurance program for internationally based employers that have overseas employees. Its alliance with MAXIMA Insurance, Inc., will assist with the company's members in the Czech Republic with their insurance coverage and services, which are required of all expatriates under Czech immigration law. "UnitedHealthcare International is now providing health care coverage to consumers in 123 countries worldwide," said Simon Stevens, president of Global Health at UnitedHealth Group. "Our new coverage options in Eastern Europe and Africa respond to the strong demand we're seeing from multinational employers for seamless coverage in these fast-growing markets."