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Does your top team often go travelling to explore opportunities and meet targets across the globe for your business? Make sure they stay safe with international private medical insurance, a specialist type of health insurance that is designed to cover employees working abroad. The international private medical insurance market is complicated to navigate with so many different types of cover available. There are also a number of rules and regulations for a significant number of countries throughout the world where some policies are simply not suitable. To create some much-needed clarity, let’s take a look at what international private medical insurance covers and how you can find the most suitable policy for your workforce.

Why is this cover so essential?

When sending your team overseas, it’s vital to choose the right healthcare cover for your business at the same time understanding your obligations to your employees.. The simplest way to tackle finding the right policy is to look at how long your team will be overseas. If your workforce is constantly travelling across borders for business, they‘ll need a more comprehensive range of healthcare to cover both ongoing and preventative care as well as emergency cover within their international private medical insurance policy. If your team are simply on holiday or travelling for short periods of time, they will really only need travel insurance. International private medical insurance is designed to provide your team with cover in countries where there isn’t a public or state-run scheme like the NHS, making it the most suitable choice for operations taking place overseas. In the most serious situations, repatriation to home or the nearest and most suitable hospital for your treatment may be required.

Choosing between policies

When it comes to international private medical insurance, your team’s policy is there to make sure that they are considerably cared for. If they’re planning on working overseas, international private medical insurance is your best bet when it comes to cover across the globe. For travelling team members, travel insurance is only available for up to six months, which means it isn’t sufficient to cover all of the healthcare needs of your top team. Similarly, travel insurance often doesn’t meet the regional regulations, so if your team is going to be working abroad for longer periods of time, it’s essential to check this before jetting off.

Whilst international private medical insurance might cost more than travel insurance, this insurance covers a whole host of healthcare treatments and services that may be needed while operating overseas. Healthcare costs vary greatly from country to country, as do the regulations, and there can also be significant variations in the cost of common place procedures within the same country or city, making it all the more important to make sure that your team covered by international private medical insurance wherever they’re heading.

Benefits of a private policy

Aside from the basic cover that an international private medical insurance policy provides, there are many other reasons to opt for this type of cover. If your team only has travel insurance or they choose not to be covered under a practical policy, they’re likely to have less control over their treatment options if they were to fall ill. With international private medical insurance, your team will be able to fly home or to a hospital of their choice for treatment rather than being taken to the nearest place that can deal with their situation which may not be the most ideal or suitable depending where you are in the world. Importantly, an international private medical insurance policy will ensure that your team has the ability to choose where they receive treatment in an emergency.

It’s useful to note that international private medical insurance can cover pre-existing medical conditions as long as these are disclosed by a medical declaration. Unlike travel insurance and other policies, your team’s international private medical insurance provider can agree to cover treatment related to these conditions, putting your team at ease whilst they’re working abroad. Moreover, international private medical insurance providers often work with organisations and individuals on preventative cover for mental health issues, a particularly valuable consideration given that working abroad can be stressful for certain individuals.

At Protectus Healthcare, we understand just how important it is to keep your team covered and cared for overseas. That’s why we use our wealth of experience and industry expertise to ensure your business has the correct type of policy in place to cover your global health needs. Get in touch to discover how you can put your mind at rest over the future of your health, no matter where you are in the world. 

https://www.protectushealthcare.com/company-insurance/international-private-medical-insurance/