How does international health insurance work?

A step-by-step guide to international health insurance

Healthcare varies enormously from country to country. As an expat, you may have limited access to public healthcare, and standards may not be what you’re used to. On the other hand, private healthcare abroad can be very expensive.

That’s why, if your employer is not providing private healthcare, you’ll need to find health insurance for you and your family. But how does international health insurance work in practice? We take you through the process, from buying your plan to making a claim.

Step 1 – Understand what you need from a health insurance plan

International health insurance plans range from basic cover, giving you access to essential emergency care, to fully comprehensive covering you for everything from maternity visits to dental care.

When deciding on your plan it’s important to think about what healthcare needs you want to cover and how much you can afford. At William Russell, we offer the following plans to give you access to private healthcare internationally.

You can also customise your plan to include dental care, personal accident cover, routine and complex dental, temporary US cover and enhanced medical evacuation cover, which allows you to request medical evacuation in the event you need advanced diagnostics and cancer treatment.

Step 2 – Buying international health insurance

Purchasing expat insurance can be confusing. There are just so many providers and policies out there, each with different benefits, coverage options, insurance jargon, and service promises.

At William Russell, we think our members deserve more. From prevention to cure, we’re here to give you a better insurance and claims experience.

At William Russell, we have over 30 years’ experience providing exclusive insurance for expatriates. Our policies include hospital treatment as standard, and we have an additional range of extra treatment plans, from well-being services to dentistry and mental health consultations.

Our 24-hour helpline means that you can access our services any time, from anywhere in the world, and we will connect you with a named claims manager at the earliest opportunity to ensure your claim is dealt with quickly, and that you have a consultation when you need it.

Purchasing international health insurance from William Russell is simple:

1. Choose the plan you want to apply for.
2. Complete the online application form. This includes a brief declaration of your medical history, and your family’s medical history if you need insurance from them. If we need more information, we’ll get in touch.
3. We’ll review your application, calculate your premium and let you know the terms under which we can offer you cover. We can normally have you covered within just 2 working days.

Step 3 – What happens when you need medical attention abroad?

If you have travel insurance

If you have travel insurance you should contact your insurance company if you have a medical emergency.

Your insurance policy should have given you an international number that you can use to get in touch with your insurers. Your call will usually be dealt with by an assistance company which is appointed by the insurer to arrange the necessary medical treatment.

You can also contact your local consulate or embassy for help. Consular staff can offer practical advice, help and support with things like finding a local doctor.

If you have international health insurance

As a William Russell member, if you have a medical emergency you can contact the 24-hour helpline on +44 1243 621 155 for assistance, 365 days a year.

We can give you access to the best hospitals and doctors wherever you live and work. You can even choose the hospital you want to visit – just contact us to confirm that your chosen provider is within our network.

Step 4 – Keeping records and making a claim

Your international health insurer will need to see a record of costs, so make sure you keep any bills and receipts you’re given.

At William Russell we have always been proud of our gold-standard customer service and claims support and are keen to ensure members have a smooth and hassle-free experience in any dealings with us.

The documents you need to supply to make a claim depend on what type of claim you’re making. Whether you need to make a claim for a doctor visit or you need treatment in a hospital, you’ll find all the information you need in our guide on how to make a claim.

Step 5 – Paying for treatment in a foreign country

How you settle your bill will depend on the type of health insurance plan you have and the medical treatment you’re receiving:.

If you’re admitted to hospital

Most hospital treatment you receive as an inpatient requires our pre-authorisation, so we’ll be in touch with the hospital and your treating doctor well before you’re admitted. We’ll pay your medical bills directly to the hospital, so you’re not out of pocket. If you have an excess on your policy, the hospital may ask you to pay it or we’ll ask you to pay it once you’ve been discharged from hospital.

There are some situations where we may not be able to settle your medical bills directly with the hospital. For instance, remote clinics in parts of Africa cannot handle international payments. In these cases, we’ll work with you and the hospital to find a way to settle the bills.

If you’re claiming for outpatient treatment

If you’re claiming for outpatient treatment (such as everyday medical costs, doctor visits, prescriptions), the easiest way is to pay the bills yourself and claim them back from us. This is known as ‘pay-and-claim’.

We can reimburse you with a payment to your credit card or with a bank transfer to your account. We can reimburse you in a currency other than the currency you pay your premiums in.

3 international health insurance need-to-knows

International health insurance covers planned consultations, treatments and operations when you live and work abroad – be it hips, cataracts, ears and sometimes mental health too. It’s a lifestyle choice. If you’re considering it, or want to measure how your current policy stacks up, here are key need-to-knows:

1/ The excess matters

An international health insurance excess is the fixed cash amount you pay towards a claim.

The higher the excess, the lower we can set your premium. You must choose one when you first apply for your health plan. Your insurance excess is the amount you pay towards your medical bills before your health insurance plan kicks in. You pay the excess for each medical condition, per policy year.

Expats from North America might be more familiar with the term ‘deductible’. Excesses are slightly different from deductibles, but they exist for similar reasons.

2/ Pick the right health insurance cover

• What treatments do you want to cover – Options can include cover for cancer and mental health.
• Which hospitals can you use – Remember that the bigger the choice, the bigger the cost. Once you find a policy you’re happy with, double check its hospital list and options.
• Consultant limits – You may have a specific consultant you like to see who is not on the approved list of consultants, which means you would not be covered to see them. Double check with your insurer as they might be part-covered, meaning you would be able to claim for a certain amount then pay the difference yourself.
• ‘Full medical underwriting’ (FMU) vs ‘moratorium’ – With FMU you disclose your medical history at sign-up (possibly via a check-up). Moratorium doesn’t need that, but if you claim for a condition within the first 2 (or sometimes more) years, you’ll often need to prove you haven’t suffered from it before, which can slow things down. Learn more about medical underwriting here.

3/ Get in touch if you are confused

Can’t find what you want or are confused? If you have more questions or have conditions that make things difficult, get assistance from one of our award winning team members.