Follow us
FAQs
The Advisor Office assists companies and individuals with choosing the correct international health insurance for those living or working overseas for a prolonged period of time. The insurer covers treatment for emergency and routine healthcare, and provides expats with flexibility in their choice of doctor and treatment facility, allowing treatment anywhere in their region of cover. Here are some commonly asked questions about international health insurance, to give you more information about possible cover.
Anyone who lives outside their home country can apply for international medical insurance through the Advisor Office.
The Advisor Office assists companies to set up international health insurance for employees. We specialise in providing advice on international health insurance for individuals and companies, starting from three principal members.
Policies are annual. The Advisor Office assists in the timeous renewal of the annual policy to ensure continuity of cover.
Travel insurance is designed to cover limited duration trips. It’s intended for holidaymakers, short-term travel abroad and offers emergency medical treatment. Travel insurance won’t cover long-term medical treatment. In this instance, you’ll be expected to return to your home country to continue treatment once you’re medically fit to do so.
This is dependent on the insurance company, but most plans will cover members up to the age of 80.
An in-patient plan covers day care treatment requiring hospital admission, emergency evacuations and repatriation.
An in-and-out patient plan covers day care treatment requiring hospital admission, emergency evacuation and repatriation and includes out-patient care with an option of dental and optical care.
Most plans have three geographical areas of cover. These are: Africa; worldwide excluding the USA; or worldwide including the USA. You can choose a plan that gives you cover in your applicable region.
Medical insurance covers evacuation and/or repatriation. Evacuation cover provides assistance when your medical condition requires emergency treatment that’s not available locally. Repatriation provides assistance for you to be transported to your home country for recovery or for further treatment. Repatriation is subject to the specific conditions of each insurer.
Most plans have different levels of cover, but most comprehensive plans normally include maternity coverage.
Under the basic level of coverage, most plans offer emergency dental coverage in the event of an accident. It’s often possible to add coverage for routine dental treatment to your existing plan, for an additional premium.
International medical insurance plans allow you to choose which doctor you see and the hospital into which you’re admitted. However, not all providers will allow you to enjoy direct settlement of out-patient treatment. If you’re in a new country and don’t know where to go, you can contact the Advisor Office to inform you of the providers contracted with your insurer in that country.
In-patient treatment which is planned or scheduled in advance can normally be settled directly between the hospital and the insurer. Some providers require out-patient costs to be settled by the member and then the member is required to claim the costs back using a claim form. The Advisor Office assists in ensuring your claim is reimbursed quickly and efficiently.
Insurers require completed claim forms, receipts and invoices to assess claims. Claims take between 10 to 15 working days to be finalised. The Advisor Office assists members in ensuring all documentation is correct, to avoid unnecessary delays.
It’s always important to read the plan details carefully to ensure awareness of all benefits and exclusions of the policy. The Advisor Office can provide a complete set of plan details and assist with the understanding of benefits.
Many factors can influence if pre-existing conditions will or will not be covered. A completed application will be required when choosing a plan and, dependent on the condition, the insurer will underwrite the policy accordingly. For corporate plans, medical history may be disregarded.
Most international medical insurance plans will cover a member on return to their home country for a specified period of time to enable the member to seek a local solution.
Most non-professional sports are covered by international medical insurance plans. However, some hazardous sports and activities may not be covered. This differs from insurer to insurer and needs to be confirmed when applying for the medical insurance.
Medical insurance premiums can increase over time due to age, claims experience and inflation costs for medical expenses. The Advisor Office ensures premiums charged are market-related and competitive against other insurers.
Yes, dependents can be added onto various policies. For corporate policies, the employer will define which members may be included and the applicable rules relating to this. Each insurer might have different specifications for individual policies.