Top 10 tips when looking for the right health insurance – October 2014

Top 10 tips when looking for the right health insurance – October 2014

Bucharest, 21 October: In the context of an extremely deficient health system, that doesn’t always covers the needs of the population, private health insurances have become a more and more frequent choice for those who want qualitative medical care, anywhere around the world.

This is why MediHelp International, the leader in private health insurance in the CEE, analyses the most important aspects that should be taken into consideration when choosing a private health insurance with international coverage.

1. Area of Coverage:The health insurance should cover not only the area the insured lives in, but also the areas one is interested in for potential medical treatment, such as the places where a person travels for business or pleasure. Likewise, the area of coverage refers also to medical centers that a patient could need for medical healthcare.

2. Underwriting terms: There are health insurances that also cover
pre-existing medical conditions.

3. Cancer treatment and the cover for chronic diseases: It is recommended that the insured persons choose a health insurance that covers the complete treatment of cancer (costs of surgeries, medication, etc.). Also, it is important that the insurance policy covers the costs for treatment of chronic diseases.

4. Excess payments: It refers to the payment that the insured person has to pay in case he chooses this option regarding the value diminution of the insurance premium. There are many options of franchise, one of them is payable every time the coverage of medical costs is required, others once a year.

5. Relevant benefits: The insurance plan should only include the required benefits, without having to pay for extra undesired services. Preferably, the plan should be personalized according to the requirements of the beneficiary.

6. Assistance providers: It is important to know who is offering the assistance provider. These will be the people that will be firstly contacted in case of an emergency and they will mediate the relation with the hospitals to arrange for guarantees of payments. Also, the insured person should check if they can arrange Air-Ambulance assistance in an emergency.
7. Underwriters: The insurance company is the one that takes care of the payment for claims. The insured persons need to verify if those companies are financially secure.

8. Adequate cover: This should be calculated taking into consideration the country of residence and/or work and local regulations concerning public health coverage. If the insured person requires private treatment or if the waiting time is way too long, then he should choose a higher level of cover offered by a private health insurance.

9. Family cover: In most cases, family members can be added on one’s private health insurance, so this aspect may be of importance when choosing the appropriate plan.

10. Price: Last, but not least, price is a very important criterion and it is based on the type of chosen coverage. The price goes up as more benefits and/or more persons are included in the policy.

“There are several criteria one needs to take into account when purchasing for a private health insurance and the ones presented are very important. However, there is one more essential term that any interested person should look into and that is the specialization of the chosen insurance company. Health insurance is a profession, and it is not the case that whoever insures your car or your house is also a health insurance specialist. MediHelp International has more than 15 years’ experience in private health insurance, with a sales and support team that has a prolonged expertise in the field. It is important to trust your insurance partner and know that you can always rely on them, for any medical problem.”, states Zahal Levy, President of MediHelp International.

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