The world is a smaller place today and with the growing globalization, the need for travel in ever increasing. Today the global tourism industry is worth billions and after the pandemic, there has been a huge boom in the tourism industry with millions of tourists traveling abroad. The vaccinations have also helped in ensuring the safety of passengers and giving a boost to the downturn in the tourism industry. However, travel abroad can be quite stressful in the event of any unfortunate health issues. But did you know similar to having a health insurance cover in the country, a person can have a global health insurance cover as well?
Given below are the meaning of global health insurance, its need, and other details of this type of insurance.
What is the meaning of Global Insurance cover?
A global health insurance plan is health insurance that can provide coverage for medical expenses outside the country. This type of insurance is can be used to get medical assistance for any diseases or ailments that are diagnosed in the home country but the treatment for the same can be sought in a foreign country or in case of any medical emergencies that occur in any foreign nation. A global health insurance plan will ensure that the insured person does not have to bear the huge financial burden of medical expenses in a foreign nation as well as get access to immediate medical assistance.
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What are the features of Global Insurance cover?
Global health insurance cover is widely popular and has been gaining more foothold across the globe. Some of the key features of a global health insurance plan are,
- Adequate coverage
The cost of medical attention in India is quite high. However, this cost is further increased when any medical attention is sought in a foreign nation. Therefore, the person seeking global health insurance plans should ensure that the coverage is adequate to meet the expensive hospitalizations as well as private healthcare facilities. It is important to not forget to account for inflation as well while seeking a good and affordable global health insurance plan.
- Coverage for the cost of travel and medical evacuation
The cost of frequent travel to a foreign country for medical treatments as well as the cost of transportation through ambulances or emergency evacuation facilities like a helicopter in such a country can be quite expensive for an average person. Hence, such costs are included in the global health insurance plans to ease the burden of the insured party.
- Coverage for pre-existing diseases
Most health insurance plans have a fixed set of inclusions. These inclusions can vary from insurer to insurer, however, the important thing to remember is to disclose all the pre-existing diseases and to ensure coverage for the same in the health insurance plans. This will help the insured party reduce the cost of medical treatments.
- Access to other medical needs
A good global health insurance plan can also include coverage for other medical needs like maternity benefits, dental benefits, etc. in the global health insurance plan. The premium of these insurance plans may increase based on the amount of coverage, however, will definitely be lower as compared to the costs to be paid due to lack of insurance.
- Adequate inclusions
The majority of costs related to medical attention are usually due to OPD charges or emergency room charges. Planned and unplanned surgical medical attention is usually rare. Therefore, a good global health insurance plan will include these charges as well and provide additional relief to the insured party.
What are the factors to be considered while opting for Global Insurance cover?
A global health insurance plan ensures peace of mind against the rising medical costs across the globe. Therefore, a person traveling abroad opts for such plans as a caution against any medical emergencies. We have seen the key features of a good global health insurance plan, however, there are certain factors that need to be considered while opting for a global health insurance plan. Some of the key factors to consider are mentioned below.
- Cashless treatment
Like any medical insurance plan in the home country, the global health insurance plan should also ensure cashless treatment. This will help the insured person be free from the hassle-free of arranging finance for the medical treatments and also avoid currency exchange hassles.
- Tax benefits
Global health insurance plans like any other plan should also provide tax benefits under the Income Tax Act. Many plans also add global coverage as an add-on depending on the guidelines of the insurer. The tax deduction on such plans will be in line with the overall deduction available under Section 80D.
- Network of hospitals
An important factor to consider while opting for a global health insurance plan is the network of hospitals it has to provide good and timely medical attention. A plan that has the maximum network of hospitals under its belt should be preferred to ensure quick and hassle-free solutions to their needs.
- Hassle-free claim settlement process
The claim settlement process of any insurance plan is often the make-or-break criteria for people choosing between health care plans. An insurer who has the reputation of providing hassle-free claim settlement will definitely have an edge over others as no one today has the time and patience to deal with a cumbersome claim settlement process with multiple issues and hurdles to clear.
Conclusion
Health insurance plans have become the need of the day and with the growing globalization and tourism, the need for global health insurance plans has also seen tremendous growth. Such plans ensure that the insured person not only gets quality medical attention in the country but can avail of the same abroad if the need arises.
FAQs
Yes. Like any other health insurance plan, medical tests as per the guidelines of the insurer are mandatory for global health insurance plans as well.
Yes. Global health insurance plans help in getting hassle-free medical treatments not only abroad but in the home country too.
The basic difference between a global health insurance plan and a travel insurance policy is that the latter is available only for a fixed period of travel and has to be taken afresh for every new travel. Also, it does not provide coverage for any pre-existing medical conditions. On the other hand, a global health insurance plan is available for a lifetime or for the tenure of the policy as the case may be.
The countries under the purview of the global health insurance plans depend on the policies and guidelines of the individual insurers. Hence, it is advisable to have thorough clarifications relating to the scope of coverage and any specific countries excluded from the same.
Co-payment clauses on global health insurance plans depend on the individual insurers and the plans opted by the insured party however, this clause is usually part of a majority of the global health insurance plans
