International health insurance

What can this policy cover?

This overview explains the benefits that International Solutions offers, and which options you can choose to increase your cover (increasing your premiums at the same time), or decrease your cover (and reduce costs). We encourage you to read all the information in this section.

New from 1st March 2012 - Now Quoting

If you are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) you can benefit from our new Emirates International Solutions product range. This is designed to complement our existing International Solutions product and provide greater support for you if you are based in the UAE. By working with Emirates Insurance Company, who will provide the insurance, and Neuron LLC we are ensuring your cover is fully compliant with the health care legislation of the region as cover must be provided by a locally licensed insurance provider.

Emirates Insurance Company is one of the leading UAE national general insurance companies based in the UAE. Established in 1982, Emirates Insurance Company holds an excellent financial rating of A- from A.M. Best demonstrating they are financially strong.

Neuron LLC are a market leader in claims management with a network of over 1,500 medical facilities throughout the UAE. This service will provide direct settlement for your claims and cashless settlement for the vast majority of cases.

For more information please read our Emirates International Solutions brochure (PDF 17KB).

New from 1st March 2012

We are always looking for ways to improve our International Solutions cover, which is why through our USA partner Olympus, we have teamed up with DenteMAX, a USA dental network of over 100,000 dentists. This service is available if you are based in the USA and If you choose to select the dental and optical option. By using dentists in this network you will receive discounted treatment and in most cases we will settle bills direct with the dentist. If you are required to pay for part of your treatment you will need to settle this with your dentist directly.

On the 1st July, we introduced two new services that will complement our existing international health insurance benefits - provided by StandbyMD and Olympus Managed Health Care.

StandbyMD helps us give you access to medical professionals, 24 hours a day. At any time of day or night, you can ask for advice about illness or health concerns. Medical staff will give phone support or arrange a home visit if it's necessary.

Olympus Managed Health Care also help us give you access to over 6,000 hospitals and 525,000 medical professionals across the USA. A local freephone number puts you straight through, or you can use an on-line search function to find facilities closest to you. This service is available for employees based in the USA and policyholders travelling to the USA on holiday or for business under the 60 days emergency cover. We'll also help you find chemists when you need them, with over 57,000 pharmacies in a network.

What is International Solutions?

International Solutions is a private insurance policy that helps you get medical care you can be confident of when you’re living or working outside the UK for six months or more. Our core cover helps pay for treatments, therapies, accommodation and meals when in hospital, nursing care, drugs and dressings – but International Solutions is flexible, so you can also choose to include extra benefits on your policy.

Those extra benefits will increase the cost of your premiums. You can also choose options that will reduce your cover and costs. We’ve included information about benefits in the dropdown sections on this page – but there’s a lot to take on board. So we’ve also provided information in a PDF document, which will open in a new window:

• Our International Solutions brochure (PDF 2,652KB)

How does International Solutions work?

International Solutions is designed specifically to help you if you’re living or working overseas for a period of six months or more…

Our cover works geographically, by dividing the world into six regions:

• Region 1 – Arabian Gulf, Indian sub-continent, Southern and Eastern Africa
• Region 2 – Europe East, Scandinavia and Benelux
• Region 3 – Far East and Australasia excluding China and Hong Kong
• Region 4 – Europe West, excluding Scandinavia and Benelux
• Region 5 – Rest of Africa, Central and South America, China, Canada and Hong Kong
• Region 6 – USA and the Caribbean

If you tell us that you need cover in one region, we’ll automatically cover you for any of the lower regions in that list. For example, choose cover for region 4 and we’ll automatically cover you for regions 4, 3, 2 and 1.

Our friendly experts are happy to answer any questions you have about geographical areas that we cover, and what you may or may not be able to claim for. All benefit limits apply in the currency in which you pay your premium.

What’s included for in, out, and day-patient care with core cover?

All of these in, out and day-patient benefits are provided with International Solutions’ core cover. More benefits are included in the next dropdown section, additional benefits, and you can find a complete list all together in our International Solutions brochure (PDF 2,652KB). We encourage you to look through the information in that brochure at your convenience. If you have any questions, or want to ask about benefits and claims, we’ll be happy to help.

Treatment as an in-patient or a day-patient at a private hospital:

• Specialists’ fees
• Hospital charges
• Diagnostic tests – including X-rays, scans, blood tests and ECGs
• Treatment for cancer (please read the information at the end of this section for important details about cancer cover)
• Up to 30 days’ psychiatric treatment

No excess applies to in-patient or day-patient benefits.

Treatment as an out-patient:

• Consultations with a specialist
• Surgical procedures
• Diagnostic tests – including X-rays, scans, blood tests and ECGs
• Physiotherapy on a specialist’s referral
• Treatment for cancer (please read the information at the end of this section for important details about cancer cover)

For out-patient treatment there’s an excess of £25 or €27.50 or $37.50 per member, each claim, every policy year, unless you select an alternative excess for out-patient benefits.

Cancer cover: important information

It’s important to know that, if a patient needs palliative care, this can be provided under our chronic conditions benefit. If you take the reduced additional benefit option, there is no benefit for palliative care as the routine chronic conditions’ benefit is removed.

Which additional benefits are included?

This is a list of most of the additional benefits included in International Solutions’ core cover – but you can also download our International Solutions brochure (PDF 2,652KB), and read the full details at your convenience. We encourage you to read the full brochure before you call us.

Additional benefits

• Cash benefits of up to £150 (or €165 or $225) each night in a government or charitable hospital, for a maximum of 28 nights each person every policy year (the excess doesn’t apply to this benefit)
• Local ambulance*
• Home nursing for up to 28 days on specialist recommendation following treatment as an in-patient or day-patient*

• Treatment by a medical practitioner:

  • Consultations and tests with a medical practitioner, up to £2,500 (or €2,750 or $3,750*)
  • Prescribed drugs, dressings and vaccinations, up to £1,500 (or €1,650 or $2,250*)
• Treatment for accidental dental injury, up to £1,500 (or €1,650 or $2,250*)
• Acute conditions in newborn babies, for conditions that occur during the first 112 days following birth up to £100,000 (or €110,000 or $150,000). The benefit limit applies for the life of the policy
• Routine maintenance of chronic conditions, up to £15,000 (or €16,500 or $22,500*)
• Treatment for acute phases of chronic conditions, up to £50,000 (or €55,000 or $75,000*)
• Treatment for HIV/AIDS up to £5,000 (or €5,500 or $7,500*)
• Reasonable costs for investigations into infertility*
• Local burial or transport of mortal remains, up to £5,000 (or €5,500 or $7,500)
• A regional extension of up to 60 days for emergency evacuation and treatment
• Costs for your evacuation to a place where you can receive treatment that the policy covers.

For the options marked*, there’s an excess of £25 (or €27.50 or $37.50) per member, each claim, every policy year, unless you select an alternative excess for out-patient benefits.

Which options can I add to the core cover?

The level of care you’d like to have in place is very much up to you. Wherever you’re living, you may want to increase your premiums and add these options to your core cover. With these additional benefits in place, you’ll enjoy extra care while you’re overseas. If you add these options, then your premiums will be higher – and it’s important to know that benefit limits apply:

• Wellness benefits
• Dental and optical benefits
• Compassionate travel
• Maternity cover
• Increased cover as an out-patient
• Zero excess

Explanations and full details of these optional benefits, any limitations that apply, and any associated benefit limits are included in our International Solutions brochure (PDF 2,652KB). We encourage you to read the full brochure before you call us.

How could I reduce the cover and costs?

Choosing these options won’t reduce the quality of private care you’ll get at leading medical facilities around the world. But by reducing your level of cover, you could cut the costs of your premiums.

• Alternative excess. You can choose one of three different levels of excess, which will be applied to each claim made by each member every policy year. This will not apply to in-patient or day-patient benefits, or to benefits that include co-payment, such as wellness benefits. The three levels are:
  • £100 (or €110 or $150) will give you a 5% premium discount
  • £250 (or €275 or $375) will give you a 10% premium discount
  • £500 (or €550 or $750) will give you a 15% premium discount

Alternatively, you could also choose an option that gives you reduced out-patient cover, or reduced additional benefits. Limits apply to those options, and it’s important to understand the details in full. You can read them at your convenience by downloading our International Solutions brochure (PDF 2,652KB).

What’s not included with this policy?

Like most international private health insurance policies, International Solutions won’t cover any pre-existing conditions unless we have agreed to include treatment for them. The first £25 (or €27.50 or $37.50) of each eligible out-patient claim, per member per policy year will not be covered unless an alternative amount is selected. These specific treatments and conditions aren’t covered by International Solutions:

• Congenital, genetic or hereditary conditions or any abnormality or disability arising during the ante-natal stages of pregnancy or as a result of childbirth
• Pre-existing conditions
• Alcoholism, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, solvent abuse and other addictive conditions
• Sexually transmitted diseases (except treatment for HIV/AIDS)
• Pregnancy and childbirth (unless the maternity option is chosen)
• The costs involved in obtaining or harvesting organs for transport
• Treatment required as a result of a war risk or terroism
• Cosmetic treatment (except following an accident or surgery for cancer)
• Kidney dialysis
• Contamination by radioactivity or chemicals
• Surgical or medical appliances, such as neurostimulators (for example, cochlear implants) other than prostheses that are inserted into the body during the course of a surgical procedure, or any that are covered under the increased out-patient and dental and optical options (if selected)
• Rehabilitation
• Experimental treatment
• Infertility treatment
• Sexual dysfunction
• Weight loss surgery
• Professional sports injuries

What else is included in International Solutions?

Day and night, you’ll have access to high quality medical care at leading international private healthcare facilities. But in addition to knowing you can get private treatment, we can help you deal with the stresses involved in being unwell overseas. As an International Solutions policyholder, you’ll also have access to these additional benefits:

• A 24 hour multi-lingual helpline, giving you vital support if you don’t speak the local language
• A 24 hour medical information helpline. You can call our information helpline at any time if you have concerns about your health or wellbeing. Qualified medical personnel will be on hand to give you advice, travel information and guidance on dealing with symptoms or seeking further care.

What else do I need to know?

Full details are available in the International Solutions brochure (PDF 2,652KB) – we encourage you to read this before applying for cover. We’re happy to provide a copy of our terms and conditions on request. You’ll need to complete an application form for us to work out the final terms of your policy if we accept your application and, depending on your circumstances, non-standard terms may apply.

So, what’s next?

The beauty of International Solutions is that it helps take the strain, wherever you are. There’s no need to worry about getting treatment or dealing with medical staff that don’t speak your language. 24 hours a day, you’ll have our support. Putting International Solutions into place is simple.

Step 1 – we’ll need to know a few details about you…

To get a quote for international private health insurance, we’ll ask you for some personal details and information about where you’ll be living, before giving you a cost. We’ll then work with you to build the policy that’s most suitable, with the benefits you prefer.

• We can do all this over the phone, we’re happy to call you back and go through your details.
• Ask us to call you and one of our team will call you within one working day…

Step 2 – tell us how International Solutions could work best for you…

It’s a modular policy, which means you choose cover for the benefits that appeal to you but leave out options you don’t want. When we speak, we’ll explain more about the benefits available and how much this will cost.

Step 3 – with cover in place, you can relax…

When you become an International Solutions policyholder, you’ll have access to medical assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is provided by MEDEX Global Solutions, a specialist medical assistance company with over 30 years experience. Using their database of over 40,000 medical care providers, all around the world, you know you’ll always have access to treatment and care.

Ask us to tell you more about International Solutions…

Call me back

We’re happy to provide a copy of our terms and conditions on request. You’ll need to complete an application form for us to work out the final terms of your policy if we accept your application and, depending on your circumstances, non-standard terms may apply.

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