What you need to know about Health Insurance Coverage

Before signing with a company, always make sure you’ve asked everything you want to know. Ask the questions, don’t worry about sounding stupid because every little question is important when it comes to health insurance

Exclusions.

Exclusions vary in different countries, countries in Asia do not seem to know the severity of mental illness so most of the time, so be sure to ask about coverage with regards to mental health. Some standard exclusions are – depression, alcoholism, self-inflicted injuries, and car or motorcycle drag racing, participating in acts of war or terrorism. Be sure to always check the fine print because in the end this is basically the contract.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases – AIDS and HIV are immediately excluded in most plans but there are higher priced Insurance plans that have a lifetime limit when it comes to these illnesses. Some insurers exclude coverage of any STD unless you were not at fault (Blood Transfusion issues) but most of the better insurers only exclude HIV/AIDS.

Alcohol- Most insurers or maybe all of them would assess the accident, if in any case you were intoxicated while the accident occurred, coverage is impossible. Incidents like, bar fights while intoxicated and anything that should happen to you while you are drunk.

Pre-existing Conditions

The normal is that pre-existing conditions are not covered, but everything in Thailand is on a case to case basis. Most underwriters analyze your situation and then give you a reasonable offer. The thing is insurance companies will give you an offer and it’s up to you if you want to accept it or not. Most of the time, chronic illnesses are not covered. Some insurance companies offer co-payment or have a waiting period, so again everything varies from case to case.

Medical Evacuation

Most of the insurance companies have included this in their plans or have an optional add on. It’s especially beneficial if coverage is not that much, this way you can just get flown home to your home country.

The best way to know about your coverage is to ask as many questions to your broker til their ears fall off. ASK them! It’s their job to give you all the information you need so don’t hesitate, the brokers work for you and would actually give you some sound advice rather than just forcing you to buy.