Not ALL International Health Insurance is the same

Get Hip to HIPAA before heading overseas

Navigating your health plan to get the most out of your benefits can be a challenge —the administrative hurdles alone can sometimes be daunting.

But for international travelers there’s a little known trapdoor that can open large gaps in healthcare coverage that quickly spiral beyond your control, exposing world travelers to significant financial risk.

Traveling or residing outside the U.S. for six months or more often means that one of the key benefits of a health insurance plan—coverage of pre-existing conditions—is in jeopardy when you return home. How so? If you’re not hip to HIPAA, you wouldn’t know - the catch is in the fine print of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (link: http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_hipaa.html.)

Unless you are enrolled in a well-designed international health insurance program, you can be caught up in technicalities that subject you to a 12-month waiting period for a pre-existing condition when you return home and re-enroll in a domestic group health plan. Even if you purchased another plan to fill the gap, HIPAA rules permit the group plan to institute the waiting period. That’s bad news if you have developed a serious medical condition in the meantime.

Doesn’t sound fair? Well, it’s all perfectly legal. The waiting period can be reduced or eliminated if the time you spent in your alternative health plan is viewed as “creditable coverage” and applied as an offset. But that decision is made unilaterally by the health plan.

What’s the answer? Staying healthy certainly helps. But if you want to do more than cross your fingers (and that is what this is all about) do your homework before heading out of the country, like this smart person did (at least we think she’s smart… she chose a product we offer) (link: http://francesandaustin.blogspot.com/2009/03/swiss-doctor-worldwide-health-insurance.html).

If you are employed and posted abroad, ask your employer to enroll you in an international plan that provides seamless eligibility no matter how much time you spend abroad. If group coverage is not an option, choosing the right individual plan can help you avoid similar, even larger gaps in coverage.

Most individual international plans on the market are constructed and administered to minimize coverage for pre-existing conditions. They typically feature exclusions or very low benefit limits for conditions that were treated over the past two years. To your peril, they also define pre-existing conditions much more broadly than U.S. plans, and they don’t recognize the group plan you may be leaving as “creditable coverage.” Check to see if the individual plan you are considering is filed with U.S. state insurance regulators as an “admitted” plan. Check out our Global Citizen or Travel Gap Excursion.

Lastly, ask about what happens to your eligibility when you return home. Will the plan continue to offer benefits after your assignment ends? Many plans discontinue benefits after six months at home; others will cover you all the way up to age 84. This is a critical issue: you clearly don’t want to be left out in the cold as uninsurable.

The last thing you need when going abroad or coming home is to trip over technicalities and fall through a trapdoor . Be a savvy health insurance buyer. Ask the right questions and don’t leave anything to chance.

Traveling Internationally and Staying Healthy

SOURCE:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

It's that time of year when students take a break from the books and head out of town for spring break! If your spring break plans include international travel, take a few minutes to learn how to prepare for a healthy and safe trip.
Prepare

It is very important to see a doctor before you travel to an international destination.
Let others in on your spring break adventure by sharing important information about your trip.
Remember: it's always a good idea to be prepared, especially when it comes to your health. Learn how to plan ahead and what to do if you become sick or injured on your trip.
Don't forget to pack smart.

Stay Healthy
It's also important to pay attention to your health while you are traveling. While you need to learn and understand the health risks specific to your destination, here are some general travel health tips:

Wash your hands often with soap and clean water or use an alcohol-based hand gel before you eat, after you cough or sneeze, and after you go to the bathroom.

To prevent animal bites and rabies, avoid touching or petting animals, especially dogs and wildlife.

If you are going to a country with avian influenza, lower your risk of getting this disease by avoiding poultry markets and farms. Do not touch birds or any surface that may have bird droppings on it.

Use an insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin (KBR 3023), oil of lemon eucalyptus/PMD, or IR3535.

To prevent infections such as HIV and hepatitis B, avoid receiving tattoos, body piercings, or injections.

Avoid engaging in sexual behaviors that might place you at risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Use latex condoms if you have sex.

For travel to cold weather climates, make sure that you pack clothes and gear that will protect you against cold temperatures. Spending long amounts of time in very cold weather can be dangerous and can result in hypothermia or frostbite. Protect yourself from the cold by following these tips:

Dress warmly and in layers.
Wear inner clothing layers made from wool, silk, or polypropylene, as they retain more body heat than cotton.
Wear insulated and waterproof shoes to prevent cold, wet feet.
Don't forget a hat, scarf, and mittens or gloves.

If you are traveling to a warm weather climate, don't forget to protect yourself against heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Stay cool with these tips:

Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Make sure to drink even more fluids during exercise.
Limit outdoor activities to morning and evening hours.
Wear a hat and use sunscreen, even on cloudy days.
Overexposure to harmful UV rays can lead to another health problem found in all destinations: sunburn. Countries that are near the equator and areas of higher elevation receive more UV rays, making short exposures to the sun more dangerous. Outdoor activities, such as skiing and swimming, increase sun exposure. Prevent sunburn by following these tips:
Use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.

Be sure to reapply sunscreen often, especially after swimming.
Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with almost 100% UV protection.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants that have a tight weave.
Seek shade while outside, especially between 10 a.m.–4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest.

Stay Safe
Injuries involving car, bus, and motorcycle crashes, as well as pedestrian injuries are more common during travel than you might think. Motor vehicle injuries are actually the leading cause of preventable death among international travelers. Follow these tips to help prevent injuries in cars and other vehicles:

Wear a seat belt.
Ride only in marked taxis.
Be alert when crossing the street, especially in countries where automobiles travel on the opposite side of the road from in the United States. Avoid travel on overloaded buses or vans.
When possible, hire a local driver instead of driving yourself. Ask your hotel for a trustworthy driver or taxi company.
Avoid local air travel at night, and during inclement weather.
Don't drink and drive.

Swimming and other water sports, such as scuba diving are common activities for warm weather travelers. Don't forget to be safe when doing activities in and around water.

Avoid alcohol and drug use before and during water activities.

Select areas that have good water quality and safe conditions.

Be careful around marine plants and animals, especially coral.

Do not swim if you have diarrhea.

Try not to get any swimming water in your mouth. If you accidentally get water in your mouth, don't swallow it.

Copyright © 2009, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention