Health Issues When Living Abroad

The number one question we get from prospect buyers is “why are you selling?”. This is a reasonable question that all of us always ask ourselves when looking at purchasing a property. It comes from wondering if there’s something wrong with the place, and also it is just plain curiosity! Our first reason for selling is regarding health.

Picture copyright of Blue Buddies

Before making the “big move”, don’t forget to spend some time researching and exploring all that is health related.
1- How am I doing personally?
2- Do I have insurance that will cover me abroad?
3- What health care is available in the country I am moving to?

If you currently have insurance, you need to ensure that they provide ‘worldwide’ or ‘overseas’ coverage. Many insurance companies do not offer it, or have different range of restrictions and exclusions. They might tell you you’re covered, but for how long? Many policies will cover you abroad but they have a maximum length of time that you are allowed out of the country until the coverage stops.

If you don’t have insurance, it is easily available to purchase online. Take time to do some research and there are good resources over the internet. A site I like is Insurance To Go as they give you a comparison table of their different plans, coverage, premiums, limits and deductibles. Many other websites out there will also give you that information.

Now be ready for the questionnaire people. This is 2008 and it shows! On one questionnaire, they asked; “Have you ever had a headache. If yes, explain below”. Now, can anyone answer ‘no’ to that? So here it is… if you answered ‘no’, you lied and that can be used for refusing to cover/pay a claim. Now if you answered ‘yes’, that can be used for refusing to cover/pay a claim on the grounds of ’pre-existing condition’! Here’s another one; “Do you have any tattoos? If yes, provide size and location”. Hmmm, pretty hard to lie there! So if you do, I imagine any type of blood related illnesses or diseases could be ‘rejected’! And on that questionnaire, they also asked about piercings! But that questionnaire seemed to be unusual. Health insurance applications are generally pretty standard.

When studying coverage, do not waste time with little things like a broken arm. Something like that can be fixed pretty much anywhere and paying for it won’t ruin you! Instead concentrate on more important issues such as ’Emergency Air Evacuation’ to the nearest facility in your country and/or their network. In case of such as a car wreck, a heart attack that leaves you immobilized, you might be in need of urgent and special (expensive) care that is not available in the country where you live. Coverage to look more into are those that can ruin you financially such as cancer, liver disease, anything that would require long term and specialized treatments. So don’t fret about a broken leg or a tooth cavity!

And very important, don’t forget to “always” carry your insurance card with you in case you are alone and unconscious. That can save your life as with this card the medical attendants can immediately call the right place.

As for us this being a reason for selling, we have found out we are uninsurable! Well, they will let us pay the premium, but due to some pre-existing conditions it seemed to us that there would be very few things that they would cover. Being in our mid-forties, we have decided that it is something to consider seriously and relocating back to Canada is our safest bet. The other important reason to relocate has to do with telecommunication problems when living in a 3rd world country.

TropiCat

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2 ~ Producing And Storing Your Own Electricity, You Have The Power To!
3 ~ Building Off-Grid In The Jungle, Fun But Challenging
4 ~ Easy Broadband Satellite Internet Access
5 ~ Water Supply Considerations, Off-Grid In The Jungle
6 ~ The Domestic Cats’ Life In The Jungle
7 ~ The Belize Mennonite’s Lifestyle
8 ~ How To Live As An Expat In A Foreign Country
9 ~ The Invasion Of The Flood Flies
10 ~ Living in Paradise! But, Where Is It?
11 ~ Solar Panel Placement & Sun Chart Creator
12 ~ Telecommunication Challenges In A 3rd World Country
13 ~ Fleas & Ticks In The Jungle
14 ~ The Dangers Of The Black Poisonwood Tree
15 ~ To Buy Or To Rent When Moving Abroad
16 ~ Home Schooling When Living Abroad
17 ~ Tips & Hints On Things To Watch Out For During Construction – Part 1 of 2
18 ~ Tips & Hints On Things To Watch Out For During Construction – Part 2

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