China Health Insurance Options & Benefits

China Insurance Options & Benefits

Getting the best insurance you can for the best price is always important. When you have top quality health insurance cover you can be treated by the best doctors in the best clinics and hospitals if you need it. Getting the right plan for your budget and requirements is so important and that is where we come in. As specialists in the health insurance sector we can make you aware of which plans are available to you. For more than 15 years we have worked with the leading health insurance providers so finding the perfect plan for you will be easier than you think.

Sometimes a medical insurance plan can be difficult to understand – they contain so much information. We are always here to answer any questions that you have but thought that a breakdown of the various components of medical plans could be useful to you. That way you can decide which factors are going to be the most important to you when choosing your plan. Once you have selected the plan that is right for you, we can use that information to find the right insurer for you, at the right price!

To begin with, Hospitalization and Emergency Coverage is a part of all plans and all insurers offer this cover. This will provide protection for you if you need to be admitted to hospital and treated as an in-patient. Any sudden illness, accident or injury will also be covered along with the cost of treatment. In the majority of cases, treatment for cancer (oncology) will be included, along with treatments relating to this such as chemotherapy.

Here are some of the possible options for your health insurance plan:

Outpatient cover – this includes any trip to the doctor, clinic or hospital where you do not need an overnight stay. The cost of the visit, medications and any tests for diagnosis are covered. This might also cover treatment such as physiotherapy.

Maternity – Anyone considering starting a family will need to have maternity insurance. This will cover all aspects of maternity care including pre-natal and pregnancy care, the delivery and any post-natal treatment. Most plans will include a level of cover for the newborn baby too.

Dental – A range of dental treatments are covered here including cleaning, scaling, polishing and dental surgery. This is an option on most healthcare plans.

Optical – Optical care health cover can include the cost of replacement contacts or lenses. In some instances it may cover some corrective eye surgery.

Evacuation – Not everyone will need this cover and it will depend where you are. If you are living and working in a country where the standard of healthcare is not quite what you need then evacuation cover can be added to your insurance as it will pay for you to be taken to another country where healthcare standards are higher for treatment.

Pre-existing Conditions – This optional extra is the one that is most asked about. It is now much easier to have cover for pre-existing conditions added to a policy using methods such as premium loading. This means that even if you had an illness or injury before you obtained your health cover you will still be covered for the cost of further treatment. If you do not have this cover then any further treatment would have to be paid for by you. However, each case is unique and for this type of cover we would recommend that you talk to one of our specialist advisors.

Other factors that you might want to consider when planning your China health insurance include:

Geographical Coverage – This section will make it clear where in the world you can have treatment. Some plans will only offer cover for the country in which you live, while others will stretch this to cover the whole continent. Some will even give you cover for the whole of the world. How much cover you need will be determined by how much travelling you are doing – if you never leave the country in which you live then only local cover will be needed.

Deductibles and Excesses – You can add on deductibles and excesses and this can help to reduce the cost of your plan. This is the amount that you agree to pay yourself if you receive medical treatment. This is a set figure and your insurer will pay anything that is over and above that amount. You can apply this for each claim or for a year. It can also be applied on a co-payment basis.

Short Term Coverage – This could apply to you if you feel that you do not need to have coverage for a whole year. There are several short-term options that may suit you instead. You will need to make us aware of the time period that you need the cover for and the geographical area that you are going to be living in. It could be that you do not know how long you are going to be in a particular area or you may be expecting family commitments to change. The best way to ensure the right policy for you is to complete our quote request form or speak to a member of our team. One of our specialist advisors will help you to find the right policy.

Coverage in the USA – If you need healthcare cover for the USA you need to be aware that it is probably the most expensive healthcare in the world, and this is reflected in the cost of a policy. Without the cover you could be facing huge bills if you fall ill or are injured during your time there, so a policy is an absolute necessity. You need to get good advice before purchasing a USA healthcare policy as there are some legal restrictions that cannot be avoided, and your insurer often cannot help you to get around them.

Retirement/Senior Citizens – Health insurance can be a major issue for those who are aged 50 and over. It can be a problem finding the right cover because those classed as senior citizens are more likely to have pre-existing conditions and there can be issues finding a provider that will offer long term cover. Insurance costs go up each year so getting the advice of specialist advisors is essential in order to be sure that the cover you find is going to suit all your requirements.

Direct Billing – Your insurer has two options when it comes to paying the invoices for your care. You have the option of paying upfront for your treatment and care and then claiming back from the insurance company. The other option is to have direct billing as part of the policy. Your insurer will work with the healthcare facility to pay the bill directly so that you do not have to deal with any of the stress of sorting out the payment. This can often be better for you – if you or a member of your family is ill then the less stress you have the better. Talk to a member of our team about direct billing if you would prefer to have this as part of your policy.

Child Only or Newborn Cover – In some instances it may be necessary to arrange separate health cover for children. Some insurance plans will not allow you to add them on or you may prefer to have a separate policy for them. Newborn cover should be considered by those who are planning to start a family or add to an existing family. Some newborn cover may be provided as part of maternity cover but these policies may be limited. It is important to be familiar with the details of the maternity insurance before deciding to purchase a new plan for a newborn.

Student plans – There are special health cover plans that are designed for students. These are very cost effective, making them perfect for the tighter student budget and students studying in other countries should definitely consider them. A student healthcare plan can also be used to cover tuition fees and other additional factors if you fall ill and are unable to attend classes to complete the course.