(Newswire.net — August 20, 2020) — You may have heard the term “health insurance” before, and you may have considered even applying for one, but are you sure you know what health insurance is? Will your health insurance cover all your medical and health-related expenses? Is it necessary for you to get health insurance? Are you entitled to it, and if so, what is the proper procedure in applying for one?
What is health insurance?
Health insurance is a contractual obligation between the insurance company and the individual. It is intended to cover the risk of a person incurring medical expenses and treatment or the risk of contracting diseases. These medical treatments and procedures may include medication to private medical emergencies, surgical procedures, scans, or even routine checkups. Insurance companies may also cover hospital stays, which is also referred to as inpatient treatment.
Some health insurance provides different coverage, as other health plans may cover losses arising from accidents, accidental deaths, and dismemberment. You may want to consider a premium, although more expensive health insurance plan as it also shoulders specialist medical consultancy, commonly referred to as outpatient treatment.
Health insurances may provide a routine payment scheme such as monthly premium or payroll tax imposed upon employees. Private companies and government agencies may require their employees to get health insurance, thus deducting a portion of their salaries to pay for their health insurance.
It is essential to know your medical history while applying for health insurance. Usually, when using health insurance, you have to provide information detailing your pre-existing health or chronic conditions. Non-disclosure of these pre-existing medical and health conditions could have your health insurance invalidated.
Health insurance abroad, how does it work?
If you are traveling abroad, does your health insurance still cover your medical expenses? Would your health insurance even pay for sickness or injuries incurred while you were traveling abroad?
While it is wise to get travel health insurance to cover the risk of paying for your medical expenses, you may want to consider getting international health insurance. An international health insurance plan complies with the standard health insurance policies, specifically designed to provide access to available local health and medical care services. It may include repatriation, as the case may be. The health insurance offered for residents in the European Union can cover for its patients state medical and healthcare services so long as they are traveling in the EU.
So if you are traveling abroad, aside from health insurance, you may also want to consider getting the right travel insurance. In case a patient traveling abroad needs to be repatriated to his country, usually the travel insurance covers for repatriation.
Should you decide to travel abroad, it is important to have everything planned out. Ask yourself whether traveling abroad or your activities there are of higher risk to your health. Consider and calculate the risk of needing medical services while traveling abroad. If so, perhaps consider getting an insurance policy that will cover emergency costs if you suffer an accident. Be sure to know your pre-existing health conditions.