The typical British attitude is as follows, complain when it’s bad and complain when it’s too good, because we are used to it being bad.
Only this month, we have had phenomenal weather and we Brits are looking as tired as ever, because nobody has managed to sleep. We’re just too used to getting under the covers every night.

This same attitude is how we view the NHS when we move abroad. We complain about the waiting lists, we complain about it’s underfunding but ultimately, we take for granted the basics, such as having an English speaking doctor and nurse, who can explain the procedures that we are going through, providing us with peace of mind.

Medical Insurance is commonly referred to as ‘peace of mind’ insurance. We have found that for many families and couples’ moving abroad, especially those who are in retirement, international medical insurance has provided this peace of mind. It is well known that there are many national health services around the world that are highly regarded in terms of their medical expertise. However, international medical insurance solves two issues:

  • The ability to deal with long-standing doctors who are aware of your medical history.
  • The ability to receive high-quality treatment at the top medical institutions in the world.

Medical insurance should not be confused with accident and emergency treatments, typically received under state health systems. The international medical insurance market has rapidly expanded over the past few years, as we become a more globalised population. The desire to have the flexibility of where we receive our treatment, and by whom, is now of the utmost importance.

It is important that expats are aware that although they may receive local insurance in their new country of residence, this does not work the same way as UK private medical insurance and it is unlikely that they will find out their level of cover until they have to claim and work through the procedure. We have always been firm advocates of not recommending a policy to somebody unless they are fully aware of their benefits and the conditions they are covered for.

We are keen to provide our clients with information on the process of how to obtain domestic health care in their new country of residence, but also offer them high-quality insurance that will provide the equivalent or in some cases, better insurance than they would have been covered for in whilst living in the UK.