Expatriate Healthcare

What Expatriate Healthcare is

Expatriate Healthcare, which its pages mostly call Expatriate Group, is a plan brand. It sells and administers international health insurance, travel insurance, life cover and corporate schemes for expats under its own name, while outside insurers provide the underwriting capacity. The homepage states: "We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority; a UK based regulatory body for financial services." The about page says it has been "protecting expats since 1997" and names its "parent company, Specialist Risk Group (SRG)." Beyond health cover, the homepage sells expat term life insurance "with terms available from one to 30 years" and an income protection product that "provides a lump sum payment following an injury or illness."

On who carries the risk, the homepage FAQ says: "We work with a number of international capacity providers," and "These partners include Lloyd's of London, Guardrisk Insurance company Mauritius Ltd PCC, SCOR, and Gen Re." The separate underwriters page lists HDI Global Specialty, Guardrisk, SCOR and Gen Re, each with its ratings: HDI Global Specialty at "S&P: A+ (Outlook Stable) A.M. Best: A+ (Outlook Stable)," SCOR at "A.M. Best rating: A+ stable outlook," Gen Re at "A.M. Best: A++ (Superior)," and three Guardrisk entities with Moody's ratings. Neither page says which provider stands behind which product, so the certificate of insurance is where a buyer finds the carrier for their own policy.

International health insurance plans

The FAQ hub describes the core expat product as "renewable, long-term medical cover for people living or working outside their home country," and says "Policies renew annually and remain valid if you relocate to another country." It states: "Expatriate Group offers four plan levels: Primary, Primary PLUS, Select and Premier." The FAQ sets out how they step up: "Primary plan covers inpatient essentials, Primary PLUS adds outpatient care, Select includes preventive screenings and higher benefit limits, and Premier offers the most comprehensive protection available." On check-ups it says "Primary PLUS and Select plans both include an annual medical check-up as standard," with Select adding "cervical smears, mammograms and prostate screenings." Dental and maternity are "available as upgrades depending on the plan tier."

The FAQ also publishes example prices: "International health insurance starts from as little as €36.75 per month for an 18-year-old on a basic plan. For a typical expat aged 38 on a Primary+ plan in Area 1, the average monthly cost is around €146. Comprehensive Select cover for the same profile costs around €236 per month." Plans are sold "in euros, US dollars and British pounds," and "policyholders who remain claim-free earn Premium Rewards discounts of up to 20% on renewal."

The pre-existing rule for individual health plans is stated plainly: "Expatriate Group does not cover pre-existing conditions under its international health insurance plans." A pre-existing condition is "any condition for which you received treatment, medication or medical advice in the two years before joining," and "All new medical conditions arising after your policy start date are covered from day one." Excess is defined as applying "per medical condition per policy period," so a repeat claim for one condition in a year meets the excess once.

On the USA, the FAQ says "we don't cover people permanently residing in the USA," but offers "short term (up to 1 year) policies for people looking to travel to the USA whilst they obtain their green card," and non-residents who want US treatment can choose an Area 3 option. Families are covered on one policy, and "Newborns can be added to an existing family policy from birth."

Travel insurance

The travel range comes in three layers. Basic, built around "Medical Evacuation," covers "Emergency medical treatment - Accidental medical treatment - Emergency medical evacuation - Repatriation"; the travel FAQ says it covers emergency treatment and repatriation "up to the value of Euro 1 million." Standard adds "Baggage delays and loss - Money and documents - Travel delays - Non-medical evacuation." Comprehensive adds "Trip cancellation - Returning home early - Compassionate repatriation - Treatment & evacuation." Trips can be single, one-way or annual multi-trip, in Europe or worldwide; the homepage gives "a maximum of 180 days per trip," and the annual multi-trip page says "each trip covered for up to 90 days."

The FAQ states the terms: "Travellers can apply up to age 71," "Pre-existing conditions are excluded unless the Stable Conditions Extension is selected and an additional premium is paid," "Maternity is excluded after 20 weeks unless treatment is required as the result of an accident," and "extreme sports and high-risk activities are excluded from all plans." Premiums "must be paid in full before the policy starts," and the policy "does not cover trips within your country of residence."

Corporate cover

For employers, the corporate page offers "One product that provides 24/7 Health; Business Travel; Income Replacement; EAP: managed under one central contract," for "companies with as few as three staff working abroad." Underwriting options depend on group size: "Medical Histories Disregarded (no pre-existing condition exclusion)," "Continuation of Previous Medical Exclusions" and "Moratorium (pre-existing conditions, 2 years prior to joining, excluded)."

Claims and assistance

Policyholders can use any hospital in their area of cover, since the homepage says Expatriate Group does "not operate a compulsory hospital network." Direct billing "means Expatriate Group settles eligible treatment costs directly with the hospital or clinic." The FAQ requires pre-approval for any hospital stay and for non-emergency treatment expected to cost more than €1,000, requested "at least seven days before treatment where possible." Reimbursement claims go through the expatriate.claims portal with "proof of ID, proof of address, invoices, and supporting medical or travel documentation." The FAQ says payout timing varies with the claim and paperwork. A rejected claim can be taken to "the Financial Ombudsman Service." Emergency assistance is multilingual and "available every day of the year."

Who it suits

Expatriate Healthcare suits an expat who wants to see a sample price and a clear four-step ladder before quoting, and who has no pre-existing condition to cover on an individual plan. Primary PLUS or above suits someone who wants outpatient care and an annual check-up included. Its travel cover suits an expat taking trips outside their country of residence, up to age 71. An employer with three or more staff abroad gets underwriting options that individuals do not. It suits a reader less well if a pre-existing condition must be covered on a personal health plan, or if they are a permanent US resident.