Exploring Worldwide Medical Coverage for Expats in Spain

Is travelling abroad exploring the world part of your long term retirement plan?

Traveling the world is an exciting adventure that many dream about. However, planning a trip goes beyond booking flights and choosing hotels. One crucial aspect that often gets overlooked is ensuring you have adequate medical coverage while abroad. This blog aims to guide you through the importance of medical coverage for travellers and options available to ensure you stay safe during your journeys.

Understanding Worldwide Medical Cover for Expats in Spain

Medical coverage for travellers is essential. It protects you from unexpected medical expenses that could arise during your trip. Imagine falling ill or getting injured in a foreign country. The costs for treatment can be astronomical without insurance. According to the Global Business Travel Association, medical emergencies can exceed thousands of dollars, with hospital stays averaging between €2,000 and 15,000€, depending on the location and severity.

Travel insurance plans differ widely.

Some cover emergency medical care, while others include trip cancellations, lost baggage, and travel delays.

Travel Insurance is created to patch you up, and if needed, to get you back, and if you see a doctor who says there is nothing wrong with you, then you do not get to claim back the expense. A travel policy usually requires you to pay upfront for all expenses, and they form part of a claim that can take months to agree.

Worldwide medical policies are different from travel policy coverage.

With a worldwide medical policy, you can seek non-emergency consultations, ask for preventative checks, tests, analysis and in the event of an accident or serious disease, you can upgrade yourself to the country's top specialists and hospitals and the policy will also pay for repatriation and any long term rehabilitation when you return home. Yes, you do pay upfront, but most will let you use an app to copy the medical report and invoice and then credit you back within 10 days.

A hospital in a foreign city becomes very accessible for travellers who need medical attention.

Essential Features of Worldwide Medical Insurance

When selecting a global coverage medical insurance plan, consider these essential features:

Emergency Medical Coverage

It covers emergency medical expenses, including hospital stays, surgeries, and ambulance services. Depending on the plan, emergency dental care and prescription medications may also be included.

Evacuation and Repatriation

In some scenarios, local medical facilities may not provide adequate care for your condition. The repatriation section of a worldwide medical insurance covers evacuation to a suitable medical facility and then returns you to your place of residency.

In the worst case, should you pass away while travelling, repatriation ensures that your remains are returned home at no additional cost.

Coverage for Rehabilitation

A serious accident or a serious disease in a foreign land can mean long-lasting medical issues for many years. Unlike a travel policy, where cover ends as soon as you are home, with a medical policy, you can be repatriated and arrive home knowing that your policy will cover long-term rehabilitation and carer.

24/7 Customer Support

In an emergency, having quick access to customer support is crucial. Ensure your insurance provider offers assistance worldwide at any time. This can be a lifesaver when you're in a foreign country, especially if you don't speak the local language.

A worldwide medical insurance is a life plan. An assurance that you and your loved ones have medical care abroad and at home

How to Choose the Right Plan

Choosing the right medical coverage can feel overwhelming, but breaking it down into manageable steps can help.

1. Assess Your Needs:

   Worldwide medical insurance gives you choices. Ask the question, how important is it that you or your family can see a doctor or specialist within days and also have the flexibility to see any doctor you choose, wherever you happen to be.

2. Compare Plans: Don't start looking for the cheapest medical policy on the market. Lower the cost, less the coverage, more exclusions, and many restrictive limits. Find out who the top 3 insurers are for coverage. These Insurers may cost a little more, but what price is there on your health? Better to have one less holiday a year or perhaps buy a lower-cost car than scrimp on health.

   
   

3. Consider the Destination: Medical costs vary from country to country. Research the average medical costs in your destination. For example, healthcare in the United States is notoriously expensive compared to Southeast Asian countries. Countries like Dubai, Germany and the UK have medium to high medical cost options.

   Check your worldwide policy does not have limitations on consultation costs, hospitalisations. The insurer may offer variations on the same policy. If you are travel plans are more Asia and South America, then perhaps there is a lower policy level you can look at.

4. Understand the Exclusions: Every policy has exclusions. Familiarise yourself with them to avoid getting caught off guard. Common exclusions may include injuries from extreme sports or accidents while under the influence of alcohol. Very important to know these. Many medical policies exclude coverage for snowboarding, boxing, subaqua diving, caving, and motor racing. If you plan extreme sports abroad, you will need to take up a temporary travel policy that offers coverage. If you practice extreme sports at home, seek specialist cover options from perhaps a regulatory body of that sport.

   
   

Insurance and Adventure Activities

Extreme and dangerous Sports may not be covered. Check the exclusion pages.

Additional Considerations for Long-term Travellers

For those planning extended trips, a travel policy may only offer 90 days or some 120 days. Having a life plan with medical coverage is even more important, particularly if your retirement travel plans are flexible trips.

If you are a digital nomad or an expatriate with the travel bug, long-term worldwide medical insurance is worth considering.

Ongoing Care

Depending on your strategy, you may need ongoing healthcare. Ensure your plan covers routine check-ups and necessary medications. Some providers offer tailored plans that accommodate long-term travellers, granting you global medical coverage. Consider your family history if your ancestors had brittle bones, spinal issues. Maybe there is a history of cancers or complications from obesity.

It is important to take up medical insurance when you are healthy, knowing that you can use it for early detection checks and preventative screening.

Regional Coverage vs. Worldwide Coverage

If you plan to travel predominantly within one area, say you live and travel in Spain then regional coverage might suffice.

Regional coverage is often provided through an insurer's listed doctors. Keep in mind that with a high volume of foreigners moving to Spain, these medical networks in expat hotspots can be heavily used, and waiting times for doctors can be weeks.

However, with a worldwide freedom to choose policy, waiting times at more exclusive hospitals and clinics will be days, not weeks. Also If you intend to travel from continent to continent, a policy with worldwide medical cover may better suit your needs.

Review and Reassess

Regularly review your insurance needs. As your travel plans change, so should your coverage. Ensure your policy is up-to-date to protect against evolving risks.

Remember, if diagnosed with a serious illness, you will not be able to upgrade your insurance or switch insurers.

So make sure that you have a policy that will prove best in the event that you are diagnosed with the illness that perhaps is in the family or that most concerns you.

Staying Safe Abroad

With the right medical insurance, you can enjoy your travels with peace of mind. However, there are additional steps you can take to stay safe abroad:

• Stay Informed: Know about the local healthcare system and what to do in emergencies. Research hospitals or clinics in your destination before arriving.

  
  

• Carry Essential Information: Keep contact details of your insurance provider, as well as any medical needs and allergy information, with you at all times.

  
  

• Be Cautious: Remain vigilant when travelling. Avoid risky areas and activities that could expose you to danger.

  
  

By implementing these safety measures and choosing the right insurance plan, you can enjoy your travel adventures without the looming fear of medical emergencies.

Final Thoughts on Global Medical Coverage

Travelling opens up a world of experiences, but it is vital to prepare for unforeseen events. Selecting the right medical coverage can prevent devastating financial repercussions and ensure you receive the care you need when far from home.

Before embarking on your next adventure, take the time to research and choose a policy that guarantees coverage tailored to your lifestyle. Explore your options and find the ideal plan that grants you the necessary peace of mind to explore our beautiful world confidently. With comprehensive medical insurance, your journeys can be filled with wonder instead of worry.

Tailor Made Healthcare Spain offers 11 levels of medical policy. Four SpaiSpain-onlyn only medical policies and 7 levels of worldwide coverage, all of which have the freedom to choose doctors, hospitals and clinics.

Francis Payne

Tailor-Made Healthcare.

Spain.