Knowing what insurance covers you for is one of the keys to securing a good deal. It also ensures that all your personal needs are catered for as part of a policy. Here, we’ll answer the question ‘what does health insurance cover?’. We’ll also clear up any confusion between this type of insurance and the travel-related variety.
Contents
- How Health Insurance Works
- Do I Need Travel Insurance if I Have Health Insurance?
- Travel Insurance vs. Health Insurance
- How Do You Get Health Insurance?
- Family and Dependents
- What Does Health Insurance Cover: Conclusion
How Health Insurance Works
Like any form of insurance, health insurance plans are taken out to cover an individual. In this case, it is to cover for treatment should they require professional health care. As a concept, it differs widely depending on what part of the world you live in. But, you’ll need to cover the cost of what’s referred to as a health insurance premium to be covered.
For example, people living in the UK automatically have access to statutory healthcare through the National Health Service (NHS). As a result, all emergency treatment is paid for through tax contributions.
This includes the likes of doctor’s appointments and specialist check-ups. By contrast, those in the United States have no such rights, and all medical procedures must be paid for. Given the circumstances, few Americans can afford to pay for healthcare, and so take out insurance to cover it.
Health insurance coverage does not come as a standard, one-size-fits-all package. The cost of health insurance will differ between health insurance companies. As a result, premiums to cover medical costs will vary between company and coverage.
You’ll find countless providers and lots of different types of coverage, as well as significant differences depending on your geographical location.
Do I Need Travel Insurance if I Have Health Insurance?
Travel insurance typically covers you for health-related incidents while you’re on holiday. Therefore it’s easy to confuse where such a deal begins and your health insurance agreement ends. Whether you need travel insurance if you already have the health-related variety will depend wholly on your existing deal and the terms of your insurer.
Some premiums will cover you for emergency treatment while you’re away, whilst others will not. And what one insurer deems to be an emergency will change from one provider to another.
For peace of mind, read the finer points of any health insurance deal you have. This is to see if additional travel insurance is needed.
GasanMamo offers three different levels of health cover, including an International type of plan.
This covers most overseas’ requirements, including a full refund of fair and reasonable fees for in-patient and day-patient treatment anywhere in the world except the US and Canada. For the latter two destinations, treatment up to €50,000 is payable, including repatriation back to Malta.
Travel Insurance vs. Health Insurance
Travel insurance is still a worthy consideration for those going on holiday, even if you have a comprehensive health insurance package like GasanMamo’s.
Your health insurance package may cover all of your emergency healthcare needs abroad. But it won’t cover flight, cancellations, or baggage/equipment theft. However, many travel insurance policies will.
Many people lost entire holidays during the COVID-19 pandemic because they had no travel insurance policy to cover cancellations. Furthermore, more than 20 countries require tourists to be insured before allowing them entry.
Of the 22% of people who don’t take out travel insurance, most put their decision down to believing they won’t need it. But should you book a week-long holiday overseas and then have your flight cancelled and must catch a flight the next day, you’ve automatically lost a day’s holiday – that you’ve already paid for.
Without a travel insurance deal that covers flight cancellation, this is time and money you won’t ever get back. In some cases, cover for a cancelled flight may require an additional cost – we recommend checking with your provider to understand what would be expected of you in this scenario.
How Do You Get Health Insurance?
Getting health insurance involves shopping around and researching in-depth before agreeing on any deal with your provider. You may also be able to get health insurance as part of a workplace perk. In the interests of attracting and keeping the best employees, many firms are offering a health insurance deal within their benefits package.
The terms of such deals will shift from one employer to the next. It pays to read the small print and to ensure you know precisely what you’re covered for. Look into their definition of ‘emergency treatment’, whether you’ll need to pay a token lump sum in case of a claim, and if any medication you take regularly is covered.
Do you only need coverage within your country or a global health insurance to cover you whilst away? Knowing these things will help you decide whether additional coverage is required.
Family and Dependents
Those wondering what health insurance plans cover should also be aware that family package deals are available from many providers. These ensure that your partner and/or dependents are also covered.
It often works out cheaper to arrange a family deal rather than pay for separate insurance for everyone. Some plans may also cover the likes of parents and other family members. It’s a good idea to work out the coverage you need and for whom before shopping around. Be sure to discuss anything you’re unsure of with your policy provider prior to taking out any deal.
What Does Health Insurance Cover: Conclusion
So what does health insurance cover? In reality, it will look after different healthcare provisions for people, both in their lived-in country and often overseas. Those planning on travelling should consider an additional travel insurance policy in addition to any healthcare coverage they may have.
This is to ensure that you have the precise coverage needed whilst you’re away. As well as to ensure any flight cancellations or lost items are also catered for.
Begin your own search for the right plan by looking through our clear and transparent benefits on our health insurance page.
GasanMamo Insurance is authorised under the Insurance Business Act and regulated by the MFSA.