Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
PRESENTED BY ASN

Five ways expats can benefit from international health insurance

Moving abroad is a massive upheaval, physically and emotionally. Knowing your health is covered no matter where you are and whatever happens can be a huge weight off your shoulders.

Published: 18 June 2019 05:00 CEST
Five ways expats can benefit from international health insurance
Photo: Tirachard KumtanomPexels

The Local has partnered with leading international insurance broker ASN to bring you five ways that expats can benefit from international health insurance.

You always know where to go

If you injure yourself or become unwell in your home country, you instantly know where to seek help. In a new country, it’s not always as clear. When you have international health insurance, your provider can look into their network of doctors and hospitals and advise you on where to go. Many providers also have 24/7 hotlines you can call for round-the-clock advice.

There’s no language barrier

The only thing more frightening than becoming ill when you’re abroad is not understanding the diagnosis. With international health insurance, your provider is obliged to find you a doctor or specialist who speaks your language. If it’s an emergency, being privately insured guarantees this is always the case. When that isn’t possible, it’s the insurance provider’s responsibility to make sure you know exactly what is happening regarding your health and treatment.

Click here to get a bespoke health insurance policy

You’re fully protected

Once you’ve found your nearest GP, you can hone in on other aspects of your health. Expats often neglect dentist or therapist appointments because they are unfamiliar with local healthcare services. With international health insurance, your insurer can arrange these appointments for you (provided they are included in your policy). When ASN finetunes your policy for you, they can create bespoke plans that include options like optical cover and wellness packages so that you’re covered from head to toe.

Photo: Vitalik Radko/Depositphotos

Your kids are covered too

Knowing your children’s health is protected while you’re abroad is priceless. Many international health insurance policies allow for unlimited paediatrician appointments while some cover your children for all their vaccinations too.

There are also many advantages of international health insurance if you become pregnant while living in another country. You can give birth in a private hospital of your choice or, if there is a medical reason, you can choose to go back to your home country to have the baby. Speak to an international health insurance advisor at ASN to find out more about how international health insurance can benefit you if you are pregnant or become pregnant while living abroad.

Click here to get a bespoke health insurance policy

Manage chronic illness abroad

If you have a chronic illness it can complicate things but it shouldn’t stop you from expatriating. However, it’s not always easy to find cover if you have a pre-existing medical condition. International health insurers are private and so have the right to refuse you cover if you have diabetes or another chronic condition. ASN’s experts know which providers may be more open to covering clients with a chronic illness and in some cases can negotiate full cover for a higher premium.

Once your policy has been activated ASN can help you with everything you need relating to your health insurance. The multi-lingual team is available to answer all your questions and ensure that you get the best possible cover from your health insurance provider. Click here to get your personal insurance quote.

This article was produced by The Local Creative Studio and sponsored by ASN Advisory Services Network.

For members

HEALTH

Kiné and ostéo: How to access physio and osteopathy in France

They’re two very different physical therapy services – and only one is covered by French state healthcare.

Published: 4 July 2024 11:30 CEST
Kiné and ostéo: How to access physio and osteopathy in France

Kiné (physio)

You might have heard people in France talk about a kiné (pronounced roughly as kin-ay) – they’re talking about going to a kinésithérapeute (a physiotherapist, or physio) for sometimes intense sessions involving the manipulation of muscles and joints, and doing physical exercises to increase muscle strength, and improve flexibility and mobility following injury.

Rehabilitation following sports injuries is perhaps the most common reason for a visit – and some kinés specialise in this lucrative area – but any injury that can be improved through physical therapy is covered. Back problems, recovery from knee, hip or shoulder injuries or operations, and conditions including carpal tunnel syndrome, for example, may require kiné expertise.

As may a patient recovering from a long-term or debilitating illness.

What treatment is required and how many sessions – usually 30 minutes once a week – depends on each individual case. 

Kinés tend to either work in hospitals or have private clinics. Physiotherapy has been recognised as a ‘paramedical’ profession for 70 years. Sessions are reimbursed by the state at 60 percent, while the rest will usually be reimbursed by a top-up mutuelle.

READ ALSO Health insurance in France: What you need to know about a mutuelle

In theory, that means you can book your own appointments.

But the standard practice is to get a referral from your médecin traitant (GP), or doctor at a hospital if you’ve gone – for example – to A&E. Once you have a prescription for kiné sessions, you can then book an appointment at the kiné of your choice.

If you ask, your doctor might recommend a local kiné, but you can choose who you visit – this also means that you can shop around, so if you’re not happy with one kiné you can go to another who you might get on with better.

Ostéopathie (osteopath)

Definitely not the same, but complimentary is ostéopathie (osteopathy) is another form of physical therapy. Like physio treatment, it offers ‘hands-on’ treatment for a range of physical conditions.

Unlike physio, it’s a short, sharp shock-style treatment for acute conditions, rather than long-term re-education – such as when someone ‘puts their back out’ and needs a fast correction. One or two sessions are usually all that’s required.

It solves the immediate problem, but physio may be required on top of ostéo treatment to further ease the complaint and ensure it’s less likely to happen again.

Despite being considered an ‘alternative’ form of medicine, it is recognised as ‘moderately effective’ for the treatment of back and neck conditions by the Académie Nationale de la Médecine.

Crucially, it’s not usually covered by state health insurance in France because it is considered an alternative treatment. As such, your GP may suggest you go to an ostéo, but at your own expense.

You may get reimbursements from your mutuelle, but these may be limited to a maximum number of treatments per year – conditions depend on the individual policy.

As with the kiné, you book your own sessions direct with the ostéo.

SHOW COMMENTS