Medicare International, the London-based provider of private medical insurance to expatriates, has launched a more extensive health insurance package aimed at working and retired expatriates of all nationalities.
MediCare said it expects the new product’s range of family-friendly benefits to appeal in particular to families with children, which it noted is an important sector of the expatriate healthcare market.
Some 55% of expatriates are accompanied by their spouses, MediCare said, citing research carried out by Mintel. Other research shows that around a third of all of those leaving the UK to live abroad are female, according to MediCare.
“Significant extra benefits”
The new plan, called Executive Plus, offers MediCare clients “significant extra benefits in areas such as maternity care, pregnancy cover and childhood vaccinations”, which the company notes it is now covering for the first time.
Other enhancements to MediCare’s coverage package for exatriates include a doubling of the cover for organ transplants surgery, to reflect recent rises in the cost of complex medical operations, and a new service covering outpatient psychiatric care costs.
A choice of four levels of coverage is another feature of the plan, reflecting a trend in insurance away from a one-size-fits-all approach.
Clients don’t want cut-price care
Medicare senior executive director David Pryor said the Executive Plus range was a response to feedback the company has received from clients, which found that when people are working overseas, they are “not prepared to cut corners” and want the best health insurance coverage they can get.
“That said, our policies still offer some of the best value available and as standard” rather than extras, he added.
Also, unlike some other companies, MediCare does not limit its coverage to specific countries or regional areas, he said.
“Many working expatriates find [this] to be a great advantage.”
All Medicare International policies cover such expenses as GP fees, ambulance charges, accident and emergency care, hospital costs, charges associated with evacuation in case of an emergency and home nursing cover, and parental accommodation costs whenever a policyholder’s child under age 17 requires treatment.
MediCare International was founded in 1982 and has the motto “we speak fluent healthcare”.
It insures individual expatriates as well as groups, and offers group discounts for schemes of three people or more. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for coverage which disregards individuals’ medical history.
As reported by IA earlier this year, MediCare International was acquired in May by a new company formed by the management of its parent, SBJ Global Risks, from Bluefin Group Ltd, a subsidiary of AXA UK.
SBJ Global Risks became part of AXA following the acquisition of SBJ Group in March 2008.
More information on MediCare and its plans may be found by visiting the company’s web site at www.medicare.co.uk, emailing medicare@medicare.co.uk or calling +44 (0) 20 7816 2033.
