Do you need repatriation insurance with your international health insurance?

Expats have sometimes lost their links to their home countries. In this case, is repatriation insurance offering return to the country of origin relevant? The issue is a recurring issue for people, often referred to as expatriates, who have lived abroad for many years.

Their focus is abroad and these expatriates sometimes have very little connection to their country of origin. They have built their lives abroad often in economically developing areas. Some French have gone to Asia as in China, Singapore or other Southeast Asian countries: Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia… etc. for years. Others have gone to the Americas: to the United States, which continues to be a dream, or to Latin America. Still others have chosen sometimes more exotic destinations where economic development is accelerating as in some African countries.

Some have been able to get highly skilled jobs and have successful careers, others are still proving themselves. Among them, some met the soul mate with either an expatriate person like them or with a person from their adopted country. Some have started a family for many years.

International health insurance for long-time expatriates

For all these cases, expatriates or people living outside their country of origin, can benefit from international health insurance that offers real benefits and often lower rates than local insurance. This is especially true in countries where medical costs are high such as the United States, the United Kingdom or particularly expensive Asian countries such as Singapore or Hong Kong.

Repatriation insurance helps cover unpredictable situations

Knowing that these expatriates have been living abroad for a long time, they often ask themselves the question of the value of repatriation insurance when choosing international medical insurance.

The reasoning is often: “My family and my life are in my new country so I don’t need to take out repatriation insurance. I do not wish to be repatriated to my country of origin. At home, it’s here and not back in my country of birth. ».
The coverage of repatriation insurance applies to repatriate you to your country of origin but this “use” is especially valid for travel insurance. If you take out international health insurance covering expatriates in this way, repatriation also takes place in your adopted country. Imagine living in Thailand, you decide to go on holiday to discover Australia. You’re in a car accident. You must be hospitalized and you will unfortunately not be mobile for 3 weeks of rehabilitation.

If you have international health insurance, you can be covered outside the country in which you live in our example in Australia for this car accident.

If you have not taken an additional option for repatriation insurance, you will stay in Australia or return to your country of residence – in Thailand – at your own expense.
If you are not mobile, you will have to pay for your own repatriation, for example with a medical plane of up to 50,000 euros or you will have to pay for accommodation and living in Australia until you can return home. With repatriation insurance, the decision to repatriate is a medical decision and will be made according to your state of health, your country of residence at the time of the intervention and the choice of your insurance. Therefore, receiving repatriation insurance while being expatriates can be particularly interesting.

Frequent examples of the value of repatriation insurance

Another example that occurs regularly concerns returns to the country of origin to come to the bedside of a family member, often unfortunately one of his parents who is hospitalized or dying and who one wishes to accompany in this ordeal which is sometimes the last. Repatriation insurance will pay for your travel to your country of origin and certainly part of the accommodation costs.

Another example: if you live in a country with poor medical infrastructure, it will sometimes be essential to send you to another country to access quality medical care and repatriation insurance will be revealed in this case very useful.

What is the cost of repatriation insurance?

To respond to the various examples mentioned above, we recommend taking out repatriation insurance with travel insurance of course – usually systematically included – but also with medical insurance for expatriates. When you combine a repatriation option with international health insurance, the cost is low compared to the amount of expenses that this may represent and therefore the savings you will make with repatriation assistance coverage. The rate per month will be about 20 euros per person. Don’t hesitate to ask us for advice and more information on the various international insurance solutions.