health insurance as an expat is a total mess lol
Posted by Free-Amount6724@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 11 comments
hey guys so im currently living abroad and honestly the whole health insurance situation is just such a headache. being an expat is great and all until you realize your local plan barely covers anything outside the country and my home insurance is basically useless now really dont want to end up with some insane bill if i ever need a surgery or something been looking at a few things like grenzenlos sicher or maybe some of the bigger ones like ssi-igna or sigan... i think just feel so lost with all the fine print and waiting periods and what not anyone here have any actual experience with these or maybe something else that actually works when things get real, like did you actually get them to pay the hospital directly or is it always a refund nightmare would really appreciate some honest thoughts before i sign anything thx
ShazTzu@reddit
Expat for over 20 years in Asia (living/working between Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand for most of the time with some time in Eastern Europe and Latin America) and I have used a specialist expat broker called Tenzing Pacific for the last decade and they have been excellent helping with everything from finding the right plan for my family, helping with claims, renewals, even help booking hospital specialist visits (there customer service team is exceptional) - really fantastic to deal with - for the insurance we use APRIL international for the last 5-6 years and also been great however the prices have gone up a lot in the last year - can contact the Tenzing team at https://ten-pac.com/get-insurance-quotes-s/ they have clients all over the world and they can help with anything expat insurance related
Logical-Comment-9621@reddit
Yeah mate I went through the exact same headache when I first moved abroad. Loads of plans look good until you realise they’re either local-only or super limited internationally.
Big thing I learned is you need proper expat health insurance, not stuff aimed at people moving to a country.
No_Increase_4014@reddit
I would consider working with a broker imo
That's what I did in the past and honestly found it to be helpful with a lot of what you outlined in the post. I used My Health Pal and it helped make a lot of the breakdown between what I pay vs what is covered.
Albertfonda@reddit
Just get you an international health insurance that covers you anywhere in the world.
You'll find too many out there, for diff budgets, and diff profiles. I personally went with Mondassur insurance because it's budget friendly and so far so good.
Mysterious-Look-977@reddit
yeah the waiting periods are the worst part. such a bureaucratic mess for expats. i heard good things about grenzenlos sicher from some friends in the same spot. Just gotta read every single line in those contracts though. stay safe out there
ShazTzu@reddit
I have used Tenzing Pacific, a specialist expat health and life insurance broker, for the last 10 years while living across Asia and Europe with a family of five. They have always been very helpful, not only in selecting the right plan but also with claims and renewals.
It can be confusing, so it’s best to speak to an experienced specialist broker like them: https://ten-pac.com/get-insurance-quotes-s/
Sea-Farmer7145@reddit
Hi, Genki team here passing by!
I totally understand the frustration. The fine print on international health insurance can be genuinely overwhelming.
One option worth looking into is Genki Native, which is designed specifically for expats and long-term internationals who need solid coverage wherever they are, including preventive care. On your question about direct billing vs. refunds: Genki works with a 24/7 emergency assistance line that can coordinate directly with hospitals, so you're not always left paying upfront and waiting to be reimbursed.
Genki is a company based in Cologne, Germany, with the insurance underwritten by Squarelife, so it checks out on the legitimacy side too.
Our support team is pretty responsive if you want to run your specific situation by them before committing. Hope that helps!
Competitive-Leg-962@reddit
I've been using BDAE for >12 years now and they covered just about everything, no questions asked, worldwide.
Sufficient-Job7098@reddit
Yes, those are negatives that is why it is important to move to a country where you expect to see substantial improvement in many other assets, so dealing with few negatives will become minor “price to pay”.
Soggy_Foundation1388@reddit
My partner had issues with his health insurance as expat too. Although they covered everything - reimbursement etc was a nightmare.
If you are worried about coverage, have you already tried reaching out to your employer about it?
Free-Amount6724@reddit (OP)
yeah that refund struggle is real. heard stories of people waiting months for like 5k. my manager just told me to figure it out myself lol. thats why i checked out a few others since they seem to have less red tap