MikeInOman

Hi everyone,

i guess the title tells the story…

Which providers or policies would you recommend. I am an American Express Platinum card holder so am happy that while 'travelling' i would be sorted but i am not sure if they would baulk at the idea of covering me being here permanently.

I clicked one of the side banners on the BE website and got some quotes from a broker in the UK but it seemed very expensive BUPA £3000 pa and all the others ranging from AXA PPP at around £1500 to a bunch of providers i hadn't heard of at approx £2000 pa.

I would appreciate any advice, recommendations or warnings.

Thanks everyone

Mike

Purdey

AmEx has a health insurance scheme called Aetna/Goodhealth or something like that. As an AmEx cardholder you get a fairly hefty discount rather than going direct BUT they just increased my premium by a whopping 30% for no apparent reason so I'm looking to change.
AXA PPP seem to be the best bet although their local outfit AXA Gulf seem fairly useless - web site is broken, they don't answer the phone etc etc. I got a quote from the UK office around 40% less than AmEx Aetna and you can pay monthly. BUPA & Daman are both very expensive.
I also have AmEx Plat and I'd be nervous about relying on that for medical cover here assuming you are resident in Dubai/Oman.

MikeInOman

Thanks Purdey,

That is really helpful, i will try a direct approach to AXA PPP via their website and see if the premium reduces.

Did the figures i quoted sound high to you?

Mike

Purdey

The premium depends on how old you are.

If you try the UK AXA website and you claim residency here it directs you to AXA Gulf. If you want, I can PM the direct email address of the guy who quoted me. The premiums are not much different but there are some differences in cover and Gulf only accepts yearly or half yearly payment of premium whereas UK accepts monthly.

MikeInOman

Thanks again, the PM you mention would be a help.

Mike

Meow

Bear in mind that corporate schemes from a provider are very different to what is available to individuals. The likes of BUPA are expensive as you are paying for their name and advertising and other companies offer similar cover at far lower cost.

There is no such thing as the 'best provider' as it very much depends on what you want and your budget. As an IFA I arrange medical insurance policies for many clients, so feel free to contact me if you'd like info or specific quotes. You are not charged any more for using a broker and will save yourself a lot of time and hassle by doing so as well as being able to access plans that you may not be able to do so as an individual.

I can be contacted by PM or via my blog - link below.

Purdey

Meow,

If you apply for health insurance under 'Moratorium' of 2 years does it mean that an existing condition that you know about will be covered for elective treatment after 2 years as long as you have no consultation or treatment for it during the 2 years?

Thanks.

Meow

This is a tricky one. If you have had the condition, no matter whether you have received treatment it is likely to be excluded. Depends on what the condition is and if there is any record of previous treatment or evidence that you have been suffereing from it.

MikeInOman

Thanks guys you have both been really helpful.

Purdey i have seen that i have a PM from you and Meow i would be gratedul if you could send me a PM requesting whatever details you need to help me with this.

It would also be good to have contact with an IFA.

Mike

Purdey

Thanks for your advice anyway

hnd

Our policy (originally Goodhealth now AXA?) states that any previously treated conditions, as long as they don't recur (sp?) within two years of treatment are covered. Mind you we took out this policy in 2006 and things may have changed since then.

The premium was/is 50% of what BUPA would have charged us but it excludes any cover in the USA which isn't a problem as we have no plans ever to visit again and we have a USD1,000 excess, ie we have a major medical policy which is fine for us God willing.

Purdey

hnd,

That's what my Aetna/Goodhealth policy states but it seems open to interpretation. Anyway, I have asked the specific question to Aetna so will see what they say.
Suggest you get an updated quote from the Aetna web site now to see what your premium will be on renewal and prepare for a shock - mine was 30% more than last year and that's thru AmEx which is 20% cheaper than Aetna direct!
Maybe your high excess will soften the blow but I'd be interested to hear.

FWIW, Bupa is now significantly cheaper for me than Aetna and AXA another $1K less than Bupa.

Meow

Which is what I said

The difficulty is proving that you have had no symptons in a two year period, whether you sought treatment or not.

Purdey

hnd, so as not to mislead you on this. I have looked further into it and (I can't explain it but...) Aetna direct is cheaper than AmEx for the Major Medical plan which is what I guess you have but significantly more expensive for Lifestyle Plan which is what I have.

as0056

Hi Mike

I use AXA in Oman and am very happy with them - my wife's pregnant at the moment so am dealing with them a fair bit.

It's actually a company policy but I can forward you details for the bloke I have dealt with who is very helpful. Their call centre staff are, in the main, useless. PM me if you want these.

Under Oman's Labour Law an expatriate's employer must cover their medical exes in full if treated in a government or private hospital. It may therefore be worth you asking your employer if they wouldn't rather fund the insurance rather than run the risk of a hefty claim.