Is International Health Insurance Valid in the UK?

Some returning Britons are discovering that their so-called ‘international’ health insurance plans are no longer quite as valid and as valuable when they return to the UK, leading to an increase in complaints against insurers - according to a recent report in the Telegraph. 

The trouble is, the cost of health care at home and abroad differs greatly, therefore insurers look at where an individual is resident when they are initially insured, and tailor their quotation accordingly. As soon as you move the goalposts by moving to another country or by repatriating, you need to be very wary of changing policy wording and/or of changes to the premiums that you pay! 
If you’ve been living abroad for some years and have taken out a health insurance policy, you need to look into the usefulness of it if you’re now thinking of returning to the UK. Do this sooner rather than later or you could find yourself underinsured, or worse still, uninsured.

Some expats are temporarily relocating to the UK, they are being forced to because of the global financial situation which has had a negative effect on everything from exchange rates to jobs markets around the world. For those who are only intending to return for a short while whilst they regroup and seek out alternative employment prospects elsewhere, it makes little sense to give up a decent international health insurance policy – after all, surely it is of use and of value in the UK too. 

Other expats have had to give up their dream of a new life abroad for fiscal reasons, health reasons, family reasons or just a personal preference that rates the UK over and above any other nation. For such Britons a private healthcare policy can have a great deal of benefit, particularly if the individual in question is reaching an age when perhaps greater medical treatment may be necessary in time. 

Chances are people who fall into the above example categories will assume that the international health insurance policy that they took out as expats will still be of value to them now that they are repatriating and returning to the UK. However, they could be very sadly mistaken. When it comes to the UK there are often additional exclusions, exemptions and restrictions placed on policies – even by the same provider who has been giving the returning expat in question their insurance abroad! 

So, once again it may well be the case of having to shop around for a new insurance provider when you return to the UK – a nightmare for anyone who has an established track record with a given insurer, and an even worse nightmare for anyone over the age of 65 when the majority of insurers cut off access to their policies for new customers. 

If you’re thinking about repatriating, relocating or indeed moving abroad for the first time, you need to take a broader and longer-term view of your health insurance. You need to make sure that your insurance will cover you at home and abroad, that any insurance you have in place already will cover you if you do move back to the UK, and that if your insurance is not suitable, that you work with a financial adviser to find the right policy for you and your family. 
Be sure to read the small print and make sure you really do understand it and how it may apply to anything and everything, from pre-existing conditions to critical illnesses, to the duration of cover available or the limit on an amount payable for a given condition and so on. Do not assume that all policies and all policy providers are the same – they are not! And it all differs depending on where in the world you’re living…so be careful.