Job Discussion Forums

[ESL.Professor.Roger]

I have not yet gotten the details on the policy which the school is offering, but have been advised that I really want an In't'l policy anyway.

I have a quote on a one year policy with the following:

Part A � Medical Protection
Accident and Sickness Medical Expense $500,000
Deductible amount chosen $250
Dental $200 / tooth to a maximum of $1,000
Incidental Trips to Home Country sublimit $25,000
Extension of Benefits sublimit $5,000
Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation $100,000
Repatriation of Remains $20,000
Emergency Reunion $10,000
Return of Minor Children $5,000
Part B � Travel Protection
Trip Interruption $5,000
Part C � Baggage Protection
Lost Baggage $250
Part D � Travel Accident Protection
Accidental Death & Dismemberment $25,000

... for around $780. Those limits seem reasonable and it works out to $65 / mo.

Are they reasonable and does anyone have a better deal?

Anyone have experience with the International Medical Group or its underwriter Sirius International in terms of getting claims paid, etc.?

[Laoshi1950]

To get some comparison of the premium costs, the items covered by the policy and the maximum amounts payable on claims, and also any deductibles (excess payments, or co-payments) required, you might like to check-out the policies offered by World Nomads and SOS International -

http://www.worldnomads.com

and,

www.internationalsos.com

[choudoufu]

watch out for world nomads. they can and will deny claims.

things like heart surgery.

denied why? they don't cover cosmetic surgery.

[ESL.Professor.Roger]

Yeah, coverage is all well and good, but if you can't get a claim paid... It's my understanding that some doctors/hospitals may hold off on demanding payment if you can show insurance, otherwise it's cash on the barrel head -- or at least at checkout time.

That's actually more of an issue than the other: I always have had a problem with burying the lead.

The only review of these folk I can find on any of the insurance review sites rated them average and cited slow payment on a claim as the reason. It was from another country and that may have been a factor, and really no other details were provided (was it slow enough that this person was out-of-pocket for the expenses and then got reimbursed? We don't know.)

[LongShiKong]

BTW. I'm heading back to Canada in Aug for a month. I've got yrs coverage with PICC but I assume it won't cover that trip. I should call them and find out what they'd cover and whether they'd be cheaper than Blue Cross.

[Mr. Leafy]

I�m starting my first China job in the fall and my contract says the employer will pay my medical accident insurance. I have no details about the policy and what it may or may not include. Experience so far with the school indicates it will take me a while to get an answer and it will be vague or empty reassurance.

I trust that for minor accidents and illness it probably will be fine.

But I am wondering if I should top it up with private travel insurance before I go. I�ve lived abroad before and know some companies. I would be interested in things like covering major disability or repatriation of body, if it comes to that.

(Short-term coverage for a short holiday out of China is a separate issue I can deal with as needed.)

So, for those of you with employer provided policies now, what do and don�t they cover? Do you add more on your own for expat specific needs?

[choudoufu]

http://www.picchealth.com/tabid/496/InfoID/431/frtid/369/Default.aspx

Comprehensive Medical Insurance for Foreigners and People from Hongkong,Macao and Taiwan 　　2007-10-21

Simplified List Of Insurance Benefits

[LongShiKong]

[ESL.Professor.Roger]

Unless I'm missing something, I don't see medical evac or repatriation of remains in the PICC policy?

[ymmv]

[ESL.Professor.Roger]

The policy I am considering does, for less than half that.

But no one seems to have any experience with Sirius International here. I'm going to contact the BBB and see what they have to say about the,.

Tuesday morning my time I should have the actual school policy in my hands and then (assuming the BBB doesn't have oodles of complaints on them) I'm going to call Sirius and see if they offer "gap" insurance -- the limits of this policy, less what the school insurance pays for.

[ymmv]

[ESL.Professor.Roger]

My apologies, I did indeed miss that you were talking in RMB not USD.

The benefits I listed in the OP are all in dollars, and to me represent a good value assuming I can get claims paid in a more or less timely fashion.

Basically 6x the benefit for 3x the cost, plus evac., repatriation and not being limited to the Dreadful Diseases (sounds a bit like a Harry Potter title).

[ymmv]

As long as we're discussing the PICC policy, and yeah I know you don't want it and I'm hijacking your thread, in the future others may arrive on this post whilst looking for info on the PICC policy.

If you are someone who is considering the PICC policy or your school is providing it to you as a benefit (like mine), you should know this - it's a reimbursement policy. That is, if you get hospitalized, you have to front up the cash (as all Chinese hospitals require) and when you are discharged, you submit the bills to PICC. It'll take them about 2 months to reimburse you after they go through everything with a fine-tooth comb. No direct billing to the hospital insurer on the PICC policy.

Some of the bigger or international hospitals, I HAVE HEARD, can in some instances provide direct billing for big, well-known non-Chinese med insurance companies. Otherwise, it's pay-as-you-go, as in any Chinese hospital, and seek reimbursement.

I know because I have the PICC policy and had to use it once. My policy is provided to me by my uni. They pay the premium. It's very similar to the policy cited above. In fact, it is based on that, but the Foreign Experts Bureau in my area were able to negotiate on behalf of all the schools and get a group policy with slightly lower premiums (a bit less than 1500 as I recall) and slightly higher benefits.

Benefits under the policy if it is school-provided are paid to the school to be paid over to the teacher or his next-of-kin (which you designate when you register). in my case, I fronted the money at the hospital, then the school applied for reimbursement from PICC on my behalf. PICC paid it over to the school and the school then paid it back to me.

Also, if you're over 50, they require a medical exam before enrolling you. It's done at the same place that does the usual exams and involves the same tests. But the PICC pays the cost (or has an arrangement with the med center) if you pass/qualify. If you don't and they refuse to enroll you, you have to reimburse the HE cost.

@ the "Professor" *snicker*: Here's one more question you'll want to ask your prospective insurer: "Of course you say you can provide direct-billing services with hospitals, BUT will Chinese hospitals accept direct-billing to THEM?" If they say they can, ask for a list of Chinese hospitals they have established this relationship with.

[ESL.Professor.Roger]

I've never said anything at all about direct bllling, except that I have been told it can be but usually isn't offered. Had you bothered to read my second post in this thread you would see your post is mostly redundant.

I thank you for your concern but do not appreciate the sarcasm with which it is offered. The question you pose was (absent that sarcasm and your assumptions about what I may have been told up what I thought was clear would be my very first contact with the underwriter) already on the list of things about which I needed to talk.

I had been going to say your other information was welcome even if redundant, but don't you think someone looking for info on PICC insurance specifically might just find it more easily if PICC were in the subject?

It's really easy to start your own thread with that subject and I suggest you do so. If you need help in making a new thread, just let me know, I'll be glad to help.