Job Discussion Forums

[Lulu29]

My contract includes "free medical treatment"- but does anyone know if it is recommended to get full medical and/or insurance from your own country in addition to this? any advice on this would be much appreciated.

[veiledsentiments]

I don't know your age lulu... but I didn't have insurance back in the US. I used the local healthcare coverage provided by my employers and when I traveled back to the US, I used travel insurance purchased in Oman.

This is probably only an issue for Americans, as most countries provide coverage for their citizens who return home. It is a gamble for us to go without because if you get sick overseas with something serious, like a stroke or heart attack or cancer, you will end up uninsurable in the US when you go back. I have friends who are stuck overseas until they can get on Medicare.

VS

[eslbear]

You don't really need additional insurance to live and work here in Oman. The basic coverage is enough for ailments and accidents but, of course, there is a long list of "exceptions" from the insurance provider - pre-existing conditions etc.....

I have never known anyone who bought extra insurance here and I have known several people who have had major accidents, babies, heart attacks as well as the usual colds and flues.

eslbear

[winterwawa]

[veiledsentiments]

There will be no set rule. It will depends on employer and what their coverage is. With my two employers there, no one ever asked about existing conditions. But, then... I didn't really have anything that would affect this even in the US.

VS

[Opti]

Lulu-

Government medical care is pretty good for the basics, but, as I have posted before, you may have to wait a long time to see a specialist. There are not as many specialists in Oman. I had to pay for my own trip to India for transplant surgery that was not available at any Omani government hospital. A woman friend of mine paid for her own trip to India for a special whole-body cancer scan after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. There was no such scanner in Oman. (She had the breast cancer surgery here, successfully, for free.) Another woman friend of mine went to a surgeon in Dubai for another special type of surgery unavailable in Oman. So, the list goes on. Even if some specialized treatment is available here, you may be put on a long waiting list. My friends and I range in age from mid-40s to mid-60s.

If your country offers free health care to its citizens, like the UK, you may lose eligibility if you live outside the country too long or don't own property or pay taxes, etc., there.

I looked into buying a private medical insurance plan, but even the most basic one that would cover me for treatment anywhere except North America, was prohibitively expensive for me, even compared with paying for my own trip to India.

Most teachers come here to save money and are not willing or able to pay thousands of dollars annually for a private individual medical insurance policy. My friend who had the surgery in Dubai works for a private college and has had to fight with her college's group insurance provider (a well-known international company) to prove that her surgery was necessary, and she also has to pay premiums for her health coverage from her salary every month.

I agree with VS: If you get free government treatment in Oman, you should buy good traveler's insurance when you travel outside it, though traveler's insurance will not pay for pre-existing conditions.

[Duffy]

Lulu29,

Who are you working for??

I ask this because there is a wide gulf between employers when it comes to medical insurance.

Nizwa University has, in my opinion, the worst ever "health insurance" cover. They started off with a very basic cover and have never ever upgraded it despite the influx of more and more teachers.

CfBT however had/has an absolutely excellent medical cover. the card covers any medical treatment up to and including specialist care and operations, etc. Plus emergency dental care. They use National Life on a group basis. Mayhaps groups of teachers who have very basic med care might want to approach this company with a view to arrange health insurance for their own college/ university.

Outside of the so-called "contract" medical cover.Anybody who says the government hospitals provide adequate treatment for expatriate labour really need to try both the Nizwa and Salalh national hospitals. You will find that the nightmare of bad treatment in these places is real!!!


Duffy