A website dedicated to International Private Health Insurance, ihi-portal.com features general and easy-to read information as well as specific articles, views, news and opinions from leading professionals and companies active in this area.
| Why International Private Health Insurance | Key Articles | |
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If you have a car accident in rural Turkey during your next vacation, who will immediately organize the necessary emergency treatment, take care of repatriation and secure access to the right medical specialist? Are you able to choose your heart surgeon should you need a bypass operation? How long will your father have to wait to have a hip replacement operation done? These questions make it evident why throughout the world, the demand for private health insurance - and in particular international private health insurance is constantly increasing. As social security and public health systems in many countries can no longer be relied upon, the need to make alternative arrangements is growing. Read more... |
Visit Any Physician around the Globe without a Co-pay Sovereign Individual, November 2006 The U.S. Healthcare System: Best in the World, or Just the Most Expensive? University of Maine, July 2001 Waiting List Crisis as NHS Cuts Costs The Times, 6 June 2007 Risk-weighted premiums give greater incentive to safeguard health UBS Wealth Management, January 2007 |
Uninsured are three times likely to die than those insured
One study concluded that people without adequate health insurance are three times likelier to die earlier than those insured. The study, by the Center for Health Policy at Georgetown University, involved 592,598 hospitalized people in the USA in 1987. It concluded, ". . . in 13 of 16 patient groups matched for age, sex, and race, researchers found the uninsured were sicker when they arrived at the hospital, as evidenced by their 44 percent to 124 percent greater likelihood of dying at that time."
Even more startling was the finding that the uninsured were ". . . 29 percent to 75 percent less likely to undergo each of five medical procedures that were costly or that allowed a wide degree of discretion in deciding whether they were needed." Doctors and hospitals hesitate to perform expensive tests or procedures if the patient can't pay or simply cant proof that they can pay!
It is therefore definitely "healthy"' to have health insurance. No one wants to find himself or herself in a hospital unable to receive the treatment necessary because they do not have an insurance policy or because their current policy has numerous exclusions.
Not just for expatriates...
The need for international private health insurance is particularly strong for expatriates and people with an international lifestyle. But even if you have no intention of moving abroad, a private international health insurance policy is often better than a local private health insurance, and certainly better than any public health coverage. The public health services in many countries are inadequate, in most cases offering only basic services with no free choice of doctors or hospitals. Read more...
Some Global Health Facts
- Cancer accounts for 13% of all deaths world-wide
- Cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 cause of death globally representing 30%
- 50 million people are injured each year due to car accidents
- 2 million people are killed on the job each year
- 75,000 skiing accidents happen in Austria alone each year
Some Questions You Should Ask Yourself
- What happens if you have food poisoning in Tunisia?
- What will you do if you have a diving accident in Egypt?
- Who helps you if you suffer from peritonitis during your vacation in Cuba?
- Do you know what to do if an open wound causes a blood poisoning during your surf vacation on Fiji?
- If you have been bitten by a snake while travelling in Asia, who organizes the evacuation to a good hospital in the region?
- Where can you receive an antiviral drug therapy when suffering from hepatitis C?
- Which clinics are specialized worldwide for certain special cancer treatments?
If you are not sure about the answer to any of these and many other questions, then you should definitely look into taking out a good international health insurance if you are not already adequately covered.