International Patient Testimonial - Middle East - Multibillionaire and co-owner of Worlds Costielst Hotel

Hi Cameron,
Two things: You may want to pose your question about Apollo Hospital by initiating a conversation with Dr. Kumaresh. You can do that by sending him an email through his user profile.

That’s the great thing about Traveling4Health’s community website; you can communicate privately with other members without disclosing your personal contact information. The medical tourism experts quoted below can also be contacted through their user profiles.

Secondly, I thought you might benefit from the following explanation from our book How to Plan a Successful Medical Tourism Trip:

Chapter 8: Medical Insurance FAQ’s

Q. Does Medical Travel Insurance Cover Travel-for-Treatment?

A. No. Travel for medical treatment is NOT covered by routine medical travel insurance because it specifically excludes coverage of “pre-existing” conditions. Consequently, it will not cover ANY treatment expenses or cost of air ambulance in the event emergency medical evacuation to home country is needed.

Tip: What you need, instead, is Medical Tourism Travel and Complications
 Insurance.

Says Jim Krampen, co-founder of Seven Corners Insurance:

“We offer the only medical tourism insurance policy in the world. All other travel policies anywhere in the world will not cover you if you are traveling for treatment. We distribute the product through medical tour and medical facilitator providers.

Read: Medical Trip and Medical Procedure Insurance for Medical Tourists.

Says Shai Gold of International-Triage, LLC:

“A medical tourism travel and complications insurance from a reputable company such as Seven Corners, or a complications insurance policy from Compass Benefits Group, is highly advisable. Nevertheless, as with all insurance products, consumers should be aware of policy terms and limits such as total amount of coverage and restrictive use of facilities and procedures that qualify for coverage.”

Q. Is there Medical Tourism Complications Insurance?

A. Yes. Rates are directly related to the procedure risk and foreseeable
complications cost. This type of coverage is capped at a fixed benefit amount.

Says Jim Krampen of Seven Corners Insurance:

“Our product Bordercross Worldwide SM Medical Procedure Insurance is the first plan of its type to cover complications after treatment while abroad or after your return home. This product is distributed through insurance agents and medical tourism facilitators.”
Medical complications insurance is also available from Compass Benefits Group. They offer a similar product that is less costly and carries fewer restrictions than the Seven Corner product.

Travel4Health does not endorse either insurance. They are simply mentions in the course of research about the subject. For information contact these vendors directly.

Q. Will Medical Complications Insurance cover correcting a medical procedure if malpractice is involved?
A. No.

Says Jim Krampen of Seven Corners Insurance:

“Obviously if you have a complication you can sue your doctor, but that does not mean that malpractice was involved, Malpractice is a liability issue and Medical Complication Insurance does not correct the surgical procedure if there has been malpractice.”

Q. Does my domestic health insurance cover treatment abroad?

A. ”This response pertains ONLY to health insurance policies sold in the USA.

Q. Does my insurance policy pay for non-medical expenses?

A. Typically, no. However, check the “benefit plan.”

Q. Should I purchase a travel medical assistance plan?

A. Yes, only if it will provide coverage for needs resulting from the medical tourism encounter. For example: medical evacuation coverage. Say you become ill or have a medical complication that can’t be treated by the hospital where your procedure took place. Does your travel medical assistance plan cover the costs associated with medical evacuation and, specifically, any and all costs associated with patient transfer back home or to an appropriate facility that can treat you?

Tip: Says Shlomi Kariv, CEO of All Season Underwriting Insurance Agency Ltd:

“The wording and terms of evacuation coverage can be tricky. Some companies advertise a full evacuation assistance package which means they will provide a friendly voice to map out the resources and assist you in accessing the resources needed for your situation– but that does not mean payment for utilization of these resources.

“Medical Evacuation Policies always include the medical assistance service needed to support the patient. A Medical Evacuation Policy which actually pays for the utilization of the resources is better than a Medical Evacuation Assistance Policy.”

Says Shai Gold of International-Triage, LLC:

“Inexperienced staff at the admittance department of hospitals may frequently confuse this distinction and will authorize admission of a patient that has been facilitated by an “assistance company” while failing to note that the assistance service is not a payment guarantee.

“The uninformed patient suddenly finds himself in a financial nightmare because most travellers do not have access to the tremendous amounts of money required for major medical service. I personally know of situations abroad where patients were literally held hostage in the hospital until the family in the U.S. made payment.

“Without mentioning specific hospitals or destinations, this should serve as a warning for medical travellers to plan their medical travel meticulously and secure appropriate insurance coverage.”

Q. What type of insurance can I purchase for treatment abroad?

A. Since insurance is sold to “healthy people,” you will probably not be able to purchase any insurance policy to cover the cost of treatments or procedures.