Frequently Asked Questions

How to Choose a Plan?

Are you new to the insurance business?
There are many terms and differences and many policies to choose from. If you have not done so, we suggest you read the 101 Guide to Insurance with some basic guidelines and definitions to get you started in understanding your options.

Deciding on a type of plan:
We offer two general types of policies: fixed and comprehensive. Fixed plans have lower premiums because they only pay a set amount for each medical expense. After the insured pays the deductible, the company pays their set amount and any expenses still owed will be owed by the insured.
For minor things, they may cover well, but be careful since you may end up with a high bill despite having insurance. The comprehensive plans offer more complete coverage. After a deductible, the insured pays what is called coinsurance (a percent usually only up to a set amount like $5,000) above which the company pays 100%. You need to decide which type of expense you are most concerned about: smaller expenses from minor ailments more likely for someone traveling away from home (flu, stomach complaint) or larger expenses less likely such as accident or hospital stay.
If the case is the first, a fixed plan may be best. If the second case, then a comprehensive plan with a high deductible.

Deciding on a policy maximum and/or deductible:
The maximum of the policy is the most the insurance company will pay for medical expenses on the insured's behalf. Additional coverage can be from medical evacuation or other benefits. A higher maximum will cost more premium although going from $50,000 to $100,000 does not double the price.
The deductible is what the insured has to pay before the insurance policy will start to pay. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium. You should choose a deductible you are comfortable with paying should the need arise. A high deductible may save you money in the premium but a high maximum will cover high costs of medical bills just in case.


Are pre-existing conditions a concern for you?
Are you specifically concerned about a medical condition you or your visitor has that you want covered? In that case, there are only a few options available (fewer as the age of the insured rises). Please note that these only cover conditions that are stable and not chronic and only for a sudden, unexpected recurrence of same. Check THIS page for your options.


How long is your trip? Deciding between short and longer term policies.
If you are planning to be away from home for one year or less, then you should consider any of the visitor policies we have available (few are only available for 6 months or less). Within this category, there are special policies available for students and J1 visa holders. If you are in one of these categories, you can check those first as they often have better pricing with your needs especially in mind. If, on the other hand, you are planning to be traveling either away from home or in and out of your home country for longer than one year, you may wish to consider a global medical insurance policy. These policies are renewable year after year and offer major medical coverage internationally so they work wherever in the world you may find yourself. Also, after the first year, these also cover routine check ups and wellness visits for complete medical coverage.

Using my Insurance

Where can I go?
The policies we offer are good for a covered illness or injury at any doctor or hospital, so you can go to the most convenient place for you.
However, you should be aware that if you are in the US and use an emergency room for an illness and are not admitted into the hospital, your coverage may be limited (this is not applicable for injuries) and/or you may have an additional deductible. This is because the emergency room is the most expensive place to receive medical treatment, and the companies want to insure people are not using them unnecessarily. If it is necessary, do not hesitate to use one. However, if you have other options, like an urgent care center (often open 24/7), you may want to consider them.


What is a PPO?
PPO stands for "preferred provider organization". Due to high costs, insurance companies often form groups of doctors and hospitals to negotiate pricing and services. Most companies have PPOs they work with, however, you are never required to use them. If you are looking for a provider, you can use their PPO weblink to find a suitable doctor or hospital, but you are not limited to those. If you will be in one general area, it may be a good idea to know which nearest hospital is in the network; then, should you have a choice, you can choose the one that is near and also in network. Click here for list of PPO Network


What steps should I take?
First of all, take care of yourself or your visitor as necessary. If you are not in an emergency situation, you can look for a provider in your area within the PPO if you like. If you do use the PPO you can mention the name of the PPO to the provider when you are calling for an appointment or go in to see them. This should allow them to arrange payment with the insurance company.


What if they won't pay for the expenses?
We sometimes hear of a client who complains "no one would take this insurance". This, unfortunately, is a misunderstanding of the insurance process and a result of not knowing which questions to ask. If you are calling a provider, mention the name of the PPO and ask if they are a member of this group. Then you can say you have insurance that works with this PPO and, if they are taking new patients, you should be able to make your appointment without issue. When a provider says "we don't take that insurance" that simply means that they do not want to bother to call the insurance company to arrange payment. In that case, you can go ahead and pay up front for your medical expenses and submit a claim to the insurance company for reimbursement.
The only time the insurance company will not pay a claim is if the insured is ineligible for the policy in some way (lied on their application or has some other legal issue) or the medical condition was not covered by the policy. All the policies have a list of exclusions which clients should look over carefully to make sure they are getting the coverage they expect.
Typical exclusions are: pre-existing conditions, maternity expenses, injuries while committing a crime, self-inflicted injury, routine or required medical attention (due to pre-existing condition), to name a few.
If the company rejects your claim, you do have an appeals process which you can follow to have them look over your case again. We have had clients that were at first rejected, and after an appeal, the expenses were covered, so this is a real process which can help you.

Problems with my Insurance

Can't make your purchase?
The most common problem with the purchase is a problem with the credit card being used in the process. Some companies to not accept payments from debit cards, so check this in your purchase. Occasionally, some companies don't have their websites set up to make purchases from iPhones, iPads, tablets, or other devices. If you are trying to use one of these and run into problems, please try again from a computer. We suspect that these issues will lessen with increased use and demand from these alternative electronic devices.


My country is not listed, what can I do? If you are purchasing a policy to come to the US and the US is not listed as a destination country, then most likely you have not said that the US (or US territory) will be a destination for you (first question of one company's application). If, however, your home country is not listed in the list of home countries, then this is a different sort of problem. In some cases, US sanctions will not allow a company to sell a policy to someone of this nationality. If you think this is the case, you can call us for specific options (there are exceptions made sometimes and we can explore those with you). The other more common cases are due to internet and/or credit card fraud from some nationalities (South Africa, Nigeria to name a few). In those cases you will not be able to use the internet for your purchase, but you can submit an application by mail or fax which can be processed. This, of course, will take longer than by internet, so please plan accordingly.
If you have specific questions about your situation, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 1-877-340-7910.


How can I get my insurance documents?
You can get documents via email by choosing the "online fulfillment" method of fulfillment. Also, in some cases of short term policies, this may be the only way to get your documents. The printed documents are as valid as getting a hard copy in the mail.


Where's my ID card?
Immediately after your purchase, you will get an email confirmation of your order and attached or within that email there will be a printable ID card which you can use to access your health insurance should you have need. It will also have the phone numbers and some information about your policy for you as well.


How can I make a claim?
Ideally, the provider you use will call the insurance company and arrange payment with them. In that case, you will simply pay your deductible and/or your portion of the bill directly to the provider and the provider will get the insurance company's portion directly to them. If the provider is not willing to call the insurance company, then you can pay the bill up front and submit a claim to the insurance company for your reimbursement. The claims forms are all available for download on our website (and should have been attached to your original email confirmation). You need to print it out and follow the instructions given there. Of course, you will need to keep all your receipts for medical expenses and we recommend you keep a copy of all your documents for your records. You can then mail or fax your claim information to the insurance company for processing. We suggest giving them a week before calling about the status of a claim. Also, you should know that they will only talk to the insured about a claim due to medical confidentiality issues.
If you need to arrange for someone else to talk to them about it, you may have to fill out a permission slip and mail it as well so that a third party can receive information about the claim.


I can't renew my policy! What's the problem? There are usually two reasons a policy cannot be renewed. The most common is that the policy has already expired. In that case, you will need to purchase a new policy. You can renew a policy even the last day of it, although you can do so anytime in the last month of the policy. The other reason is that the maximum time has been reached. Most policies can be purchased or one year (364 days) and a few have shorter time periods (180 days). If you will exceed this time period, you will have to purchase one policy for up to 12 months (if available) and then begin a new policy once that one is completed.

I can’t find a doctor!

The policies are good at any doctor or hospital, so you can use any one that you would like to. If your company has a PPO they work with, you can search for a provider on their searchable directory if you like. If your provider says “We don’t take that insurance.” That means they do not want to take the time to call the insurance company and arrange payment. You can go ahead and use the provider, but you will have to pay in advance and submit your bills for reimbursement. Another way to ask is “Are you a part of the XXX network of providers?” If they are, then they should make the call for you.

What is a PPO?
A PPO is a "Preferred Provider Organization", that is, a group of doctors and hospitals. The groups are formed by insurance companies to negotiate pricing and services with these providers. Even though most companies have PPOs they work with, you are never required to use them. However, using them has indirect benefits (negotiated pricing) and sometimes direct benefits (lower deductibles and/or coinsurance payments). The PPOs for each company are listed with each company and the PPO directory is searchable by zip code and/or provider name.

How can I find a doctor/hospital (asking the right questions)?
The policies we sell are for any sudden illness and accident and you will be covered for a covered illness wherever you receive treatment (unless by a relative). However, you should ask the right questions when you call a potential provider. They may not know the name of the insurance company or policy that you have. However, they should recognize the name of the PPO.
You can say you have a policy that uses this network and will they take you (or your visitor) as a patient. If the doctor you wish to use refuses to call the insurance company to arrange payment with them, you may have to pay the bill up front and submit a claim to the insurance company to get reimbursed.

Where can I go?
The policies are good at any doctor or hospital, so you can use any one that you would like to. If your company has a PPO they work with, you can search for a provider on their searchable directory if you like.

Making Changes to Policies

How can I renew my policy?
Most policies are renewable with a $5 fee. You will receive an email reminder if your policy is eligible. In the last month of the policy, you can go online (use the link in the email reminder) and put in a new end date for the policy. They will ask for payment information again since companies do not like to keep credit card information on line for obvious reasons.


How can I cancel my policy?
Most policies can be cancelled for a full refund if they are cancelled before the start date of the policy. If the policy has already started, some companies do allow cancellation if there has not be a claim filed for the policy (if a claim is filed, the policy is non-refundable). Different companies have different policies for cancellation, most will issue a pro-rated refund minus a cancellation fee. A few will only refund full months. These details are available in the brochures of each policy as well as on our website.


How can I change the dates of my policy?
If the policy has not started, changing the dates of the policy is not a problem. You can email the company directly or call us and we can arrange this for you. If the change does not involve additional days, then we can assist you easily. If the change means there will be more premium owed, then you will have to email the company directly to give them permission to charge your credit card for any additional amount needed. If the start date has already passed, then you will need to cancel or renew your policy to extend or shorten it.


Can I make other changes to my policy?
Policies cannot be easily "upgraded" to a higher maximum or different deductible. If you find you want a different maximum or deductible, you will have to cancel the policy you originally purchased and get a new one.
If it is coming up for renewal and you wish to make the change simply buy a new policy. Do be careful since options may have changed and furthermore, if a person is currently receiving treatment, a new policy will mean that will be pre-existing and therefore not covered. If there is no treatment being received, then changing policies should not make a substantive difference.