Five Tips for Finding the Perfect Health Insurance Policy
With rising year-on-year medical fees, expats in Hong Kong and the rest of the world are seeking their ideal health insurance policies that are also affordable. What people fail to realize, however, is their current medical plan along with its terms and conditions as well as its coverage.
Luckily, obtaining your ideal health insurance policy is not outside the realm of possibility. In today’s blog post, we’re going to help you find the right health insurance policy for yourself and your family with five tips from our team of insurance experts from Pacific Prime Hong Kong.
Why Health Insurance Matters
The main reason why one should consider a health insurance policy is due to the constant risk of illnesses and injuries combined with expensive treatment costs. Having a health insurance policy will protect you from unexpected medical fees.
Let’s say you’re an expat looking to relocate to Hong Kong or you’re a traveler looking to spend quality time in Hong Kong by yourself or with your family. In a new environment abroad, anything could happen, and this is where health insurance comes in.
Health insurance will help safeguard both you and your family in the event of unforeseen incidents in Hong Kong, such as illnesses or injuries and accidents.
Five Tips for Finding the Right Health Insurance Policy
From deciding beyond costs to evaluating how much care you actually need, let’s now delve into five key tips to help you find your ideal health insurance policy.
Don’t Decide Solely Based on Price
So, you’ve just found a seemingly affordable health insurance policy that you’re comfortable with. Hold your horses! As with any insurance policy, it’s crucial that you always decide based on the coverage and benefits offered rather than price. While certain insurance policies are affordable, they may not actually grant you the coverage you need.
Take your time to consider the coverage you and your family actually need, such as hospitalization or childcare, and choose the policy that best matches your particular needs.
You may pay a little bit more than how much you’ve planned, but the coverage and benefits you get will make up for it, and it’ll be worth the investment in the long run.
Too Good to Be True? Beware of Suspiciously Cheap Plans
While we’re on the subject of affordability and coverage, said convenience could be used by scammers to bait you into thinking you’ve found a surprisingly cost-effective plan that ends up not covering what you actually need.
Let’s say you’re searching “I need health insurance” on the internet, and you see health insurance plans sold at a huge discount.
While they may look equally as appealing as they are affordable, such plans may actually lack basic coverage for prescription drugs or annual checkups.
Be careful not to put your personal and contact information in health insurance forms originating from random websites or click on health insurance ads.
Always make sure to select health insurance plans from certified sources such as renowned international insurance providers, which brings us to the next important tip.
Reviews and Feedback: Check from Reputable Sources
Another important step in finding the right health insurance policy is to use reputable sources as well as reviews and feedback from past customers.
Look for experienced, reputable insurance companies with a solid client base. You can also check reviews from previous customers to help with your decision-making process. You can also ask your friends and family, as they may be able to provide some recommendations.
While your friends and family’s selected coverage may differ from what you are looking for, at least their recommendations should be enough for you to search up the right insurance provider for your healthcare needs.
Coverage Levels
Once you’ve chosen your preferred plan, the next step is to consider the coverage you’ll need. One of the biggest benefits of working with reputable insurance providers is their ability to not only offer plans but to also tailor them to fit your unique needs.
Since you’re already holding off on deciding purely based on inexpensive plans in favor of deciding based on coverage levels and benefits, make sure to consider your needed coverage carefully and tailor your plans if you must.
Let’s say you’re looking to either relocate to Hong Kong with your family, or you’re just looking to head there for a family vacation, you’ll need to think even more about your coverage for the whole family.
You could tailor your plans to include childcare coverage in addition to basics such as inpatient and/or outpatient and dental or vision coverage.
Know Your Vocabulary
Health insurance is full of industry-specific vocabulary, which will be undoubtedly convoluted to new buyers. You may have heard of the basics such as benefits, coverage, or exclusions, but you may not know other specific terms such as pre-existing conditions or deductibles.
Since you’re already doing your research in finding reputable insurance providers based on reviews and feedback, this is also a perfect opportunity for you to take your time to learn insurance-specific terms as well.
While your specific plan and coverage may not use all the terms you have researched for, it’s still a good idea to study them just in case these unique terms pop up in childcare or any other additional plans you purchase.
Conclusion
Whether you’re an expat looking to relocate to Hong Kong or just a tourist looking to change things up with a vacation there, health insurance can be your financial safety net in the event of illness and accident. You may not know all the terms, but it’s important to always do your research.
By deciding beyond prices, staying vigilant of cheap listings, choosing reputable sources, considering coverage levels, and learning insurance-related vocabulary, you can obtain the right health insurance plan for yourself and your beloved family.
Get in Touch with Pacific Prime Hong Kong!
With over 20 years of experience in the insurance and employee benefits industry, Pacific Prime Hong Kong can help match both locals and expats with the right health insurance plan that not only aligns with their budget but also their unique healthcare needs.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help you with impartial advice as well as an obligation-free plan comparison service.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, Media & Communication major (concentration: Creative Content) from Mahidol University International College (MUIC). During the compulsory major elective period in the summer of 2021 and voluntarily during the summer of 2022, he also interned as a video and photo editor at Mbrella Films.
He has experience working as an English Content Writer at a real estate buying/renting/selling platform in Thonglor. There, he crafted company blog posts on a multitude of topics. Topics include market trends, legal issues and disputes in property businesses, financial guides, expat guides, home insurance, home decoration and maintenance, and weekly real estate news quick-recaps. Occasionally, as part of the blog-writing process, he would also translate existing Thai blogs to English.
In his free time, Guy enjoys doing scriptwriting and storytelling for comic strips, watching movies, and listening to music (particularly film scores).
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