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Which international health plan best suits you?

No two people and no two expat stories are the same – so why should health plans be?

Published: 21 March 2017 13:55 CET
Updated: 4 May 2017 11:48 CEST
Which international health plan best suits you?

There are dozens of factors to consider when choosing an international health insurance plan, but the most important is that it suits you and your own unique needs.

Here are a few things to think about when deciding which plan is best, and how you can tailor a plan just for you and your family.

How long are you living abroad?

If you’re just travelling for a month or so, travel insurance might be your best bet, or you might even have some coverage via a domestic plan

But if you plan on living abroad for a longer period of time, an international health plan is essential. And, generally speaking, the longer you’re living abroad, the more coverage you should have.

Is it just you, or do family members need coverage?

If you’re young, healthy, and single, it might be tempting (although not necessarily smart) to get the cheapest health insurance available.

But if you have children or others who rely on you, consider their needs, and what kinds of costs you might incur without insurance. Is it worth having a higher level of coverage to make sure certain things are paid in full, for instance? Do you have a family member with a pre-existing condition, perhaps?

At Cigna Global there are three levels of core coverage: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The maximum payment per beneficiary per period of cover, across all sections of the insurance, is €800,000 on Silver level, €1,600,000 for Gold, and unlimited with Platinum coverage.

All levels of the insurance cover things like hospital accommodation, prescribed medicines and drugs, intensive therapy, surgeon’s fees, pathology, and radiology. But each level has differing degrees of coverage for hospital accommodation for a guardian, advanced medical imaging, physiotherapy, rehab, and other costs.

Do you need more than the basics?

No matter what the level, Cigna Global’s core plans will ensure you have some sort of coverage when it comes to standard medical care. But what about the not-so-standard stuff?

Cigna Global helps you tailor an international health insurance plan that’s perfect for you, with optional benefits available like international outpatient care, international health and wellbeing, international medical evacuation, and international vision and dental.

Do you have diabetes or another dietary illness?

If you have diabetes or require some other form of dietary advice for another illness, it’s important to know you can get the support you need while living abroad. Dietetic consultations are covered and paid in full as part of international health and wellbeing under the Platinum plan, but not Silver or Gold.

Do you have glasses or contacts?

So your eyesight isn’t perfect – no shame in that. But do you know where to go for an exam abroad, and what it costs? Cigna’s International Vision and Dental benefit pays for your routine eye exams and will cover the cost of glasses and contact lenses.

Are you over 50?

If you’re 50 or older, you should be thinking about regular cancer screenings. With the International Health and Well-being add-on, screenings for prostate, breast, and bowel cancer (after age 55) will be covered. For women aged 40 to 49, a mammogram is covered every two years even if you’re asymptomatic. You can also get an annual scan to check bone density.

Are you alone far from home?

International Medical Evacuation isn’t just helpful for the person experiencing an emergency – it can also help family members to be there at that time of need. This optional benefit covers visits for a parent, partner, sibling or child to a beneficiary after a sudden accident or illness.

Learn more about healthplans with Cigna Global

Are you pregnant, or planning to be?

Routine maternity care is not covered under the Silver plan, so if you’re young and single that might work for you. But if there’s a chance you might get pregnant, choose Gold or Platinum.

Under those plans complications from pregnancy and homebirth costs are also covered. Newborn care is covered even on the Silver plan, but when you’re bringing a new life into the world, it’s better to be over-prepared, especially if you’re a first-time parent.

Do you need regular physiotherapy or visits to the chiropractor?

If you need physiotherapy, or if you get regular chiropractic or acupuncture treatments, or visit another sort of medical specialist, adding International Outpatient care to your plan is a good idea. This optional benefit also covers adult vaccinations, dental accidents, child immunizations, and, under the Gold and Platinum plans, pre-natal and post-natal care.

Get your own personalized plan

No matter what special conditions you or your family members have, Cigna Global can help you create your perfect plan.

Read more about why expats choose Cigna Global here, and get in touch to get a free quote for your own personalized plan.

This article was produced by The Local Client Studio and sponsored by Cigna Global.

For members

HEALTH

How to find available therapists in Germany

It’s no secret that mental health care can be particularly tricky to access in Germany. Here are some helpful tips for anyone who is struggling to book an appointment for therapy.

Published: 23 April 2024 12:55 CEST
How to find available therapists in Germany

The process to find psychotherapy in Germany’s urban centres is arduous – licensed therapists often have impossibly long wait times, and private practices don’t accept public health insurance.

A major reason that public insurance funded mental health care is hard to find in Germany comes down to regulations. Specifically the ‘coverage plan’ (Bedarfsplanung) that basically limits the number of licences available for publicly insured therapists in a region.

Germany’s maddening bureaucracy probably won’t be fixed any time soon. So residents in need of therapy will need to find a way through the system as it is.

So here are a few helpful tips for finding therapists, as well as how publicly insured patients can have private practice therapy costs reimbursed.

Look for therapists enrolled at academies

You’ll probably have a better chance getting an appointment with therapists who are currently in training, because not everyone knows that this option exists.

You can search for “Akademie für Psychotherapie”, to find one in your location. The Berliner Akademie für Psychotherapie, is one in the capital city, for example.

If you arrange an appointment this way, you can expect to be connected with a grad student therapist in training who needs to complete their supervised practice hours. In this case, you would see your therapist as usual, and they will be going through your session with an experienced therapist afterward.

The main advantages to seeking a therapist in training is that it may be cheaper and you can probably more readily find an appointment. A potential disadvantage is that the therapist you’ll be seeing is less experienced. 

But according to a Stockholm University study, student therapists who receive regular feedback from supervisors may be just as effective as licensed therapists at treating patients.

How to get reimbursed for going to a private practice

As mentioned above, therapists covered by public health insurance are few and far between, especially in many urban centres, and therefore regularly come with long wait times. But for those willing to do battle with the bureaucracy, there is an option to have your costs reimbursed for seeing a private practice therapist.

Specifically, public insurance providers are obligated to provide full reimbursement of costs in the event of a “supply emergency”. 

Waiting times of more than three months are considered unreasonable. So generally, patients can claim a supply emergency if they have contacted several therapists, and none of them offered available appointments within that time frame.

But you’ll want to make sure that your process is properly documented so that you won’t be stuck with the out-of-pocket costs.

First, you’ll need to document your need for psychotherapy. To get this, make an appointment for a psychotherapeutic consultation with a practice in your area, and be sure to collect a written recommendation for treatment (a PTV 11 form). 

If you don’t know where to start with this, look to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung) for a database of therapists. You can also call 116 117 or use the 116 117 App.

After you’ve got your PTV 11 certificate, you’ll need to document your futile search for a licensed therapist. To do this, contact at least three to five therapists that have public health insurance approval. Keep a list of the names of therapists you contacted, as well as dates and times of contact and how long the waiting list for treatment is. 

Additionally, you should try to arrange treatment through the aforementioned Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and receive confirmation if it’s not possible. So you’ll need to call 116 117, or use the 116 117 App again. But this time go through the process to have them try to find you placement with a therapist. This should take a maximum of four weeks, but rarely happens.

Finally, if you have documented all of the above and have still not found a readily available therapist, then you can seek out a private practice. You’ll need to enroll as a self-paying patient initially, but then you can submit an application for an outpatient reimbursement (Kostenerstattungsverfahren) along with the previously collected certificates and proof of your search. Private practice therapists are usually familiar with this process, and may be able to help you with the application as well.

READ ALSO: What are the main reasons internationals in Germany turn to therapy?

Free phone consultations for students

Students in Berlin can also take advantage of a free 50-minute conversation with a therapist through StudierendenWERK.

For students elsewhere, it’s worth checking what kind of mental health support services your school offers. Many German universities offer mental health support to some extent, and if school counsellors can’t provide the care that you need, they may be able to offer helpful information about where such services are available in your area.

READ ALSO: Here’s how you can get mental health help in English in Germany

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