HIPAA compliant international medical plans

HIPAA is the acronym for the US Federal “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” of 1996. For the expatriate, the key feature is how it applies to employees moving from one employee group to another and how it affects their global health insurance plans.

It tries to prevent discrimination of US citizens by limiting the use of pre-existing conditions clauses in global health insurance plans. These are used to deny you cover or charge you extra as a new group member transferring from another HIPAA group or from COBRA. It also guarantees the right of groups to renew. This applies to small groups that might have one very sick individual that might otherwise be dropped because of a bad loss record.

The bottom line is that the USA can be a health insurance nightmare and even if you are covered by a domestic group plan, you may not be able to continue cover beyond the COBRA mandated 18 months if you’re sick and unable to work, or buy private global health insurance plan as an individual if you have developed a pre-existing condition and been on a plan and unable to get new employment with a firm that has a HIPAA group program within 18 months of termination.

For better or worse, in the USA, health insurance is not a right as in other countries with national health systems. If you have an unacceptable pre-existing condition, even if you have HIPAA or COBRA and you are not hired by a firm with a HIPAA plan, you better have deep pockets as you will be unable to buy health insurance in the USA and you’ll be paying for everything yourself.

Our advisors can give you a range of quotes for your global health insurance plan.