Innovative Benefits Consultants: Introduction to International Insurance

International Group
Health Insurance :
- what advantages it offers for
employers and other groups

Group Health Insurance offers many of the advantages and benefits
described in the main article on Health Insurance, but without many
of the restrictions and negative aspects of such policies.

Group policies are primarily designed for those situations where there is an
employer-employee group; a group made up of persons in a similar professional
or occupational situation, such as a professional partnership or a trade union or
association; or any other entity which is already in existence and not formed
specifically for the purposes of purchasing health insurance.

Each Insurance Company has differing rules as to the number of primary insureds (that is:
individuals who would apply for coverage for themselves and, where applicable, for their
families) constitutes a group, but it can be as low as three (3) primary insureds.

Applying for a Group Policy
For a group (which meets the minimum requirements of a group as defined by each Insurance Company),
there are international group health policies which will waive some or all underwriting requirements
and provide coverage with minimal or no medical information, regardless of any individual's health status.
There still may be some restrictions, such as requiring a medical exam for any individual over age 60
or a cap on benefits for pre-existing conditions, but by and large, these policies provide an automatic
coverage to all members of the group.

Additional primary insureds
To add additional primary insureds (and their families), it is usually a simple procedure
involving the completion of a short informational application form with whatever simplified
underwriting standards are applicable for that group policy.

Many group policies include a provision which permits a primary insured leaving the group
(or a family member who is no longer eligible as a dependent) to transfer their coverage to
an individual health policy but without going through the full underwriting process that is
normally required with such a policy.

Paying premiums
Premiums for group insurance are normally payable on a group billing basis - i.e. through
a single bill for all members of the group. The employer or administrator of the group would
be responsible for the payment of a single remittance to the Insurance Company for all members
of the group. In the case of a small group, an Insurance company may be willing to offer direct
individual billing and payment of premiums.

Renewing Coverage
As always, guaranteed renewability of an insurance policy is fundamental to the selection of a policy.
If there is no guarantee to renew coverage regardless of claims experience and/or any insured person's
health condition at the renewal date, beware! Cancellation of coverage by an Insurance Company is
not what you want to have to face when you and your group are least expecting it!

This quick look at group health insurance is to remind you, as always, that there are no
bargains out there. You should always use the services of an experienced international
insurance consultant to assist you in selecting a group policy.

Back to the index

Back to the Introduction

Back to the main International Health Insurance article

Go to the International Life Insurance articles

Go to Other Useful Sites

Ibencon LLC - the Innovative Benefits Consultants
Contact Addresses:
40 Homer Street, London W1H 1HL, United Kingdom
2600 Netherland Avenue, No.417, Riverdale, NY 10463, U.S.A.

You can contact us by e-mail [info@ibencon.com]:

- or by phone or fax at: +1 (215) 243-7311


The information contained in this web site or in any links to or from this website 
does not constitute formal legal, insurance or financial advice. No claims, promises 
or guarantees about the current accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information 
contained in or linked to or from this web site are made by IBC. As legal, insurance 
or financial advice must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case, and 
laws are constantly changing, nothing provided herein should be used as a substitute 
for the advice of a competent professional advisor.

Not all of the insurance products and other concepts described in this website are 
available to all persons in all States, Countries, or other jurisdictions at all times. 
Certain restrictions, conditions and eligibility requirements apply. In addition, if you 
are a United States or foreign citizen physically located and/or living in the United States 
while viewing this website, there may be certain additional restrictions, conditions and 
eligibility requirements that apply.

Ibencon LLC accepts no responsibility nor liability whatsoever with regard to the links 
to external sites provided on this website.  These links are provided purely as a service 
to visitors to this website and Ibencon receives no remuneration nor other reward for doing so. 
Ibencon has no control and therefore assumes no responsibility for the contents, actions, 
and results of visiting those websites.