Thomas and his young family are relocating to Dubai from London, following Thomas' appointment as head of the Middle East newsroom for one of Britain's national newspapers. His wife, Eleanor, has a four-year-old son called William from a previous relationship who suffers from cystic fibrosis. Eleanor is currently expecting their first child together and is three months pregnant. She has decided to quit work to become a full-time mother and ensure the success of their new life abroad. Thomas' salary is £50,000 and he plans to put aside £320 a month towards healthcare cover for his family. Thomas is in good health but Eleanor suffers from mild asthma. As yet scans have revealed that the unborn child is perfectly healthy. What cover would you recommend?
Susie Colley, West Country Health CareRegrettably there will be no cover available for William from any of the private medical insurance (PMI) providers as cystic fibrosis is classed as a chronic illness and the life span of the majority of sufferers is limited. Initial thoughts were given to suggest a critical illness policy for either Eleanor or Thomas. In the event of the unborn child being born with a critical illness, half the benefit of the parents' policies would be payable. However, in the event that the new baby is also affected with cystic fibrosis then a claim on the parent's policy would not be possible as cystic fibrosis is not regarded as a critical illness.
In addition to PMI they should consider an income protection policy. As Eleanor has quit work, in the event that Thomas could not work due to illness or accident, the situation would cause even more stress to the family.
To cover PMI in Dubai and in the UK, international policies offering worldwide cover but excluding USA and Canada have been selected. The annual cost for the whole family from Morgan Price Global Health, IMG Global Select and Goodhealth Foundation range from £2,106 to £2,129.46. Excesses from between £35 and £65 apply to all the policies. With £320 a month, all of the quoted policies would leave sufficient funds for an income replacement plan. The core benefits of all the policies are virtually identical, covering outpatient and scans in full. Inpatient and consultation fees are also in full. All three policies have additional benefits and so careful analysis must be taken before purchasing.
Paula Covey, Bupa InternationalBefore Thomas can get familiar with Dubai's culture and exotic climate, he has a few things to think about - especially with regard to international private medical insurance (PMI).
First of all, Dubai will shortly introduce new health insurance legislation. The details of this legislation are still unknown to us, but it will probably be obligatory for employers with a certain amount of staff to offer standard PMI to all employees as part of their remuneration package. Bupa has been monitoring this development closely and would advise Thomas to find out exactly what the new legislation means to him and when it begins.
For now, Thomas should take out an expatriate insurance scheme. Most plans offer a full family cover option and they are available for around his budget of £320 a month. The plans that companies like Bupa International and IHI offer will cover them worldwide and include benefits like free choice of hospital, specialists and physicians.
When it comes to his wife Eleanor, most insurance companies would evaluate her health status. It is likely that she would either have a loading or an exclusion. As for William, most insurance companies would demand a thorough health check. As cystic fibrosis affects the entire body, and causes progressive disability, it is not likely that any health insurance company would cover him.
Another challenge is that most health insurance companies have a waiting period for pregnancy and delivery. But when the child is born, they can fill in an application for the infant. Until a certain age, the child is fully covered on the parents' policy.
Stephen Ryan, Axa International
We would advise Thomas to consider the Global 2 plan from our partner in the United Arab Emirates, Axa Insurance (Gulf). Cover includes hospital, daycare and outpatient treatment throughout the world (excluding USA, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Switzerland), as well as parent accommodation should one of the children become ill and require an inpatient stay. Plus, it has the added benefit that the family can return to the UK and still have access to private medical treatment while visiting family and friends.
Turning to the family's current health considerations, initially there would be no cover in respect of routine treatment for Eleanor's asthma or William's cystic fibrosis.
However, Eleanor and her son would qualify for payment of any treatment required in order to stabilise a flare-up of their conditions immediately.
Furthermore, after two years the family can take the added comfort that there will be cover for pre-existing medical conditions (7,500 Dirhams, which is around £1,000), including conditions that may have been originally excluded.
While costs associated with Eleanor's current pregnancy and birth would not be covered, her newborn baby can be added to the policy with no medical underwriting exclusions applied and receive any vaccinations they may need.
The cost for Thomas and his family for this level of cover would be 14,504 Dirhams a year - around £175 a month - for the family of three, increasing to 18,356 Dirhams (£220 a month) when the new baby arrives.
