With Black Friday almost upon us, iPMI Magazine announces a sale price on the current iPMI Market research report, International Health Insurance 2021.

There are now 80 million expatriates, 5 million international students, 4 million temporary foreign workers, and 18 million high net worth individuals of which 2.7 million are ultra high net worth. All of these are targets for iPMI.

If you are an iPMI Magazine Subscriber you may now access the complete report, with a 20% subsidy on the RRP. So, £3600 becomes just £2,880.*

If you are an iPMI Magazine Advertiser you may now access the complete report, with a 33% subsidy on the RRP. So, £3600 becomes just £2,412.*

Learn more about this report click here.

Order your own copy of International Health Insurance (IPMI) 2021, or ask questions, write to ipmi[at]ipmimagazine.com

*Offer ends 1/12/2021. This offer is only available when you purchase the report directly through iPMI Magazine. The report is still selling at full RRP on Research and Markets.

In this exclusive iPMI Magazine interview, Christopher Knight, CEO, iPMI Magazine, meets with Steven Om, General Manager of Global Excel Indonesia. They discuss in detail the key benefits of the brand-new Hospital Express Discharge Program, designed to drastically reduce both the waiting period and the paperwork associated with the discharge process for patients leaving Indonesian hospitals.

Tell us about Global Excel Indonesia:

Global Excel Indonesia was originally an ISOS organization. Global Excel acquired the company as a joint venture in 2017. Today, as part of the Global Excel family, we offer customer-centric insurance solutions to individuals and corporations in Indonesia. Global Excel Indonesia specializes in navigating the complex processes of Third-Party Administration, comprehensive claims management, assistance, and cost containment.

What is the Hospital Express Discharge Program (HEDP), and what does it aim to accomplish?

Our brand-new Hospital Express Discharge Program (HEDP) aims to simplify the traditionally complex discharge process for any type of patient admitted to an Indonesian hospital, while significantly reducing the normally lengthy wait times they experience once discharged.

How will reaching those goals help improve things for patients, payors, and providers?

For patients, the HEDP means that once they’ve been discharged by their attending doctor, they’ll be able to leave the hospital in an hour or less, instead of the usual 4 to 8 hours. It also means less paper-work – a lot less: no reimbursement forms to fill out, and no back-and-forth to figure out what’s covered and for how much.

For payers, it means an improved customer journey, in particular with the hospital claim process, whose relevance is amplified in these challenging pandemic times. This leads to higher member satisfaction, retention rates and new sales opportunities.

For providers, they’ll appreciate the simple administration process – a single complete payment from the payer rather than 2 different payments from the patient and payer for uncovered and covered amounts.  This will help with billing reconciliation and improve the overall hospital experience for their patient.

Is the HEDP unique in its field? If not, what does it do that others don’t?

Most insurance companies usually offer some sort of service related to hospital discharges. Some focus on document preparation, others concentrate on logistics while still others offer streamlined payment services. As far as we know, we’re the only company to combine all of these and more to offer a very simple, very sure, and very speedy discharge where all parties are satisfied with the win-win-win outcome.

What inspired the creation of the HEDP?

At Global Excel Indonesia, we’ve always found feedback – from members, clients, and providers – to be extremely valuable. So, we analyzed the hospital discharge process, a known pain point for all involved parties, to see where we could make improvements. From our desire to simplify and improve this process, the HEDP was born. 

Will the HEDP stay regional, or will it expand beyond Indonesia?

For now, our expertise rests upon our familiarity with the Indonesian healthcare system, so that’s our current focus. However, we’re confident in the success of the HEDP, and will certainly be open to expanding this service throughout the greater region.

In this exclusive iPMI Magazine interview, Christopher Knight, CEO, iPMI Magazine, met with Sumit Gaurav, CEO, Roy Medical Assistance. They discussed Roy Medical Assistance and its operations in India, and its emergency medical assistance work across Asia, the Middle East and some key tourist destinations like the Maldives.

Please introduce yourself and background in the international medical assistance market:

My name is Sumit Gaurav and I am the CEO of Roy Medical Assistance.

I started my career working with a hospital in India. I lead the international business development for European, American, and Latin American markets. At the same time, I saw that Asia needs a local international TPA because some insurers and assistance companies, out-side of Asia, were not paying the hospitals. Day by day hospitals were blocking international Insurance companies and they needed a local office so they can communicate and take the payment guarantee. At that time many international travellers, expats and students were facing problems for cashless treatments.

In 2016 we discussed this, with the one of the largest hospitals in Asia, explaining that we can handle international claims through a local office. But it was not easy to establish the faith with the hospitals. So, in 2016, I went on to create an innovative, solutions-oriented company offering multiple customizable international medical assistance services.

I founded Roy Medical Assistance as an International TPA and Medical Assistance company in Asia. Since that time, we have contracted with some of the largest group of hospitals and insurers to meet their evolving healthcare needs.

Our goals are help to providers and consequently payors, by processing theirs claims as our top priority and paid the hospitals on time.

Who is Roy Medical Assistance, and what does the company provide?

Roy Medical Assistance is acting as an international TPA and provides medical and claims assistance services in Asia, acting as a local guarantor to over 5000 network hospitals.

• Single contact number for all insured queries and claims assistance.
• Rapid access to our network of medical facilities.
• Step by step case management for out- patient and in patient.
• 24 hours Alarm centre with caring, trained co-ordinators who can immediately validate the policy cover and arrange direct settlement facilities with chosen medical providers.

Typically speaking, who are your clients?

Great question! Our clients are travellers, students, diplomats, business travellers, NGO’s and long stay expatriate families. To enable access to international medical treatment abroad, we work with international medical insurers, assistance companies, private corporations, hospitals, and medical transportation businesses.

Roy Medical Assistance provides international medical assistance services in India, Nepal, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Maldives, UAE, Turkey and Myanmar. What challenges do these regions pose?

We partner with hospitals in our network in all those areas, but sometimes we faced with the challenge on a small island, in the jungle plus hard to reach mountain ranges where medical facilities do not exist. If any patient is in a remote region, we can provide our best solutions to access the best and most relevant treatment and hospitals in that geographic region.

As example, we face many challenges in the Maldives. Here is a 1000 small islands with no medical facilities and no doctors available. We have sea ambulances and when we receive any request our team reach may reach those destinations within 30-45 minutes. We then provide the first aid treatment where necessary and then evacuate the patient to a network hospital provider.

COVID-19 has grounded many airlines and put a stop to international leisure travel. How has your business handled these problems?

As we all know, COVID 19 has grounded many airlines which resulted in a great impact on all our lives. Unfortunately, most of the travel industry and lot of the travel insurance sector has been severely affected. But our services are 24/7, 365 days a year, as hospitals and other necessary medical services providers are online to track and handle the situation up to mark of client satisfaction.

There are currently over 80 million expatriates around the world. What work are you doing for the expatriate market?

During COVID 19, many expatriates living with their family are fearing the current situation. But we can assure clients, whatever the issue, Roy Medical Assistance can provide medical assistance anytime, and anywhere. Frequently we are speaking with hospital management and our clients if any issues arise, we can provide our best medical assistance solutions.

Can you walk us through the features and benefits of your provider network?

You can read all about our business on our website: https://roymedicalassistance.net. Please feel free to contact me directly to discuss custom medical assistance services for the Asia Pacific region.

Technology is playing an ever more increasing role in the international insurance market. How are you leveraging the power of technology to improve patient care, and reduce the bottom line to the payor?

Correct. Technology is playing a very important role in our sector to improve patient care and reduce the bottom line of payor. In that area’s our team is working hard day and night:

• 24 hours alarm centre is fully operational during COVID-19;
• We have claims and payment teams, they can verify all claims accordingly to the insureds policy conditions and we pay to the hospitals within agreed time;
• We have our own medical team in our assistance centre who help the patient and make the medical report that international insurers will understand, in order to approve the further treatment without delay;
• Very soon we are launching reimbursement software where the patient can upload all documents and within 1 week our team will verify.

In the next 5 years, how will the international medical assistance market develop?

Development areas and opportunities include global mobility, communications, and time management. Supporting the technology and ad hoc information is essential to the success of business.

Last, but not least, if you could live anywhere, on land, or at sea, where would it be?

I always want to live in my home country, India. But during my life journey, I want to travel the whole world to see different countries, cultures, living styles, and meet new people.

• More than three quarters (76%) people in the UK are currently stressed
• More than half (51%) of Brits fear for their future
• Money worries driving surge in anxiety

New research from global health service company Cigna Europe has revealed that uncertainties about the future along with worries around personal finance are the leading causes of stress amongst UK workers.

As 2020 draws to a close and the pandemic continues on, Cigna’s COVID-19 Global Impact Study unveils more than three quarters (76%) of Brits are currently stressed, more than half say uncertainty about the future is the leading cause, followed by personal finances (32%) and the amount of news/information related to COVID-19 on the media (32%).

As news of a vaccine continues to dominate the headlines, the study also shows that Brits have concerns about returning to work when rules are relaxed, with 40% concerned about catching the virus during their commute, 37% are worried about an outbreak returning when mixing in the office whilst 36% have worries over restrictions they will face in the work environment. Many workers feel financial support from their employer for COVID testing would be a key incentive to returning to the workplace.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted almost every part of life across the globe and continues to play a major part in fueling stress”, said Arjan Toor, CEO, Cigna Europe. “It’s evident from our research that people are weighed down by this stress, with anxiety around income and future prospects in our new world the leading causes. This is in stark contrast to our first Impact study in April which showed that 78% of UK workers felt they had good job stability. It’s been a tough year for many, and it is naturally worrying to see so many people stressed about their future.”

The ‘always on’ corporate culture has grown rapidly since lockdown began in March, with almost 7 in 10 (68%) of workers always-on, more than half (54%) are working after working hours, 50% before working hours, and more than 4 in 10 (43%) are working on weekends. Encouragingly however, employers are remaining more flexible as the pandemic continues. The most popular measures put in place by employers are flexible working location/hours (37%) and mental health support (29%).

Toor added: “The emotional toll the virus has had on so many people, not to mention the experiences of isolation, loneliness, financial hardships and mental health trauma cannot be underestimated. As the year draws to a close, we need to look ahead to 2021 and how we, as a whole health partner, can intuitively understand our customers in this increasingly complex world, and support them in each and every aspect of their lives.”

The Cigna COVID-19 Global Impact Study is an ongoing study that has been conducted by Cigna, in partnership with Kantar, between January and October 2020, and will continue into 2021. To date, more than 23,000 online interviews have been conducted across China, Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

The study was conducted using an online survey, with respondents recruited from online panels and undergo rigorous quality control. Age, gender and residing city quotas were set based on the population proportion of respective markets. The 20 to 25 minutes survey was completed anonymously.

Read the full report here.

Please introduce yourself and background in the international medical and travel insurance market:

My name is Gitte Bach, and I am the President and CEO of New Frontier Group.

I started my career in 1990 with International Health Insurance, Denmark. I led the company’s entry into Latin America, helped introduce our new 24/7/365 Alarm Centre and was then asked to help build a new department with a cost containment focus to handle the company’s large medical insurance claims.

In 2002 I left Denmark and went to California, where I founded New Frontier Group. I wanted to create an innovative, solution-oriented company offering multiple, customizable services. We now work with some of the biggest names in the industry.

New Frontier Group provides award winning international medical cost containment. What does award winning cost containment look like?

We never, ever, just sit back and look at the business day to day, but we continuously think about ways we can improve. What is going to be next, how can we develop so that we are always evolving?

We have been doing that both from a technology and a product offering standpoint and we have also developed our employees to live up to that same philosophy in everything they do.

April 2020 and New Frontier Group launched an extremely valuable Telemedicine solution. Can you walk us through the new service and how you see it developing?

We launched NFGtelecare just as the pandemic hit and the world went into lockdown. It was a godsend for many of our clients when access to traditional healthcare was neither safe, nor in many cases, available at all.

Now however, telemedicine is truly established and here to stay. It enhances the service proposition, encourages traveler interaction and ultimately reduces costs.

As well as routine healthcare consultations, we can arrange appointments with a specialist to discuss existing conditions or to get a second medical opinion. We can prescribe and deliver medication via our in-house pharmacy program, Onyx™Rx and if the physician feels that the patient would benefit from further tests or treatment, we can help direct them to a suitable facility nearby.

We need to realize that in this industry telecare is here to stay. Access to healthcare will never revert to how it was before. Telemedicine is now accepted by all our clients.

November 2020, and New Frontier Group wins Industry Supplier of the year at the ITIC Awards. Why did you win this coveted industry award?

Whilst somewhat overshadowed by the current pandemic, we were still extremely proud to have been recognized again at the International Travel Insurance Journal Awards – this time in the new, expanded category of Industry Supplier of the Year.

The award is testament to the continued efforts of our teams in California, South Florida and the UK, in always putting our patients, clients and partners first. From a service perspective, we think that the innovation that most likely impressed the judges was our integrated medical triage, telemedicine and pharmacy concierge service that sits ‘in front’ of our array of cost containment and network solutions. This combination of immediate and low cost access to medical advice and prescription medication, backed up by market leading cost control, is both extremely current and as far as we know, unique in the market.

For international medical payors managing the risks and healthcare of expatriates and people living overseas, what can New Frontier Group provide?

We offer our clients real time, ‘on-the-ground’ expertise and are involved on a daily basis in providing assistance with access to healthcare for expats, students and international travelers. We ensure that the services are appropriate, convenient and of course, part of our extensive network to ensure favourable rates for the payor. This is all part of our service offering and we are also available 24/7 to answer questions or address urgent issues as they arise, irrespective of what time zone our client may be in.

COVID-19 has crashed the travel market as we know it. Travel insurers are washing their hands of COVID-19 risks. Airlines are asking for bail outs. IATA say 25 million jobs are at risk in the airlines and aviation sector. What does the future hold for the travel market?

It has been devastating, both for the travel industry and associated sectors such as travel insurance and assistance. Everyone has had to dig deep and try to ride it out somehow – and we will!

People love to travel and businesses need to travel. There are already some encouraging signs and if these vaccines are rolled out quickly and prove successful, then I think we’ll see a surge from huge, pent-up demand for flights and holidays, with the positive knock-on impact to our industries. Roll-on 2021 is what I say!

Last, but not least, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I have been extremely fortunate to live in many different countries and have visited even more! I find every single one unique and I don’t have a particular favourite although I do love the Spanish/Latin American language and culture so that would probably have a strong bearing!

I do know one thing for certain, no matter where I am, I have always made it my clear mission to live every single day and get the best out of it, no matter where you are in the world!

Analysis of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) July, August and September International Air Passenger Traffic* data reveals that 1,914,550 travellers may have travelled abroad uninsured this peak holiday season.

Medical Travel Compared, analysed passenger data from all UK airports flying to popular European destinations that were on or added to the government’s quarantine list including Spain, Balearic Islands, Portugal, Greek Islands, Canary Islands, The Netherlands, France, Hungary, Switzerland, Malta and Iceland.

Spain and the Balearic Islands attracted 721,598 holidaymakers in August and September 2020, despite the country coming off the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) list at the end of July. The most popular destinations for Brits in mainland Spain were Alicante (151,526 air passengers) and Malaga (143,150 passengers), while Palma (98,943 passengers) was the preferred location when visiting the Balearic Islands. Analysis also showed that more than half of all arrivals to Spain and the Balearic Islands departed from a London airport – London City, Stansted, London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Luton - with Manchester topping the preferred list for those living in the North.

Portugal was a hot destination for travellers with 125,238 flying in July and September when the destination was off the advised FCDO travel list. Faro was shown to be the most popular arrival airport as two-fifths of Brits travelled headed to the Algarve. 

Despite the Canary Islands only being placed on the quarantine-free travel list on 25 October, British travellers continued to fly to the Canary Islands this summer with 139,462 taking to the sky. Tenerife was the number one destination welcoming 69,585 visitors.

“Discovering that nearly 2 million travellers may have travelled uninsured this July, August and September is very worrying. Travel insurance is an essential element of taking a holiday, especially now when the whole world is experiencing the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic,” commented, Tommy Lloyd, MD of Medical Travel Compared.

“During the European summer holiday season, travellers were placed in a difficult position by our government because they were asked to decide between taking a holiday without insurance, postpone their trip or ask for a refund. The decisions the government made were last-minute and without consultation of multiple industries that service the travel and tourism sector. This meant that the insurance industry, like many other businesses, were being asked to react to huge changes with little notice so many could not provide cover in time for holidaymakers’ trips. The good news is that many insurers have adapted and travellers now have a range of Covid-19 travel insurance policies to choose from should they wish to go abroad to a destination on the recommended FCDO list. For those who would like to travel to a country with quarantine guidance there are insurance policies available, just remember to check the small print for all eventualities covered”

Further analysis of the data shows that countries such as Malta, France and The Netherlands, that were re-added to the FCDO advisory list on 14 August, welcomed 689,533 Brits collectively in August and September. In August travellers may have continued to travel uninsured to their chosen holiday destination despite the change in travel advice, with 159,000 travellers in September most likely visiting these popular holiday hotspots without travel insurance.

Amsterdam welcomed the highest density of travellers (262,514 passengers), while the South of France was the number one choice for Brits going across the Channel with 371,608 arrivals recorded. Departures from London airports accounted for nearly half of all 47,798 passengers who travelled to Malta.

Other destinations that came off the travel list on 24 September included Denmark which received 37,508 travellers, Iceland which had 1,694 visitors, and Switzerland was one of the other more popular destinations with 36,416 visitors. The Greek islands of Zakynthos and Mykonos also welcomed 38,412 visitors showing that once again a portion of these travellers will have visited these destinations without travel insurance.

Popular destinations for Brits by regional airports:

• Spain and the Balearic Islands were top of London’s airport departure lists with 373,161 passengers travelling through Stansted, London City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, and Luton
• Those who travelled from Southend airport were most likely to go to Spain and the Balearic Islands, recording 18,336 passengers
• Scots were most likely to fly to The Netherlands, with 42,461 passengers recorded at Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports
• 8,314 passengers departed Belfast for the Spain and Balearic Islands
• Birmingham and East Midlands airports’ number one departure destination was Spain and the Balearics with 86,089 travellers passing through
• Total number of departures from Cardiff were low, compared to other regional airports, with Spain and the Balearic Islands topping the list at 3,967 passengers
• Liverpool saw 27,146 passengers depart for Spain and the Balearic Islands, more than three times the numbers of travellers who went to France
• More than double the number of travellers went to Spain and the Balearic Islands (721,598) over The Netherlands which recorded 261,924 passengers
• Spain and the Balearics (10,944 passengers), plus The Netherlands (9,601 passengers) were the popular choices for those travelling from Newcastle
• Those travelling further abroad to Jamaica were seen departing from London, with 5,419 passengers recorded from Stansted, Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton
• Manchester saw 4,993 passengers depart for Zakynthos, which was more than any other airport in the UK

*To view CAA’s July, August and September International Air Passenger Traffic data please review the reports here, here and here. 

There’s no question that the landscape for international business travel has changed beyond recognition.

Recent research by the Institute of Travel Management found that 38% of corporate travel managers expect their firm’s travel plans and budgets for 2021 to be down by 25% to 50% compared to 2019. However, for many organisations that operate on an international footprint there is also an imperative to get employees moving again, and for expat workers to be located abroad. And with this requirement comes all the usual risks – as well as COVID-19.

In response, Healix International, the security and health risk management business has developed a new suite of tools to give risk managers vital control to meet their duty-of-care obligations. Healix Sentinel brings together five solutions to provide global organisations with vital tools to stay informed of the risks their employees and operations may face and take appropriate action wherever they are across the globe. 

“This year has been extraordinary and organisations around the world are adjusting to a new way of working to ensure business continuity and productivity,” explained Mike Webb, CEO of Healix International. “But remote working can only go so far, and it is critical for many businesses that travel resumes. While COVID-19 brings a new dynamic, all the other risks associated with working abroad, such as earthquakes, terrorist activities or staff experiencing other health related emergencies, remain.

“Whether it is risk associated with COVID-19, or a country’s political landscape, we understand the importance of balance. Excessive risk management programmes can be burdensome and costly, while inadequate cover leaves an organisation vulnerable to operational disruption, reputational damage and potential litigation.”

Developed by experts in crisis management and risk mitigation, the Healix Sentinel suite of services goes beyond the traditional travel risk space to focus instead on ‘people’ risk management, whether they are travelling or not. Another refreshing way the Sentinel platform stands out is the way the client risk manager – rather than the employee - is seen as the primary stakeholder. As Mike Webb adds; “Often the client only has a small team, or a single individual, responsible for risk mitigation. That’s a heavy burden. The Sentinel platform addresses that by making their lives easier and acting as a force multiplier.”

Risk managers can tailor Healix Sentinel to fit their own specific requirements, choosing the mix of services that will complement and support existing security resources. Alternatively, Healix International can provide a fully managed 24/7 ‘virtual’ security department, delivering timely, actionable intelligence using cutting-edge technology to provide location specific insights and monitoring of incidents. In doing so, it gives risk managers peace of mind that they are providing employees with the highest level of duty-of-care.

“Our holistic approach encompasses planning, preparing and taking appropriate action as and when required. By providing a solution scalable to specific needs, this new suite of offerings allows risk managers to capitalise on opportunities in challenging environments within their own risk parameters,” concluded Mike Webb.

“As well as helping tackle an organisation’s risk management concerns and giving peace of mind, Healix Sentinel helps an organisation maintain a competitive advantage and will enhance its reputation as a secure and compliant organisation.”

The Healix Sentinel range includes:

Healix Sentinel Protect

The flagship service gives risk/security managers 24/7 access to a team of crisis and risk management experts. From travel security briefings and situation updates to incident and crisis response and evacuations, it is a virtual 24/7 Global Security Operations Centre (GSOC). Risk managers benefit from tailored analysis, second opinions and bespoke risk assessments to proactively mitigate risks before they become problematic, and expert assistance when incidents do occur. Furthermore, the service can be tailored to be, or support, an organisation’s in-house resources.

Healix Sentinel Tracker

This tool allows risk/security managers to seamlessly monitor and account for their globally mobile workforce via integration with the Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle mobile app. Security alerts and notifications are issued in a timely manner and managers can quickly locate and communicate with employees during a critical incident to ensure their safety.  With ‘Location Services’ activated by employees on their app, risk managers are provided with an accurate, real-time global view of their employees on an interactive map.

Healix Sentinel Critical Watch

Providing a cost-effective solution to extend a security team’s capabilities, Healix Sentinel Critical Watch is ideal for organisations lacking the in-house resources to monitor employees’ safety around-the-clock. The Healix International team provides 24/7 monitoring of global incidents. And in the immediate aftermath of a critical incident, the team reaches out to employees in the vicinity who could be impacted. Their safety is ascertained, and appropriate action can be taken according to the situation.

Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle App

Available on Android and iOS, the Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle app is an invaluable travel safety companion for a global workforce. Through alerts and comprehensive background travel and security briefings on over 200 countries, it provides instant access to critical insight and support before and during overseas assignments. As well as providing current travel safety information, advice and real-time alerts on breaking news, the app has a tracking function and enables travellers to share live location data or manually ‘check-in’ at pre-agreed milestones with a direct feed into the Healix Sentinel Tracker platform.

Healix Sentinel Intelligence Portal

This portal is designed to provide risk managers with up-to-date intelligence on global risks that could impact their operations. The dashboard displays a concise summary of information relating to ongoing incidents, risk levels and trends. Alerts are updated to the platform in real-time by our risk analysts who monitor, verify and assess the impact of incidents as they happen.

The Intelligence Portal also has detailed intelligence summaries on every country worldwide, providing risk managers with in-depth contextual information. A number of different reports can be accessed such as a weekly forecast, evacuation watch and threat report.

Healix International is a global provider of travel risk management and international medical, security and travel assistance services. Working on behalf of multinationals, governments, NGOs and insurers they look after the welfare of expatriates, travellers, offshore workers and local nationals in every country of the world. Healix provide a comprehensive, integrated range of solutions to help safeguard the health and security of their clients’ employees, providing a single point of contact to access the expertise and help they may need, wherever they are in the world, 24/7.

For more information about Healix Sentinel please visit: www.healix.com

PassportCard Deutschland, in partnership with Allianz, launched its international health insurance in Germany on April 2nd.

The product is primarily aimed at expatriates and their families as well as companies with employees abroad who seek comprehensive health coverage whilst abroad. In the wake of the current corona pandemic, PassportCard reaches out to its German customers worldwide as well as to prospect customers with 24/7 on-call medical advice in German without the risk of going out to the doctor, with no extra charge.

PassportCard has decided to offer the insurance product in Germany right now, as the outbreak of Covid-19 has left many expats wondering whether they have sufficient medical coverage, and reach out to the hundreds of Germans worldwide left without sufficient medical cover. PassportCard’s offer provides German expats with comprehensive worldwide insurance coverage together with a special payment mechanism where customers pay the medical providers directly with the “PassportCard payment card” with no out-of-pocket payments.

"At the moment, we are increasingly being approached by Germans who are worried about relatives abroad who are stuck in a foreign country with limited access to healthcare and often without the possibility to travel home. PassportCard offers German expats full insurance cover with 24-hour customer service, including the opportunity to talk to the German doctors of our partner MD-Medicus. This allows Germans abroad to receive German medical assistance around the clock, from the comfort of their home“, explains Alon Ketzef, founder and president of the Davidshield-PassportCard Group.

The PassportCard concept is innovative and focuses entirely on the needs of customers. In the event of a claim, the company pays the claim in real- time, without the customer having to pay in advance anything. This is achieved by means of a specially developed debit card, which, if necessary, is topped up in advance with an individually calculated amount, so that the customer can pay directly at the doctor‘s office. This simplifies the process and saves paperwork effort for the customer and service provider, as receipts generally do not have to be submitted. PassportCard places particular emphasis on the basis of trust between insurer and insured. In addition, PassportCard offers 24/7 support by experts in its own call center in Hamburg; and a telemedicine German-speaking service with German Doctors providing advice around the clock: everything to provide the insured with the best service and support 24/7 around the globe.

PassportCard is part of the DavidShield-PassportCard Group, which was founded 20 years ago by Alon Ketzef in cooperation with the US-based White Mountains Insurance Group (NYSE: WTM). Last year, the group insured more than two million people worldwide. PassportCard works in partnership with the Allianz Group and has received many international awards, including the Australian Mansfield Best Insurance Service Award 2019.

The group is managed by the White Mountains Insurance Group (NYSE:WTM) www.davidshieldgroup.com. Further information is available at www.passportcard.de.

Research has shown that moving to a new home during childhood can be damaging to health and wellbeing, including mental health later in life. The Health Insurance Group believes this adds weight to its view that employers need to consider an employee’s family and dependants - as well as the employee themselves - when providing support during a placement overseas.

Sarah Dennis head of international, The Health Insurance Group says, “For World Mental Health Day we want to remind employers of the importance of looking after the health and wellbeing of the children and families of the employees they send overseas. Expat positions offer great opportunities to see and live in another country, with proper support and care it can be a really positive experience for everyone. Looking after dependants is as important to a successful assignment as it is looking after the employee.”

Highest risks for adolescents who relocate

The long-term study*, which followed 1.4m Danish children into adulthood, showed an increased likelihood of adverse outcomes in adulthood for individuals who had moved home in childhood, with the highest risks being among those who had moved frequently in early adolescence.

What can employers do to mitigate the risks?

Employers can help to mitigate these risks for employees and their families by looking at preventative measures to support mental and physical wellbeing at every stage of a move and return from an overseas assignment. This makes sound business sense too, as preventing any issues for both the employee and their dependants supports productivity and creates an environment where everyone gets the most out of an assignment.

5 Ways to Wellbeing

The mental health charity Mind** suggests ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’, and The Health Insurance Group has shown how employers could use this as a framework for thinking about the best ways to support the family and encourage self-care. The five ways are Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Learn and Give.

In the context of caring for families overseas, the following are examples of how employers can support the wellbeing of staff and their dependants.

• Connect – Encourage employees and family members to join local expat groups and local clubs, organise an expat buddy scheme so families can meet up with each other and share experiences including playdates for children of similar ages; advertise and encourage the use of employee assistance programme (EAP) support lines.
• Be Active – Organise sporting events and encourage employees to get the whole family engaged in active pastimes, offer corporate gym discounts.
• Take Notice – Provide access to mindfulness workshops or classes.
• Learn – Provide opportunities for learning about the host culture and local language.
• Give – Organise family-orientated fundraisers for local charities and volunteering opportunities that could include supporting other relocating employees as they arrive.