Health Insurance for Globetrotters

Dear Sir/Madame,

I am busy planning a one-year trip outside of Switzerland and am looking for health insurance coverage for this trip.

My travels will take me to Madagascar, Thailand, Cambodia, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Uzbekistan and probably Latin America as well. I haven't finalized my plans, but I know that I will not be expatriating to any one country but will be traveling as a globetrotter.

For family reasons, I will return to Switzerland for short visits throughout my travels.

Would you be able to refer me to a health insurance company (Swiss or foreign) which offers insurance that matches my needs?

Thank you for your help and best regards.

Hi there,

You are allowed to keep your Swiss compulsory health insurance after leaving Switzerland until you settle in another country by living there for 120 days or longer. But there are limitations. For example, compulsory Swiss health insurance only covers medical emergencies and accidents (when accident coverage is included in your policy) while you are traveling abroad. Preventative checkups and other non-emergency medical care is not covered. Secondly, you will normally have to cover your medical bills in advance and then claim reimbursement from your Swiss health insurance provider. Thirdly, compulsory Swiss health insurance only covers foreign medical bills up to double the cost of equivalent treatment in Switzerland. While this is sufficient in most cases, it may not be sufficient when the costs of specific healthcare treatments are much higher in the country in which you receive the care than they are in Switzerland.

International health insurance, such as that provided by some Swiss health insurance providers, does not have the same limitations as compulsory Swiss health insurance. You are free to seek non-emergency medical care and some policies include dental coverage as well. If you choose to settle in a country, you can keep your insurance plan. The premiums compare very favorably with those of compulsory Swiss health insurance. You can find clear information in the moneyland.ch guide to Swiss international health insurance.

Best regards from Moneyguru

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