International Man of Mystery's blog

Sun, Sea and Savings!

Holidays can be a stressful as well as a relaxing time for a family.  Whether it is a nice romantic break or having the kids tag along, getting all your things together, making sure all the correct documentation is organised and having sorted out the appropriate cover for holiday insurance then it’s for the off! 

Insurance can be a very useful tool on your holidays; god knows how much I have managed to claim back from misplaced or damaged cameras or phones.  It was great having the peace of mind against any accidental damage or loss of money whilst you are on holiday.  Lots of bank accounts now offer different holiday insurance packages; some are even included within particular types of accounts. 

An invaluable resource can be a European Health Insurance card which when used abroad can be used to get healthcare at a state hospital in the European Union.  The card is free to get and could potentially save money if you are unfortunate enough to land up unwell or injured.  These types of cards would be especially helpful for young adults, who as we all know, through various TV shows (and experience) may incur some drunken accidents on various 18-30 jaunts throughout Europe.

Having these types of preventative measures can be great to give you peace of mind whilst you enjoy your week or two in the sun.  They can also save you potentially hundreds of pounds in either electronic equipment, lost currency or medical bills, so making sure that before you set off these can be gods send!

 

Related articles

• Get your travel money plans in order this summer (scotsman.com)
• 10 things to do before you go on holiday (confused.com)

Destination Budapest

We'll be doing a posts on Eastern European healthcare including Hungary in the near future. In the meantine, here's a pretty cool video of Budapest.

 

Expatriates, tax and migration: France and the UK

So, after a hard-fought battle for power over the channel, la République française now has a new socialist president.

Will Hollande for France be a winning era in the Republic? Only time will tell, but already there are signs that his presidency (and tax policies) may not be to the preference of some - with the news that mass UK emigration and an attendant rise in London property prices may ensue.

All of which could lead to an interesting situation. Of course, what with the UK capital's relative proximity to France, the city is already home to a good number of French people already - and there are some great (and 100% authentic) French shops in various areas, plus there's even a French state-run school.

There were approximately a hundred thousand people in the UK registered to vote in the French elections. It must be an interesting situation to vote for your candidate while also being in another (albeit nearby) country.

In a recent article in the Guardia, a young exptriate couple were interviewed on the broad subject of the recent election - when asked what they missed most about home, there weren't an awful lot of things forthcoming - the changing landscapes, the bakeries, and the price of wine in supermarkets being the biggies.

Meanwhile, France remains a popular expat destination for British people - the AXA PPP International site describes the country as a "world leader in medical science". French hospitals are described as clean and well-equipped , too.

Which European country would you most like to live in, and why?

 

Megatrends in global healthcare: where we're all headed

There's a  very interesting presentation by Harvard Business Review editors Karen Dillon and Steve Prokesch, entitled "Megatrends in Global Healthcare" on the HBR's website right now. Essentially it's the 12 biggest things going on in the world's healthcare systems right now - and about their potential effect on the decades ahead.

From emerging markets such as that of India to the threat of global pandemics, this is fascinating stuff, so here are some of the topics they cover in the presentation. If you find any of them interesting and want to read more, then click on the link to this Harvard  Business Review presentation (in the first paragraph above).

Emerging economies

In summary what the HBR says is that the sheer volume of change in countries like China and India will have two key effects: demand for healthcare will soar. But so, as a result, will innovation.They also see the possibility of there being uptake o fthese innovations in developed countries too.

These are interesting prospects in anyone's books. And it's not just the scale of change in China and India that make this megatrend one that provides so much food for thought - it's the pace of these countries' change too. 

Pandemics

We've all seen the scary movies - or trailers for them, at any rate. An entire world population on the brink because of some new, fast-spreading modern-day plague. In reality global pandemics aren't quite like they're portrayed in the movies, but events such as  H1N1 influenza pandemics can still cause thousands of deaths. The HBR presentation cites "urban sprawl, population growth, global travel, and rudimentary delivery systems in poor countries" as being the things that make global pandemics a continuing threat.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM)

Now this one is truly interesting (...actually, they all are). The HBR here gives the example of a hospital that applied EBM methodologies and halved its heart surgery mortality rate. They believe that in future we could see a world where 'data on outcomes' could play a bigger role in medical treatment. Concievably this scenario could possibly cause a cultural change within the medical profession and its attendant professional bodies, in the shape of protocols and maybe even universal targets.

Which megatrends in global healthcare do you see as being the furthest reaching? Let us know in the comments.

 

NHS prone to abuse from healthcare tourists campaigners have warned

 Campaigners are arguing that the NHS is being too lenient with its services for foreigners, dubbing it the ‘world health service’ after it was discovered the Government has paid out £35 million worth of free treatment for health tourists in the last 8 years. 

It was argued that GPs are offering expensive treatments for healthcare in Britain and have too much freedom to register foreign individuals for surgeries.  Migration Watch UK stated that doctors could be deciding to see people without identity documents and offer them treatment that shouldn’t be available to them for free.  Currently there is no recognised procedure for foreigners to hand over documentation when registering with a doctor.  This means that essentially, a visitor with a six month visa could arrive in the UK and get access to GP services of the NHS without having to pay. 

This is a worry for the NHS as currently it is already under a tremendous amount of pressure to reduce costs as the cost on the taxpayer is ever increasing.  Currently the Department of Health is struggling to chase down millions owed from thousands of people who have abused the NHS system and therefore, the £35 million figure stated earlier, could potentially be much higher. 

In order to combat healthcare tourism, visitors who have run up a bill of £1,000 or more in medical debts will not be allowed back in the UK.  Decisions still need to be made on whether visitors should be charged for NHS services outside of hospitals, such as GP surgeries, is still currently under consideration.  At present there are comprehensive rules and procedures in place to charge visitors for hospital treatments but is known that this system still needs work and they are being reviewed to prevent improper access to the NHS. 

It should be noted however, these instances are very different from those claiming support that have international health insurance that provides cover for any medical treatments for the countries that the individual is covered for.  In those instances the costs are covered by the individual’s health insurance providers.  

 

AXA PPP International announce changes to MHD

Major international health provider AXA PPP International has made a number of changes to their MHD policy options this week.  MHD stands for Medical History Disregarded and is a policy that means that those with any pre-existing conditions and illnesses will be treated under an MHD policy, subject to the terms and conditions provided.

For those with individual international private medical insurance, AXA are offering special switching terms for those underwritten by their competitors for both their International Health and Channel Island Plans.  The switching offer means those switching to AXA PPP International can keep their previous underwritten terms they held with past insurers.  The offer is valid to those who have not received any treatment in a hospital or from a consultant in the last year and are not presently or in the future receiving any treatment and who have not had cancer in the last 5 years. 

Further to this, they have made a change to their corporate international insurance offering.  The minimum number of employees for new business for their MHD plans has been reduced from ten to five, meaning that more businesses can benefit from their policies.  

 

How to get free healthcare in Spain for British tourists

An extensive guide has been released by the UK Embassy in Madrid on how to gain free healthcare services in Spain for British tourists whilst in the country.

The guide has a number of practical tips and healthcare information in order to gain free healthcare in Spain at the same level as a Spanish resident.  The information is also grouped by levels of entitlement in line with you status within Spain, such as whether you are just on a short vacation or if you own a second home in Spain, or if you are working, studying or a pensioner.

It has been revealed that estimates put the cost of supplying the healthcare needs of foreigners in Spain at over 15 million Euros in the Valencia province alone.  For this reason the Spanish Government is trying to reduce the impact of these practices, often referred to as ‘healthcare tourism’.

The guide states that the European Health Insurance Card is a major benefit for British tourists travelling abroad, as it means you can benefit from the state-owned healthcare system found in the country.  Any UK resident can get access to one of these cards easily and it will cover healthcare treatment needed in Spain.  It is advisable to take one of these cards whilst travelling, even if you are only going to be away for a short period of time because you never know what might happen.  You may end up being liable for paying some costs for healthcare services as the scheme only includes services deemed to be urgent by the Spanish Healthcare services.

The guide has practical information for those British people travelling in Spain who can’t afford to pay for healthcare services as well as well as all the documentation needed to qualify for medical assistance in an EU country.  These documents need to be given to the Spanish health authorities to show the conditions are met before any medical treatment can be received. 

It should be pointed out again that the Spanish Government are trying to reduce the number of services available to EU nationals as part of their budget deficit.  For this reason it is advisable to see what international medical insurance options are available to you and your family.  

 

Destination international health insurance: Japan

We often read about how much health care can vary from country to country - and there are often pleasant suprises to be had on finding out that X or Y country - while not even particularly close to joining the hallowed G8 list - actually punches above its weight in healthcare and is known for the quality of its health service.

But what of G8 countries besides the UK? How, for instance, does Japan fare in terms of its healthcare - and how that healthcare is perceived worldwide?

In an article from The Economist published September last year (title "Not all smiles") it's reported that, while the Japanese spend half the amount Americans do on healthcare, they live longer.

Of course - and you won't have to read to the end of the article to guess this is coming- the Japanese are known for eating healthier than other rich nations, which could well account for the differences in expenditure and longevity - while also glossing over some of the shortcomings the service in Japan may have. The Economist article talks of doctors who are overstretched and seeing as many as 100 patients in a day, for instance.

The Japanese healthcare system is publicly funded - and provides a good level of patient choice, however foreign nationals staying in the country for under a year will need medical insurance. Japan is also well known for its adeptness at (and love of) technology - and the healthcare system also bears this out, with the country being renowned for its high-tech hospital and clinic equipment compared to other countries.

If you're heading abroad you're strongly advised (and in some cases obliged) to take out international medical insurance. Companies like AXA PPP International have websites with information on personal and corporate international insurance, plus a selection of country guides with more info, plus there are sites like the Expat Forum where you can read about people's individual expatriate experiences - and also ask for tips and advice.

 

Healthcare news from around the world

A quick roundup of some of the healthcare stories we've spotted on the web today...

England:

Next year, the NHS will no longer be responsible for public health - with new legislation meaning that the  task of improving the people's health will move over to local governent. Quoted in the Guardian's report is Camden's Director for Public Health, who believes that the core mission of public health will remain unchanged: "narrowing the gap between the health and life expectancy of poorer and richer citizens" will be the continuing theme.

The Philippines:

According to a recent expatriate country guide printed in the Telegraph, the Philippines doesn't provide consistent facilities between cities and rural areas, with the former often of western standards and the latter far less less advanced. As the artice puts it, "Many countries have patchy
health care but the Philippines appear to take this to an extreme".

The USA

The Wall Street Journal reports that - according to a recent Institute of Medicine report, the US healthcare system is too heavily involved in treating sick (clinical care) people rather than preventing illness. The institute believes that consequently there should be a tax on medical care 'to drive improvements in the system'. 

Have you seen any international healthcare stories you'd like to share with us? If so, let us know in the comments...

 

 

Global Health Expenditure

Global Health Expenditure

You may be mistaken for thinking that countries that spend the most per person on healthcare should in fact have citizens that live the longest right? Of the 34 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) only three of those countries who spent the most on healthcare live the longest.  Here we detail the 3 countries who spend the most on healthcare in the developed world.

The United States

Americans spend on average £4968 per capita.  This is almost £1872 more per head that the Norwegians who come in a close second.  Americans can expect an average of 78.2 years and although they spend so much on each person only have the 27^th highest life expectancy.  America also spends the most amount of money on pharmaceuticals than any other country in the world.

Norway

After its Scandinavian neighbour, Norway owns the most nationalised healthcare system in the western world.  Norway spends approximately £3341 on healthcare per person and boasts a life expectancy of around 81 years old which is the 10^th highest in the world.  Although the majority of the healthcare costs are covered by the system, each individual still pays approximately per £499 person on health.

Switzerland

Coming in at third amount of expenditure per capita is Switzerland with £3335 or approximately 11.6 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.  Because of Switzerland’s wealth it has one of the most privatised healthcare systems on the planet.  Almost 30 per cent of medical insurance expenses come straight out of the pocket in Switzerland. 

 

A notable exclusion from the list is the UK who didn’t make top 10 list of expenditure.  It was thought the UK spends around £2175 on health care through the NHS and is some way off the pace compared to that of its European counterparts although the average life expectancy is 80.1 years.