Expat Health Insurance That Works Anywhere in the World

Under the ACA (Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare") health insurance is only available to permanent residents of the U.S. If you continue to pay your premium after moving, the insurer will likely continue to accept your payments. However, when you try use your insurance it may come to light that you no longer live in the U.S. In this case, the insurer has the legal right to consider your insurance contract invalid from the date of your move, allowing them to deny your claim and even retroactively recover past claim payments made since your move. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you switch to a reputable international health insurance plan when moving abroad.

International health insurance typically costs less than comparable insurance in the U.S. because of lower healthcare costs. International health insurance typically costs only 40% - 60% the price of a comparable plan in the U.S.

Local health insurance may be less expensive, but it does not cover you outside of your adopted country and sometimes not even outside of the state or province where you reside. That means no coverage on trips back home and you are not able to get care at a top U.S. facility for life- threatening diseases such as cancer.

International health insurance is far more complicated than other insurance products, which makes it difficult to understand to compare plans. TripDoctor provides you with expert advice on the best insurance options available, all at no cost to you. Our commitment is to make sure you get the right insurance to cover the needs of you and your family, even if it does not come through us.

Doctors in most countries outside of the U.S. are required to publicly display their medical license number (called a "cedula" in Spanish) in their offices and on advertisements. If you do not see it displayed, ask your doctor for a copy of their license before accepting any care from them. Many countries have a website where you can verify a doctor's license number that can be found online.

This is a more difficult question than simply verifying licensure. TripDoctor recommends looking for doctors who have training in the US or Europe, good reviews online (especially those in English) and are recommended by fellow expats. Our local agents can also help you find a quality doctor for you or your family members.

Hospitals abroad vary widely in quality. The best measure of quality is provided by the same U.S. based non-profit that inspects and certifies U.S. hospitals, the Joint Commission. They also inspect and certify hospitals abroad. You can search for Joint Commission Certified hospitals worldwide using this link.