Moving abroad is a coverage event. The plan you have now was designed for where you live now, and the transition is where gaps form.
Your current coverage
Domestic coverage is generally tied to residence, employment, or both. When either changes, coverage may end, change, or become ineffective for care where you now live. Some plans continue to cover emergencies abroad; few are designed to be ongoing healthcare in another country.
Before you cancel anything, understand what ending it means: for coverage on visits home, and for getting coverage again if you return.
The timing gap
The most common problem is a gap between the end of old coverage and the start of new coverage. It tends to happen because the new plan was bought late, underwriting took longer than expected, or the move date shifted.
Apply for new coverage well before you leave. Underwriting can take time, and a condition that appears during the gap may be treated as pre-existing on the new plan.
Decisions to make before you move
- What covers you in your new country, starting the day you arrive?
- Do you want care in your home country included?
- What happens to existing coverage, and when?
- Who in your family is covered, and under which plan?
- Does your new country require private insurance for residence? Confirm current rules with official sources.
- Do you need evacuation coverage given where you are going?
If you are moving for work
Employer-provided international coverage can be excellent or thin. Read it as carefully as you would a plan you were paying for — especially family coverage, area of coverage, and what happens if the assignment ends early.
Moving abroad, or already there? Tell us where, for how long, and who is covered. Expat health insurance