When leaving your home country forever, then insurance can be an issue. When you’re first traveling, it’s easy, you just buy a backpacker policy. However, once it expires and you’re still abroad, then most won’t let you extend if you’re already traveling. You need to change to a specialist one.

I did this for quite a while with worldnomads https://www.worldnomads.com, Many years in fact. I never claimed anything but I really dislike this company, for two reasons. One is their affliliate program. If you search for this company, there are MILLIONS of people, influencers, bloggers etc. selling this, and it kind of drowns out any other voice, such as someone posting anything negative about the company.

Now call me cynical, but then I found their youtube channel, which was entitled with their company name. They had ran a video competition where backpackers could submit a travel video online and win a prize. So of course, they published HUNDREDS of these videos, and each one has their company name in the title. Their company name is also the title of the insurance.

Now imagine if you had an issue, were treated very badly and wanted to post that online, well you can, but no one will ever see it becuase if someone searches the company name, all they will see are the affiliate links and videos for the competition.

Another thing is, they used to have two prices. One price for worldwide insurance and another for worldwide excluding USA and Japan, which was cheaper (due to the high cost of medical treatment there).

Then they changed it. You didn’t just choose those two options, you had to write the name of every single country you were planning to visit. Now if you put in USA or Japan it sparks a higher price (without telling you) but also, it’s not just these two countries now. Many counties spark the higher price. There is no way to know except to fill in the form, choose the countries and check the price, OK all good, add another country, check the price, OK, all good. Add another country… price increased. Clear form and start again. It’s not possible to just remove the country.

Ofcourse, this is ridiculous. If I wanted to insure myself for all the countries in the lower price bracket I would need to manually check every single one.

So I simply emailed than and asked for a list. The reply stated that THEY HAVE NO LIST. They themselves do not know which countries are on the cheaper tier. I asked how is this possible? They said that the definition of countries and international borders is constantly changing, and so it’s impossible to provide a list.

This is when I knew it was a scam. So there are all these customers adding countries that they may or may not go to, just to be on the safe side, not realising that one of them is perhaps triggering the higher price.

The other thing is, I bet there area a sizable amount of people who travel and their plans change and they forget they didn’t add the country they went onto and then they are unknowingly uninsured. Now I can’t prove it’s their deliberate policy, but put it this way. If you tried to get a figure from them, for the amount in usd denied due to people not having chosen the correct country at the time of purchase… well, good luck with that. The whole practice is almost like a form of shrinkflation.

Actually, there is three things. Another thing is that they add a donation to local projects, like schools or wells or something in developing countries. Now, if you want to donate to something like that you can just choose a project you like and send money. Why do they add this.

But then in their literature, they boast about how much ‘they’ have donated to local projects. Plus, those ‘donations’ from ‘their’ money is a tax write off!

No. I do not like this company.

 

Then I found https://www.bigcattravelinsurance.com who also let you both extend and also buy a policy if you are already away from your home country.  This policy was cheaper than nomads and really good when I got it as it specifically stated that it would be valid unless you became resident in another country, and it allowed most types of work etc.

Then I got sick for a few months and had to make a claim, and it was a little convoluted, but they did indeed pay out, so I was pretty happy. When it was time to extend I looked at the website and the part about work being OK and residence had disappeared from the website.

So I emailed them and the reply was ‘as long as you are entitled to your own countries state health service, then you are covered’. So I was happy, but thought then well actually, I’d better check, and if I am or not, is ambiguous. Once I’m at ‘home’ with no intention to leave then I’d be entitled, but if ill or injured abroad then no as I’m not resident when that occured.

So I got back to them for clarification, with a full explanation of my situation. At the time, spending most of my time in Cambodia but on -6 month visas, and so considered not Cambodian resident by Cambodian banks.

The reply from Big Cat was that they are only an agent for the insurance, but because I spend most of my time in another country, it could be argued that I am also resident there and so any claim could be disputed, and he advised me to get local health insurance.

Easier said than done. Nowadays, there is specific nomad insurance, for people in a similar situation to me, not really resident anywhere, the bestknown is https://safetywing.com/safetywing. However, their quote for a years insurance for me is around two thousand usd, nearly three times what I was paying with Big Cat.

Recently, I found Safety Net. This is insurance specifically for Cambodia. The following is a summery or the information online and in their documents:

When considering purchasing health insurance, it’s essential to understand the details, eligibility, and benefits. Here’s what you need to know, based on the provided documents:

General Information

• SafetyNet is a health insurance specialist in Cambodia that was founded in 2015. They partner with insurance leaders FORTE and AXA.
• SafetyNet aims to make health insurance affordable and accessible for all ages.
• Family Health Protect is a range of affordable medical insurance plans for families.
• The plans protect you financially against illness and accident expenses.
• Direct billing is available.
• There is worldwide coverage.
• Application requires a minimum of 4 members.
• The insurance is annually renewable.
• Annual premiums and policy terms can change over the years.

Key Benefits

• Coverage for medical expenses when hospitalized
• Support for expenses for visits to medical doctors for family members.
• Coverage for surgical procedures, kidney dialysis, and cancer treatment.
• Coverage for childbirth and complications.
• Emergency road ambulance and accident treatment.
• International Emergency Medical Assistance (depending on the plan).
• Xtra Safe: The possibility to multiply the Annual Maximum Coverage by 3 in case of urgent need.
• Cash benefit to your family in case of accidental death.
• Funeral benefit.

Coverage Details

• The Family Health Protect product is designed primarily to cover hospital and surgical treatment. It can cover outpatient treatment, vaccinations, and health check-ups up to certain limits.
• In-patient treatment covers medically necessary services when admitted to a hospital ward or room for an overnight stay, including surgeon and anesthetist fees, operating theatre room charges, intensive care unit and other special medical units, drugs, dressings and other consumables charges, doctor and specialists visit fees. It also covers implants and internal prosthetics, diagnostic and investigation charges, diagnostic scans, spinal supports, physiotherapy, dialysis, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and take-home medications.

Plans Available

• SafetyNet offers several plans: Silk, Jade, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, and Lotus.
• Each plan has a different Annual Maximum Coverage. For example, the Silk plan has a $12,000 maximum, while the Lotus plan has a $120,000 maximum.
• The Accident Annual Maximum is the same as the Annual Maximum Coverage for each plan.
• The Illness Annual Maximum is also the same as the Annual Maximum Coverage, but a 30-day waiting period applies.

Costs and Payments

• Co-payment: You share the payment. You pay 10% of medical expenses from the Hospital Network, and 20% for other hospitals.
• A special co-payment of 20% is added to in-patient charges if the chosen hospital room costs more than double the Daily Accommodation limit shown in the Benefits Table.
• An additional co-payment of 30% applies to all claims made under the Xtra Safe program.
• Payment options: One-time payment or 3 installments. The first installment (35%) is due on the commencement date, the second (35%) after 3 months, and the third (30%) after 6 months, with a 2% additional premium.

Eligibility and Application

• Eligibility is open to all ages with guaranteed acceptance.
• The policy can only cover a child six years old or above on a standalone basis.
• To start a community, the minimum is 4 members and the maximum is 25.
• As part of the application process, all requested information must be disclosed accurately with supporting documents. False information can lead to serious consequences.
• The policy becomes effective after approval by FORTE and payment of any premium due.
• FORTE can request the latest medical reports at your expense if further medical information is required for a claim.
• Members of a community can include Spouse, Child, Great Child, Sibling, Parent, Parent-in-law, Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law, Grand-parent, Grand-parent-in-law, Niece, Nephew, Cousin, Uncle, Aunt, Great Uncle, Great Aunt, or Others (subject to approval).
• Any change of information should be reported immediately. Failure to do so may result in withdrawal of claims and/or benefits.
• Answers provided in Form A and accompanying Form(s) B must be complete and true at the time of application and policy commencement.
• None of the members in the application should be currently hospitalized.

Waiting Periods & Exclusions

• Waiting periods are periods during which certain treatments are not covered.
• General exclusions include cosmetic surgery (except due to an accident), treatments related to military or professional sport activities, fertility treatments, sterility, contraception, sex change, impotence, expenses not related to medical treatment (such as TV, newspaper, moisturizer, toothpaste), treatments against obesity, and mental illness.
• A list of medical conditions are excluded during the first twenty-four (24) months of cover. Refer to policy wording.
• Severe conditions are only partially covered if diagnosed during the first six months from the policy commencement date.
• Pre-existing conditions are not covered before the policy commencement date; this exclusion is waived after three consecutive years of cover.
• The annual maximum coverage benefits are progressive for the first 2 years.

Transferring Insurance

• To transfer insurance, you must have been continuously insured for at least 3 years under one similar international health insurance plan (proof of reference required).
• You must certify that there is no time gap of coverage between the previous health insurance plan and the new one.
• You must clarify the exclusions of your current health insurance plan, and previous certificates of insurance are required.
• You must certify that you do not have any planned or pending surgery or hospitalization at the time of transfer.

Important Notes

• The policy is only effective subject to approval and payment of any premium due.
• No liability will be accepted until full payment is received.
• The policy may be terminated if the application contains any false information.
• Premiums are not guaranteed and are likely to change with attained age every year.
• The insured is required to bear a co-payment for all treatment claimed, subject to a maximum out-of-pocket in the hospital network, as shown in the benefit table.
• Definitions, terms, and conditions are included in the policy wording.

Acknowledgment and Agreement

• By signing the application, you declare that the answers provided are complete and true.
• You authorize physicians, hospitals, or any person who attended to you to disclose any information regarding any illness, injury, or treatment to FORTE or FORTE’s partner managing claims on FORTE’s behalf for claim inquiry purposes.
• There won’t be any refund of premium if any claim is made on the policy.

Free Look Period

• Free Look Period (15 days): You can cancel your policy within 15 days from the Commencement Date, and the premium will be refunded if no claim has been made.

Medical Questionnaire

• For enhanced coverage, members may complete a Medical Questionnaire. Satisfactory results will lead to higher coverage.
• However, if any false declarations are discovered, the Insurance Policy can be terminated immediately, with no premium refunded.
• Answering “Yes” to questions about cancer, carcinoma, or leukemia will lead to rejection of the application for the concerned member.
• Answering “No” to any question will lead to rejection of INSURANCE TRANSFER application for the concerned member.

Where to Find More Information

• For Customer Service (24/7): [email protected], 023 23 57 57 | 093 23 57 57 | 085 70 57 57 | 088 884 57 57.
• For Sales Hotline (Mon-Fri): 069 90 57 57.
• Website: www.safetynet-health.com.

This information should give you a solid foundation for making an informed decision about purchasing health insurance from SafetyNet.

However, according to the website, they are currently not accepting new applications (which is strange). I will contact them and update the results here.