Expat health and life insurance underwriting

Also, when applying for life insurance, an expat's health is carefully reviewed by the underwriter.

The long distance air travel, itself, can be life threatening for individuals with certain existing health conditions, especially circulatory conditions. Additionally, foreign health care delivery systems, sanitary conditions, climate, and topography can all have real implications in the event of a medical emergency. For example, the chances of surviving a stroke or heart attack while touring a rural region in South America can be much lower than in Italy.

The issue here is the emergency health care system capability of the country being visited. If you were to have a serious medical crisis, such as a car accident, the life insurance company wants to know the probability of that country delivering premier medical care. One indicator of the strength of a nation's health care system is their per capita health care funding. You can refer to www.nationmaster.com also for data in this area.

Communicable diseases -- such as hepatitis, tuberculosis and HIV -- are prevalent in many countries outside the United States. In some countries these diseases are at epidemic proportions, and the results can be deadly.

Expats encounter many health risks that most insurance applicants wouldn't immediately realize. When you apply for life coverage as an expat, we recommend you completely disclose your travel history and all future travel plans. The details are important. Tell your broker the country, the city, the reason for your visit, and the duration and frequency of your overseas travel.

Rest assured, you can receive a reasonable rate (1) if your broker understands which companies are competitive for people that travel abroad and (2) if the broker can accurately present your expat insurance application with an eye to which health factors are most important to the underwriter. By properly presenting all risks -- and all mitigating circumstances -- the underwriter can best compete for your business.

For the expat, that means a more affordable life insurance quote.