Insurance Questions.

[whereishunter]

I am interested to know how other foreigners are covering themselves and possessions with insurance while living in China. I am planning living here for the next few years and up until now I have not had any insurance at all.

I think it is time to get some kind of insurance. Mainly because if I do have any major health problems I want to be covered and cared for in my home country, (New Zealand) but not too sure what is the best approach?

I am looking into getting some travel insurance but I am not really travelling but living here.

How are you covering yourself with insurance?

[ABCinChina]

If you are going to work for a company in China, then you can have them cover all your health, dental, & vision costs in China. Just make sure that you state that you need health insurance in the interview. I'm not familiar on China's insurance policy for foreigners, but I think the better option would be to buy an insurance in New Zealand that will reimburse you insurance costs while overseas. (That is if you are not going to work for a company)

[liuzhou]

If you are going to work for a company in China, then you can have them cover all your health, dental, & vision costs in China

I've never heard of a Chinese employer offering health insurance which includes emergency repatriation to other countries. I'm not even convinced there is such a thing.

In fact, Chinese medical insurance rarely covers total costs of local treatment.

If this is something which troubles you, then get NZ insurance.

[fanglu]

Travel insurance isn't that expensive and covers repatriation. Just be careful to check if it ends if you return to your home country.

[ABCinChina]

Personally I work for a Taiwan company that provides health insurance up to a certain amount per year. Thus, if you work for an international company, your chances are better for getting health insurance. But if your a teacher, I don't think they provide any insurance.

[peekay]

You may need two insurance policies, i.e., a travel insurance to cover medical repatriation (plus other travel coverage) plus a local property/renter-liability insurance policy in China.

Many multi-national insurance companies operate in China, but even if you go with one of them for both needs, you will likely need to buy two separate policies (one abroad and one from their Chinese affiliate.)

[LaoZhang]

Check out AFLAC

They have an indemnity policy, which means that if there's an incident, you get a certain amount of $ no matter what it actually costs.

For example, you might get $100 for a sprained ankle. You spend $15 at the hospital, submit a claim form (it just needs to be signed by the hospital) and then you get indemnified for $100.

I don't work for AFLAC nor have I any affiliations with them other than that I had their coverage while living in China. I didn't have to file any claims.