Ex-pat eaching English in Taiwan and am clueless about whether NHI covers me outside of the country. Should I maintain some sort of policy in the US to cover me when I travel back, or to maintain coverage if I move home some day? Mostly interested in how others have dealt with protection for catastrophic situations, not routine health issues.
Check this out: Reclaiming money from Taiwan's NHI for treatment abroad
For the States, I would either keep your insurance there, if it doesn’t break your bank, otherwise, get the most expensive insurance package at the airport when you go back to visit.
The thread on NHI reimbursement is helpful. I did not know you can get travelers health insurance so I might want to consider it. Still, my concern is not routine dental care or relatively small emergency procedures, but something really serious that might take me to the states where I would be near family and treatment that could cost hundreds of thousands of USD$$$.
This is a tough question and one I have thought about from time to time, because it can happen. Let’s say you’re living overseas and end up with a serious illness whereby you are unable to work or keep your job…logically you would want to fly home to be with family and get health care. I’m not sure how that would work, but I assume that nowadays you would be able to pick up insurance upon your return without having to endure a prior health check-up (i.e. pre-existing illnesses wouldn’t impede you from getting insurance or affect your rates anymore under new legislation, right?).
If that’s the case, I really wouldn’t shell out the cash for insurance while you’re not even living there. Just pick up travel insurance when you travel back for visits.