What is health insurance in the Maldives?
Medical insurance allows the tourist to receive medical care free of charge.* Standard travel insurance includes the following risks:
Outpatient and inpatient treatment
Emergency Dental Care
Reimbursement for medicines prescribed by a doctor
Call an ambulance
Transportation to Russia in case of severe illness
*Provided that the sum insured covers the cost of treatment. The sum insured is the amount within which treatment will be carried out if you suddenly fall ill.
If you are an experienced tourist and understand all the nuances of insurance, you can immediately calculate the cost using an online calculator, but we recommend that you familiarize yourself with some of the features of insurance when traveling to the Maldives. From this article, you will find out what is the optimal sum insured, whether it is worth taking a franchise, what is assistance, and much more.
The cost of insurance for a trip to the Maldives
The basic cost of insurance is determined by the insurance company itself, based on the standard of living in the country, the cost of medical services, the crime rate and many other factors. Moreover, the higher the average cost of medical services, the more expensive the insurance will be.
After that, several parameters you choose are added to the cost of insurance, such as the duration of the trip, additional services, the presence / absence of a deductible and the amount insured. The larger the sum insured, the more expensive the treatment will be covered by the insurance. Also, the price of insurance is affected by the age of the tourist and chronic diseases (if any).
Considering all these factors and the periodic decrease or increase in the base cost of insurance, depending on the improvement or deterioration of the situation in the country, the average cost of insurance in the Maldives is extremely “average”. So, for one person it can cost 12-15 * euros, and for another 25-30 * for the same duration of the trip. Moreover, its cost can change even for the same person, in the event of a rise in the cost of medical services or a sharp increase in the level of crime. Thus, when calculating the average cost, the error can be ± 50%.
In order to find out the exact cost of medical insurance in the Maldives, you can use online calculator.
*The cost of insurance when applying online. Purchasing a policy from an insurance agent or at the office of an insurance company can cost more.
Do you need insurance in the Maldives?
The Maldives is a country with a high standard of living index, a thriving economy and a low crime rate, but a high standard of living also affects the cost of medical services. If special tariffs or preferential insurance are provided for citizens of this country, then the tourist has to pay in full.
The quality of medical services in the Maldives is not inferior to European (and in many ways even superior), which also affects their cost. One day in the ward of a private clinic can cost several hundred euros, and even an ambulance call can be paid, the cost of which depends on the specific city and clinic.
The average cost of a two-week travel insurance to the Maldives costs several tens of euros, while the cost of calling an ambulance alone can exceed this amount by several times. When deciding whether the game is worth the candle, remember that if expensive medical care is provided to a tourist who does not have insurance, then he and his family will have to pay the entire cost of treatment upon their return to Russia.
How to choose travel insurance for the Maldives?
When buying insurance, you need to pay attention to the following characteristics:
The sum insured when traveling to any country should be calculated based on the average cost of medical services. The more expensive the doctor’s appointment or one day in the clinic’s ward costs a tourist, the greater the sum insured should be chosen. So, for example, when traveling to India or Cuba, you can stay on the amount of 30 thousand dollars, but in the Maldives this money may not be enough.
In addition, medical insurance for the Maldives with an insured amount of 100 thousand dollars will cost only 50-60% more than insurance with 30,000 dollars, and not 300%, as one might expect. The fact is that the larger the sum insured you set, the cheaper one insured thousand dollars is in relation to one euro of the cost of insurance. For example, if insurance for 30,000 dollars costs 15 euros, then it turns out that for one euro you can get 2,000 dollars in compensation. If this insurance amount is increased to 100,000 dollars, then the insurance will cost 7-10 euros more, but for one euro you you can get not two, but 5,000 dollars. Thus, the total cost of insurance increases by 50-60%, and the cost of the sum insured decreases by 240-250%. *
*In order to understand the principle of reducing the cost of the sum insured using a specific example, you can use the insurance calculator. Having calculated the price of insurance for the Maldives with the minimum and maximum sum insured, it will be easier for you to understand the principle of its pricing.
The insurance company not only sells the policy, but also makes payments in the event of an insured event, so its solvency, history of insurance payments and reliability can be considered the main criteria that you should pay attention to when buying insurance.
The following companies are recognized as one of the largest Russian insurers with the highest percentage of payments:
Alliance
Rosgosstrakh
Ingosstrakh
reso-guarantee
Renaissance Insurance
The assistance company acts as an intermediary between the insurance company, the clinic and the tourist. It is the assistant who will advise the tourist by phone, agree on treatment at the nearest clinic, coordinate the actions of the clinic and the insurance company for the fastest possible receipt and timely payment of medical services. The outcome of the insured event largely depends on the professionalism of the operators of the assistance company, because the faster and more smoothly they work, the faster the tourist will be provided with all the necessary assistance. Some of the most professional operators are employees of the following assistance companies:
International SOS (ISOS)
Mondial Assistance (Mondial)
Class assistance (Class)
Europe Assistance
Global Voyager Assistance
The deductible significantly reduces the cost of the policy, however, when contacting the clinic, the insurance company will pay for the treatment minus the amount of the deductible. That is, if you apply for a franchise for $ 200 (the average amount of a franchise when traveling abroad), then this is how much you will have to pay when an insured event occurs, and all other expenses will be covered by the insurance company.
Payment method. Insurance companies pay for treatment in two ways: compensation payment and service payment.
The compensation payment assumes 100% payment for the treatment by the tourist himself, and after returning it fully compensates for its cost. After returning from trip, you must contact the office of the insurance company within 30 days and provide all the certificates and invoices received during the treatment, and a few days later come to the office of the company to receive compensation.
Service payment allows you to receive medical care for free by simply providing your doctor with your travel insurance to the Maldives, however, sending a request to the insurance company and waiting for confirmation of payment may take some time.
Also, insurance companies can provide the tourist with the opportunity to independently choose the method of payment in each case.
Additional services can make life easier for a tourist in trouble abroad. The most demanded and popular services are: legal assistance, translation services, luggage insurance and trip cancellation insurance. The prices for such services are quite affordable and do not greatly affect the cost of the policy, but at the same time, in an emergency, they are able to protect both the financial and civil law interests of the tourist.
Active recreation could be attributed to additional services, as it is included in the insurance contract at the request of the client, however, active recreation insurance should be highlighted. None of the standard medical insurance for a trip to the Maldives will pay for treatment if you are injured while practicing potentially life-threatening sports (recreation). Moreover, the term “dangerous” includes running, bowling, fishing, skateboarding or rollerblading, and even volleyball. Therefore, extreme rest insurance should be included not only for those who plan to engage in deep-sea diving or rock climbing, but also for those who are going to at least somehow exercise physical activity. Otherwise, you risk being denied payment for treatment.