All about Medical Underwriting

Read this before applying to a private health insurance.
If you apply for a private health insurance, you always have to pass medical underwriting.

What is Medical Underwriting? 

Medical Underwriting is a health insurance term referring to the use of your medical information in the evaluation of the applicant for coverage. As part of the underwriting process, your health information may be used in making two decisions: whether to offer or exclude (part of the) coverage and what premium rate or loading to set for the policy. 

Medical Underwriting from an insurer’s point of view

From the insurers' point of view, medical underwriting is necessary to prevent people from purchasing health insurance coverage only when they are sick, pregnant or need medical care. After all, an insurance is a form of precaution. It covers you for uncertain facts and conditions in the future. You can never take out insurance for pre-existing conditions, except in bigger groups (corporate contracts or social security, where everybody is obliged to have insurance).

A pre-existing condition or illness is already a certainty. You can no longer insure what already is sure. So the older you become, the lower your coverage will be, and the higher your premium, if you often change insurers (= loss of continuity).

Thanks to our Chameleon Principle, you don’t lose your coverage

Thanks to our Chameleon principle, it is possible to keep your coverage and current policy. Most expats lose their cover because they go through medical underwriting every time they change countries and insurers. Our Chameleon Principle prevents you from having to go through medical underwriting every single time you move. 

Save time and money, and keep your options open

With the Chameleon Principle, you can take your (additional) insurance with you to other countries with different social security systems. And you can switch from additional to full cover insurance.

What if your employer offers you a policy at a given moment? Then put your Expat & Co policy in ‘Sleeper Mode’ until you move and need it again. This way, you avoid having to cancel your policy and undergo medical underwriting next time you move .

In any case, the Chameleon Principle is the best option to avoid losing coverage AND paying double. It’s the only policy that guarantees no overlap in insurance and thus no double costs (in contrast to, for example, international full cover, where overlap is possible).