Cancer has been one of the biggest challenges that public health in the world has to face in the 21st century. According to World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), there were approximately 18 million cancer cases around the globe, with 9.5 million cases found in men and 8.5 million in women.
Unfortunately, healthcare system under low and middle income countries are not prepared to manage the burdens. Many cancer patients, globally, do not have access to adequate diagnosis and treatment. In countries where their health system are excellent the survival rates have increased with accessible in early detection, treatment, and care.
Let’s talk about the cost first. As expected, the health care cost for cancer treatments is unbelievably expensive. Cancer patients could spend about $10,000 up to the highest for about $30,000 per month for drugs and nearly $4 billion out-of-pocket for cancer treatment. These cancer expenses could hurt most people’s financial situation.
How to avoid extreme out-of-pocket medical expenses
Having expatriate insurance will help avoid extreme out-of-pocket expenses and guide you through the process of your treatments. Many expatriates have mistakenly seen travel insurance and expatriate insurance as the same. However, both of them have different policies and benefits. While most expatriate health insurance covers cancer, traveling insurance usually does NOT.
Two things must be covered in the case of cancer: In-patient invoices and outpatient invoices. Keep in mind that these two types of invoices are different. Most of the travel and expatriate insurance policies indeed cover cancer in their in-patient package. However, the higher cost is due to the medicine, tests, follow-up, and screening are part of outpatient invoices.
Only a few policies dedicated to the expatriate are covering in and outpatient expenses for cancer under the core policy. This point must be clear for all policyholders as it can lead to some difficulties if the outpatient part is not covered. Always check with your insurance for some guidance to avoid misunderstanding.
Nonetheless, under the expatriate health insurance, the home country should be included in the coverage area in case of long and heavy cancer diseases. It is recommended for cancer patients to go back to their home country if healthcare is more adequate in their home country. It will also be easier for the patient to be emotionally surrounded by close family.
Cancer Prevention
The good news is there are many ways for people to get early cancer diagnosis and treatments, increasing cancer survivors more than ever!
There are several ways to prevent cancer, but one of the big ones is to get a cancer screening. Essentially, you will be able to detect cancer before there is any appearance of symptoms. In addition to that, subsequent treatment for you will have to be weighed against any harm. Thus, some procedures can be done during cancer screening. These procedures may include blood tests, urine tests, DNA tests, medical imaging, or other tests.
Other simple ways that you can do to prevent cancer are: to have a healthy diet, avoid tobacco products, protect yourself from the sun by using sunscreen, and get a regular check-up. In this way, you may continue to live a healthy life and avoid the risk of getting cancer.
Aexpat will guide you in choosing the perfect plan and helping you with the language barriers outside your home country. Furthermore, our team will ensure you understand the available benefits of your contract.
Remember to always check and confirm with your broker or insurance provider on what will or not be covered for your medical treatments and diagnosis. Therefore, always check for the available coverage options in the case if you have to stay in the hospital for a day or as an out-patient. You can always contact us at infos@aexpat.com for any information on travel and expatriate insurance, we will be happy to answer your inquiries.
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