“Loco Expat” no they haven’t gone crazy they tell you. They just love living where they are and will do so at any cost. They have given up their original package, which included housing, medical, schooling, club membership, car etc for a local salary.
Now a local salary is usually high for someone in his or her field. It needs to be because they are now going to have to pay for all those things the package usually included. However, usually those that go local down size their accommodation, give up their club membership and use the local health care system for their ailments. It’s not a bad deal you just have to love living in your new home more than your old one.
Some Loco’s have acquired a taste for the local faire i.e. woman/man and as such there really is no turning back, unless they decide they are going to bring back said ‘faire’ or should that be afair to their original point of sale.
1 response so far ↓
Lee // March 6, 2008 at 6:47 am |
Use the local healthcare system for their ailments?
A good expatriate healthcare plan is essential for anyone living outside of their country of nationality. The cost of treatment isn’t that cheap in the first place and medical inflation is expected to grow this by over 7.7% in 2008 (CNNMoney.com).
Many people still believe that they can rely on reciprocal arrangements between the country of residence and their adopted country, but if you’re not working (and paying into a government scheme) there’s every chance that you don’t have any protection at all. In your country of nationality there is most likely a requirement of residency to allow treatment to be received in a public health facility (as there is in the UK).
This was recently highlighted by the French government, who recently decided that any new people moving to their country must prove that they are financially prepared so not to be a burden on the State which now includes proving that appropriate healthcare insurance is in place. Similar rules apply in much of Europe.
Purchasing appropriate cover that looks after you in your adopted country and your country of nationality (plus the rest of the world, if available) is paramount for anybody considering moving abroad, even if it’s a basic In-patient/Day-patient policy with evacuation, such as Expatriate Healthcare’s Primary plan http://www.expatriatehealthcare.com.
If you go abroad and ‘go commando’ your are putting the dream of a long happy life with financial security in jeopardy.