Insurance for staff at multiple locations

I run a rapidly-expanding business with multiple international locations and have become increasingly aware of the need to provide my staff with top quality medical insurance.

How do I sift through the mass of information available on the subject and hone in on the best possible deal, particularly when it comes to value and service?

If you work in a sector where competition for good quality staff is rife, it is worth considering an international private medical insurance plan to gain a competitive edge.

If you have aspirations to attain employer of choice credentials, you cannot afford to cut corners in this field; according to the 2010 Middle East Salary Survey, health insurance ranks as the number one benefit demanded by staff.

Generally speaking, there are five core types of medical benefit to be had: in-patient, out-patient, routine dental, routine maternity and wellness.

Providers of international group health insurance will most likely provide varying levels of all of these benefits so, along with their advisers, HR managers need to make some decisions about what is important to the business and what they would like their employees covered for.

Once covered under the plan, employees will place great importance on where they can seek treatment. Obviously, employees can pay and reclaim their expenses or, if your employee has been referred or needs in-patient care, the provider can make sure that the treatment has been organised and paid for in advance.

If, however, you have bought an out-patient and/or dental plan with a nil excess or deductible, your employees will want to know where they can find good GPs, dentists and physios without having to pay.

Make sure that your provider of choice has a comprehensive list of where out-patient treatment can be sought on a cashless basis — and make sure they update it regularly!

So once you've got the right plan and the right network, what happens when your employees want to claim?

For example, an acquaintance of mine with an international health insurance plan recently told me that she had difficulty understanding their dental benefit, so she emailed her provider with an enquiry.

Three weeks and a chaser email later, she eventually got a response. She then had to post all the original claims documents halfway across the world for processing.

Six weeks later she got a letter informing her that some of her claim had been declined because the claims time-limit had been exceeded.

In order to avoid potentially unpleasant frustrations of this nature it is vital choose an insurance provider that acts fast and reflects positively on you. To this end, you should ask a few key questions.

Do they have a set of turnaround times they will meet for your plan? If they don't, you could ask if they will agree to some for your employees.

Will they accept claim forms and scanned receipts by email or via a website?

If they do, this will save time and money for your employees.

If you have web-savvy employees, it is a good idea to look for a provider with a comprehensive set of web tools, for example the facility to manage your whole plan online.

An international group health insurance plan can tip the balance in employer desirability, so it is worth talking to an independent adviser and seriously looking at taking on this kind of benefit.

It might not be the cheapest option, but it just might be the best solution for your business.

The writer is Head of Employee Benefits, Nexus Insurance Brokers LLC. The opinion expressed is his own and do not reflect that of Gulf News.