Employers do not always adequately understand international healthcare benefits, according to research conducted by Jelf Employee Benefits.
Over two-thirds (69%) of organisations surveyed at Jelf Employee Benefits’ international healthcare seminar said they cannot keep up with the changing international healthcare rules in all the countries employees are based.
The research also found:
- 98% said staff outside the UK rely on their employers to ensure they have adequate health cover.
- 38% are concerned the healthcare cover they have for some of their employers outside the UK is not adequate.
- 2% said their employees understood the rules for international healthcare completely in the country they are deployed.
- 29% said their employees may feel they do not have adequate cover for themselves, and 43% said they may feel they had inadequate cover for their dependents.
Sarah Dennis, director of international healthcare at Jelf Employee Benefits, said: “Every day we face employers that do not fully understand the, often complex, area of international healthcare, and this shows in black and white the extent of the problem.
“Rules governing healthcare vary country by country, and the consequences of having inadequate cover can be, quite simply, catastrophic for those involved.
“This situation is avoidable and we cannot stress strongly enough that international healthcare is a specialist area. Organisations need to talk to an expert when looking to cover the health of their employees abroad.”
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