Brits working abroad ‘not provided with adequate health cover’
Employees working abroad are often not being given adequate insurance cover by the companies they work for, according to a new report.
International healthcare and insurance firm PMI Global found that 20 per cent of firms are failing to provide the correct health insurance to workers living abroad for a prolonged period of time.
It was also revealed that 48 per cent of employers fail to carry out the correct health assessments for the destinations they send their employees to and almost half neglect to organise vaccinations.
Problems were also identified with the level of access to psychological help and advice on where to turn for medical treatment.
Commenting on the results, Rachael Floyd, operations director for PMI Global, said that too many employers are relying on the European Health Insurance Cards [EHICs] to provide their staff with healthcare.
"While the EHIC entitles any resident in the UK to receive emergency healthcare treatment while travelling in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, restrictions mean it isn’t a substitute for standalone international health insurance," she explained.
It was reported recently that the union representing Spanish doctors, SiMap, believes that the number of expats in the country using EHIC cards and failing to contribute to the healthcare system through taxes were putting a strain on the service.
Posted by Andy Price. 