Death is never an easy topic to talk about, however with old and young alike moving to greener pastures overseas to live and work, it’s something that needs to be taken into consideration. Whether you’re a retiree moving abroad to spend your final days in the sun or a young traveller out to see the world, it’s an unfortunate reality that life can be taken away from any of us in the blink of an eye. This just goes to show the importance of claiming health insurance for abroad.
Sadly there are numerous implications of dying overseas which can compound the grief of the family you leave behind. If you wish to have your body returned to your home country for burial or cremation, the cost of repatriating your remains can be painfully high. Don't leave your loved ones with the financial burden. Consider receiving expat health insurance.
Years ago, a 20 year old British national died in a moped accident while working as a photographer in Ayia Napa. He was tragically killed after the moped he was riding collided with a bus. Sadly, without health insurance for travel abroad, the cost of flying his body home was extremely high, and his family tried to raise enough money to do so. You can read more about the tragic story here.
This story is not the only one of its kind, and with thousands of people spending long periods overseas without health insurance for living abroad, it is a problem that will no doubt continue. There are reports of people going to extreme lengths to try and fly bodies home illegally. Recently two women were caught trying to take the corpse of a decided relative back home by dressing him in sunglasses and putting him in a wheelchair. Needless to say, they were apprehended at the airport as this is illegal for many reasons, including failure to declare a death.
The best solution is to take out health insurance for abroad, which covers the costs of repatriating remains. Alternatively, you can take out a dedicated policy that will protect against the financial costs of repatriation of mortal remains. Each policy will offer a different level of cover, but they could cover costs for aspects of dying abroad, including:
- Funeral costs
- Leasing with hospital staff
- Transport of mortal remains
- Overseeing documentation such as death certificates, invoices, etc.
