Outside USA: Direct payment by the insurer to the health care provider only happens in case of hospital admittance or very high medical costs (>2.000 €). By hospital admittance we mean you are occupying a bed in a hospital room. Consultations and emergency room treatments are not considered to be a hospital admittance.

In order to organise direct payment you, or the hospital, should contact the alarm centre or the insurer (via help@expatinsurance.eu or the alarm number +32 (0)2 669 08 80), before or at the time of your admittance, stating your name, email, phone number, policy number (or claims reference), and the contact details of the hospital where you will be staying. The insurer/alarm centre will then organise payment with the hospital so that you don’t need to pay when leaving the hospital.

Inside USA: Direct payment from the insurer to the health care provider, in all cases of medical care, with the exception of dentistry and pharmacy. Please contact Global Excel, our partner in the US:+1 800 250 3271. See also our claims manual in the USA.

This might be in case of the death, or hospitalisation in critical condition, of a family member up to the 2nd degree in your home country.

For European flights it is best to book with a low cost airline. These costs will be fully reimbursed.

For intercontinental flights, or flights with other than low-cost airlines, it is best to contact the travel agent FcM fcm.zaventem@be.fcm.travel using the promocode ‘Expat & Co’, or by contacting the alarm centre.

Flights you have booked yourself will be reimbursed maximally at the rate that above organisations would charge for the flight. In order to be entitled to these guarantees you must always present proof of kinship and proof of death or hospitalisation of the family member. The insurer reserves the right to request medical evidence, and can reclaim the payment of the ticket, if found to be wrongly paid.

Please read our claims manual carefully so that you are always reimbursed correctly for your costs.

Pay attention. The claims manual for the USA is different.

• If the social security of your home country (Caisse Primaire (FR), Mutuelle (BE), Krankenkasse (AT, DE, CH)) intervenes, you must first claim with your Social Security after which you can claim electronically with Expat & Co (please don’t forget to include an overview of the Social Security reimbursement(s) AND a copy of your bills);
• The scans of your documents must be clear and complete. Unclear or unreadable (smartphone) pictures will not be accepted;
• Always include a diagnosis and the reason for your medical visit. Claims without a diagnosis do not allow us to check whether they are covered or not under the conditions of your policy;
• Always keep the original documents (for at least 2 years), except when you had to hand them over to the Social Security. These can be requested at a later date in case of an audit or check;
• The insurer can only handle a claim when it has been entered fully and correctly;
• The insurer reserves the right to refuse electronic claims if the client does not meet these conditions.

The insurer always needs a diagnosis, or a reason for doctors consultation, in order to check whether it is a covered claim or not. Without a diagnosis this cannot be ascertained, and then nothing can be paid out.

Of course all medical records that you entrust your insurer with are kept strictly confidential. These records cannot be accessed by unauthorised persons. Only your insurer’s claims handler and where needed the medical consultant are able to access these records. They are kept in a safe and well-guarded Belgian cloud environment, with respect for your privacy.

If the policy has been concluded by your employer, he/she can only see that a claim was made (so they can be sure that contracts are managed correctly and to keep statistics), they will not be able to see any details or description of the claim and cannot access the claims documents. They can only see when the issue occurred, when the claim was made, which phase the claim is in, the date of payment and the amount. They are not able to access to any details or medical information.

Medical costs: only medically necessary costs (no preventative costs or tests), that cannot wait until return to the home country are reimbursed. Pre-existing conditions are not reimbursable, unless otherwise agreed.

Medication: only prescription-medication obtained by prescription. Medication that can be obtained without a prescription (even if you have a prescription) will not be reimbursed. Also birth control is not reimbursable.

Option Baggage: theft and loss of goods is insured, providing you have not left them unattended. Know that depreciation is charged on certain goods (eg. electronics). Also know that there is a deductible to our baggage insurance.

For a more complete overview of coverage, please see the policy conditions.

The alarm centre can be reached 24/7 on +32 (0)2 669 08 80. The alarm centre collaborators are here to help you in case of an emergency or hospital admission.

By hospital admission we mean you are occupying a bed in a hospital room. Consultations and emergency room treatments are not considered a hospital admission. With emergency we mean urgent help is needed for serious situations.

The alarm centre is not there to help you with questions about your policy or for help with the settlement of your claim file. For this you better use the contact form on the website.

Please also note that you are free to choose your doctor or hospital (except in the USA). This means it is best to Google for a nearby health care professional instead of contacting the alarm centre, as they too will use Google to find the nearest doctor.