Published: April 24, 2020
What are the differences between International and local health programs?
The two main categories of health products are International programs and local programs.
International programs have been created with the aim of offering high quality benefits without geographical restriction.
Precisely because they have been created with global coverage in mind, they usually have no restrictions on contracted hospitals or doctors.
Below we have created a summary table (*) with the main differences.
| Characteristics | International | Local |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for | International customers | Local |
| Coverage level | High | Lower |
| Maximum coverage | High | Lower |
| Coverage area | Global | Limited |
| Coverage options | A lot | Less |
| Hospital coverage | Private | Private / Public |
| Completeness of hospital coverage | High | Smaller |
| Renewability | Lifelong | Lifelong |
| Network of Hospitals | Global | Limited |
| Exceptions | Few | More |
| Pre-existing coverage | Several | Usually not |
| Language support | Multilingual | Local |
| Drug coverage | Yes | No |
| Direct payment at all hospitals | Yes | No |
| Compensation to offline doctors | Yes | No |
(*) The table is indicative and due to the many available health programs it is quite concise and aims to give a general description - comparison of the two main categories of hospital insurance
