Market Update | Thursday,18 Mar 2010

One in five firms 'fail to provide international PMI'
 

According to a survey by PMI Global 20% of companies that send employees abroad for more than six months fail to provide them with international health insurance. The survey of 100 companies also found that as many as 36% of companies operating in the EU rely on individual European Health Insurance cards (EHIC) for their employees' health cover.  

20% of those surveyed were unaware that their employers liability insurance may not always cover staff working overseas and that country-specific policies may be required while 48% neglect to conduct full health assessments of the destinations they send staff to. 44% do not organise vaccinations for their employees where required.  

Almost a third (32%) of companies surveyed fail to make regular contact with staff working abroad and one in 10 do not inform their expatriate employees about where to turn to for health advice.

Source: Health Insurance Magazine, 10 February 2010

 
Britons abroad could enjoy NHS access for longer
 

Britons who travel abroad for extended periods will enjoy extended entitlement to free NHS treatment under new government proposals. 

A consultation launched by the Department of Health suggests that the length of time UK residents can spend abroad without being potentially liable for charges should increase from three to six months. The change has been recommended in recognition of the fact that people have "increasingly mobile lifestyles."

The consultation also proposes the introduction of health insurance for visitors to England in order to make payments to NHS hospitals more likely and to deter people from acting as "health tourists". This could either be compulsory or recommended for visitors.

Source: HI Mag, 26 February 2010                                                                                                         

Bahrain - Compulsory health insurance for expats

Abdul Rahman Al Baker, executive director of financial institutions supervision, Central Bank of Bahrain, has stated that compulsory health insurance for expats living in Bahrain could become a reality as early as this year.

Source: ITIJ, February 2010

Dubai - Mandatory health funding scheme put under review

The emirate of Dubai is re-evaluating the deferred compulsory health funding scheme to make it suitable for the current financial conditions, a senior health official said.

Abu Dhabi implemented the scheme in 2006 and Dubai planned to follow in their footsteps, but, owing to a change in the financial climate, the scheme was suspended.

Source: Khaleej Times, February 2010

Japan - Tougher Insurance Rules for Expatriates in Japan

Japan will not issue or renew a visa for expatriates living in the country unless the expatriate provides proof of current or future enrolment in the country's national health insurance system, effective April. Expatriates can buy international health insurance to supplement the coverage, but they must still buy into the local system.
 
Source: Private Healthcare UK, 18 February 2010  

Singapore to Slow Down Hiring of Foreign Workers

Singapore will begin increasing levies on hiring foreign workers in July as part of an effort to reduce dependence on inexpensive foreign talent at the expense of local Singaporeans.

Foreign workers make up nearly a third of workers in the city, and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said there is a need to control their growth and ensure that their numbers do not continuously increase as a proportion of the overall workforce. "There are social and physical limits to how many more (foreign workers) we can absorb,” he said. The levy will allow those companies that are performing well and truly need more foreign workers to continue to hire them, which is a better system than fixed quotes that are more constraining, he says. The levies will be phased in over three years and the government will spend $3.9 billion to upgrade the skills of local workers.

Source: AFP, February 2010

Canada - Quebec Speeds Residency for Foreign-Trained Immigrant Workers

Hoping to alleviate a shortage of skilled workers, the Quebec government has launched a new program that will allow foreign-trained workers to more quickly and easily obtain permanent residency status. Companies will be better able to retain foreign workers recruited to work in the country, and the program will also increase marketing of Montreal as a good place for skilled professionals to work. 
 

Source: Montreal Gazette, 15 February 2010