Global Health Care Plan – Content and Creation

A number of employers now provide an option for overseas treatment as a part of their standard health benefit plan. Healthcare cost savings for both the plan sponsor and the employee is their main objective for Global Health Care.

These are associated with sponsoring network-based managed care plans in the U.S. However, as with managed care plans, plan sponsors that offer a financial incentive to use offshore benefits should not claim in employee communication materials that the providers have a special endorsement or a seal of approval.

MTM’s Global Health Care Plan

Using MTM facilitation services that are supported by the industry simplifies the process and reduces risk. Optional facilitation services that reduce liability include: quality providers, insurances, management, coordination, transferring medical records, making air and hotel reservations and hosting patients when they arrive at the destination airport.

There may be no greater liability exposure connected to offering a Global Health Care option than not providing a documented policy and release of liability for each employee.

Plan sponsors must meet the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) fiduciary obligations in designing and managing employee benefit plans. According to some legal scholars, an employer that sponsors a health plan offering workers a financial incentive to travel abroad for treatment could have greater liability risks. The concern is that financial incentives might induce enrollee’s to accept substandard care when they otherwise would select the local hospital of their choice although many health plans do just that by offering financial incentives for patients to choose hospitals in their networks. If health plans cannot offer enrollee’s financial incentives, patients are unlikely to consider medical travel.

Global Health Care Plan – Content and Creation

Start typing and press Enter to search