Medical insurance for partner with vacation visa

[katiem84]

Hi

I am moving out to HK next week with my partner. We are currently in the situation where i have a work permit, and he will be coming in on a vacation visa until he can apply for a work permit when he gets a job.

My company are covering me for medical/health insurance, but my partner needs to get cover. At £65 a month, the basic quotes i have received so far are quite expensive. As he is only in the country on a vacation visa, he won't be resident.

What would be our best options? I don't know whether to get basic travel insurance temporarily until he gets a job, or go for paying out the expensive medical. I am 25 and he is only 21, so we haven't got that much money floating about.

Any advice welcome
Thanks
K

[PDLM]

The problem with travel insurance is that it will only cover him for a certain length of time for each trip away from his home country (often 90 days). Maybe do that and then take the risk thereafter since it can't be too long before he either gets a visa or has to leave anyway.

Or do the sensible thing and just quietly get married - then he'll get a Dependant Visa and free medical, and it will be much easier for him to find a job, and he won't have to worry about being refused entry every time he tries to reenter the territory.

[katiem84]

He is quite happy to get married! Given that we have only been together for 1 1/2 years (why he is coming with me i have no idea!) i don't want to rush things so although i know this is the easy option, i would rather just go the compliated route!

I think perhaps a "long vacation" travel insurance option could be the way forward - will have a look
Thanks

[MovingIn07]

While not ideal, HK is not the worst place in the world to be uninsured. Most minor stuff (doctor's visits etc) are not very expensive and even serious injuries are cheap compared with places like the USA. Someone started a thread today about 'minor surgery' and listed the costs - it was only a few thousand in total - so it may be that the risk is worth it.

If he has an accident here, sue whoever caused it.

If he gets diagnosed with a nasty disease, get on the first plane home.

[Beanieskis]

Tell him to get Gap Year travel insurance (he must do it before he leaves his home country). This is what I did in his position, and I also still had my private medical insurance in the UK (I'd checked with them that I was still covered whilst travelling overseas). I got 3 months to start with, and I could extend that whilst overseas if I'd needed to as long as I did that before the policy expired. It was no more expensive than an annual travel insurance policy.