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Claims handling

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If you're enrolled in one of the EXPAT plans with the BDAE Group, you're essentially paying for insurance coverage, hoping you never need it. Nobody wants to use insurance, but sometimes it's necessary. You're part of a group of insured individuals that mainly comes into play for specific situations. However, you're still in this group because there's a chance you might face a costly illness in the future, and in that unfortunate event, the group will help cover your expenses.

To ensure a quick and smooth process for reimbursing your medical bills in such a situation, we kindly ask you to read our tips and frequently asked questions on this page. The more you work with us, the faster we can assist you.

Thank you for your cooperation!

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Upload your invoices quickly with our service portal or mobile app

Through the BDAE service portal, you can download your insurance card and also have the option to upload invoices and medical receipts. Alternatively, you can use our smartphone app, available for both Android and Apple devices.

Process of expenses reimbursement

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  • As soon as we have received your invoices, we will send you a confirmation email. Next, our billing service team will review the matter, taking into account any relevant medical history. Ideally, a decision will be made promptly regarding whether the invoices are eligible for reimbursement according to the insurance terms or not.
  • You can easily upload invoices using the Service-Portal, the "My BDAE"-App or the Web-Upload feature. Please keep the original documents at least 24 months in case a plausibility check is carried out.
  • If the costs are eligible for reimbursement, we typically transfer the money to you within 14 days after sending the billing statement.
  • In some cases, we may need to gather additional information regarding your medical history from you and/or your treating physicians. If we contact one of your doctors, we will require a current signed release of medical confidentiality from you. Otherwise, we will not receive any information from the doctor, and the invoice review cannot be completed. Unfortunately, there are occasional delays on the part of doctors in responding to our inquiries.
  • Once we have received all the necessary information and documents, we will assess the eligibility of the invoices, and we will inform you in writing about the reimbursement decision.
  • For mail from abroad: If you submit original medical documents such as invoices, doctor's reports, or laboratory reports from abroad, please always include our EORI number DE295600038415981 on the envelope. This facilitates customs clearance, and the documents can be delivered more quickly.

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You can expedite the processing by fully completing the reimbursement forms for your health insurance product (e.g., EXPAT PRIVATE or EXPAT INFINITY).


Outpatient and Inpatient Treatment

Outpatient services

You will receive a bill from your treating doctor, which you must pay within the specified payment period. Then, you submit the invoice to us, and the costs (provided that the proposed treatment corresponds to the contractual scope of your health insurance) will be reimbursed in full or in part after the above-mentioned process has been completed.

Inpatient Stay

When you or the clinic notify us of your inpatient stay, we work with the healthcare provider to directly cover the costs, as long as the planned treatment falls within the scope of your health insurance contract. This service is offered by us but depends on the hospital's cooperation.

What should you do in case of dental treatments?

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Dental invoices must always include details of the treated tooth, the specific procedures performed, and a breakdown of costs included in the invoice amount. Our policies cover composite fillings. Depending on the policy, annual check-ups are covered, but preventive treatments such as tartar removal and teeth cleaning are not covered.

If you want to make sure your dental treatment costs are covered, ask your dentist to create a treatment plan that lists all the expected expenses. We will review this plan and give you written confirmation of how much we will pay. Just remember to check your specific policy for details on dental prosthetics, waiting periods, and maximum reimbursements.


Cancer screening

The BDAE Group offers preventive examinations for early detection of cancer in its premium products. These include examinations for the early detection of cervical cancer and breast cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancer screening. A colon and rectal examination for the early detection of bowel cancer is also covered. We have summarised the benefits in detail in this comprehensive information sheet.


Pregnancy

Insured persons who have been diagnosed with a pregnancy are also entitled to various benefits, including preventive medical check-ups. For example, there is insurance cover for prenatal check-ups including blood pressure, maternal weight, physical examination, urine test, haemoglobin value determination, vaccination against whooping cough and influenza, examination for chlamydia infection, HIV, rubella, syphilis (Lues search reaction test), hepatitis B, ultrasound examinations, including large organ ultrasound from the 20th week of pregnancy, glucose tolerance test, determination of blood group and rhesus factor, antibody and rhesus factor, antibody detection and antibody detection.

This includes a large organ ultrasound from the 20th week of pregnancy, glucose tolerance test, determination of blood group and rhesus factor, antibody screening tests (AK), NIPT/Harmony test or nuchal translucency measurement.


Reimbursement for insured individuals in the USA

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For our customers insured in the USA, we have a competent billing partner, Global Excel, who conveniently handles the reimbursement process for you.

Below, you will find an information sheet that specifically explains where you can submit doctor and hospital bills or what to consider during a hospital stay.

For questions and basic information about the reimbursement process, please feel free to visit the designated website https://bdae.globalexcel.com, which is also noted on your insurance card and in the information sheet.

There, you will also find some explanatory videos that describe the US healthcare system and explain how the reimbursement process works in the USA.


The principles of private international health insurance

Cost reimbursements often come with the potential for conflicts, which is regrettable. In the best-case scenario, our customers receive what they consider to be a given – the reimbursement of their expenses. In principle, we must conduct claims settlement according to the very specific guidelines of our underwriters. These guidelines are based on two criteria:

  • The total number of claims must remain within a range in a private sector company that protects its existence and, in turn, the community of policyholders.
  • The goal is to protect the interests of all policyholders because if premiums need to be increased due to economic reasons, it affects all policyholders negatively.

Of course, you will receive the benefits specified in the contract from us.


Exclusion of pre-existing conditions and existing treatment needs

icon infoA significant portion of our insurance products excludes coverage for pre-existing conditions and existing treatment needs in accordance with the General Insurance Terms and Conditions (GTC). Pre-existing conditions are predictable risks that incur costs. If there is suspicion of pre-existing conditions, we must be able to rule out that our suspicion is justified. What does this mean?

If you have a medical condition or health issues before the insurance coverage begins, even if you haven't sought medical treatment for them, it is considered an existing treatment need before the insurance coverage starts. According to the General Insurance Terms and Conditions (GTC), the costs associated with this illness and any resulting conditions would not be eligible for reimbursement.

If an illness that already existed before the start of the insurance but did not cause you any complaints is only diagnosed for the first time after the start of the insurance, this is considered a new illness and the costs are reimbursable. In the case of illnesses that are known to take a chronic course, although they do not bear the suffix "chronic" (e.g. allergies), it must be checked exactly when the illness first occurred or when it was diagnosed by the doctor.

Download Flyer Claims Handling

Customers insured in the US

For our clients insured in the USA, we have a competent billing partner in Global Excel, who conveniently handles the reimbursement process for you.

Below you will find an information sheet that explains specifically where you can submit doctor's and hospital bills and what you need to bear in mind in the event of an inpatient stay.

Download the information sheet

If you have any questions or would like basic information on the reimbursement process, please visit https://bdae.globalexcel.com, which is also noted on your insurance card and in the information sheet.