SPECIALISED TRAVEL BENEFITS FOR UNEXPECTED COSTS 

RELATED TRAVEL OR MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS

We are proud to partner with Custom Assurance Placements Ltd., who administer the Global Protective Solutions (GPS) programs.  GPS is the worldwide leader in providing risk mitigation solutions and protection benefits including products for international medical travelers or medical tourists. International medical travel requires unique and specialized protection. Standard travel insurance has an exclusion if you are travelling to receive medical care. 

By participating in the program, you have access to travel services and insurance benefits. In addition to the travel accident and illness coverage, benefits have been expanded to include medical complications for an elective procedure when travelling to another country for care. While the risks of medical complications from qualified providers is low, all medical procedures carry certain risks. This specialized coverage can assist with unexpected costs associated with an unforeseen complication for up to 180 days past your procedure date. Participation is available on a worldwide basis. 

The Global Protective Solutions programs have been protecting international medical and dental travelers and their travel companions since 2008

The above provides only a brief overview of benefits and services available to enrolled participants. Please refer to your specific participation confirmation for applicable details.

To obtain an indication of cost and quote for coverage, please complete and submit an online application using the following link:

https://www.globalprotectivesolutions.com/enroll/clinicintl

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Global Protective Solutions(℠) (GPS)?

Established in 2008, Global Protective Solutions℠ programmes were designed specifically for the international medical travel (medical tourism) industry, and were made available in 2008.  Custom Assurance Placements, Ltd., a US based insurance broker that provides, creates, and administrates the programmes.  There are a number of programmes contained within GPS that provide specific solutions for various entities.  These include benefits and services for individual medical travellers, customized group programmes for medical travel case managers, facilitators, and a host of specialty insurance coverage options for self-funded employers who offer international medical travel benefits within their medical plans for their employees.

International medical travel (medical tourism) requires unique and specialized protection, which standard travel insurance policies usually exclude or do not address.  One of the Global Protective Solutions programmes was specifically designed to address these shortfalls on a worldwide and affordable basis.  The benefits encompass normal travel related activities as well as wide-ranging benefits in the event an insured experiences a complication related to an approved elective procedure or treatment.  These programmes were designed to address the potential financial costs of accidental medical complications or other travel related accidents or illness expenses that may occur. Coverage is available to nearly all international medical travellers who seek treatments outside of their country of residency or citizenship.

What is Medical Travel or Medical Tourism?

Medical travel (also called medical tourism, health tourism, destination healthcare or global healthcare) is usually considered the practice of travelling outside a person’s home country for the purposes of receiving elective medical or dental procedures. The most common medical tourists are travelling to access high quality providers that offer quick availability or who offer a treatment that is not available in their home country.  Often times a medical traveller can save significant costs to access care abroad.   Wellness tourism is also another facet of travel that promotes health and well-being through various supervised physical and spiritual activities. Additionally, some large self-funded companies have implemented a voluntary medical travel benefit option to help lower overall medical care costs within their employee health plans.

I do not live in the United States, can I obtain the benefits and services of the GPS programmes?

In nearly all cases yes, medical travel is a global activity. In fact the travel and complications product is the only worldwide option for benefits and services to address the needs of international medical travellers.

Is Medical Travel safe?

Undergoing any procedure or treatment carries certain known and unknown risks, no matter where you are receiving care. Pre-trip planning and review of your current health condition can help mitigate unintended risks.  Further, it is important and a “best practice” to use credible and well established medical travel facilitators or case managers.  They will typically require the use of an internationally accredited facilities and board certified providers.

Is an accreditation required to use the benefits and services of Global Protective Solutions (GPS)?

The treating facility must be duly qualified by the jurisdiction where it is located and/or possessing an international accreditation from an ISQua member organization or other recognized international accrediting body.  International Society for Quality in Health Care – (ISQua) https://www.isqua.org

What do I need to know about the travel accident and complications services and benefits?

Travel and complication services and benefits were developed exclusively for the medical traveller and enrolled travel companions. Specifically, the various travel and complication benefits reimburse participants for certain approved incurred costs associated with medical complications that may arise from a procedure or an accidental injury / illness while travelling for an approved medical procedure.

Additional services to enrolled participants include:

• Secure medical records storage platform

• 24/7/365 Medical emergency assistance services

• Crisis management services

• Expatriate prescription services

• Country and travel information services

• Travel and complication benefits for enrolled participants to include:

  • Accidental Death & Dismemberment

  • Additional Medical or Surgical Treatment coverage for a complication

  • Additional Costs of Travel, Meals and Accommodations as a result of a complication

  • Travel Companion Coordination

  • Residence Modification, Physiotherapy or Rehabilitation from a complication

  • Emergency Medical Transportation

  • Other Travel related benefits including baggage, trip cancellation and trip delay

Customized benefits for specific needs, just ask.

Please refer to a full listing of services at Soter World Services (Guernsey) Trust and your specific coverage summary for the benefit details.

Is GPS an insurance company?

GPS is not an insurance company, but rather the product name for a host of services and benefits provided to the medical tourism industry. GPS programmes are created and administered by Custom Assurance Placements, Ltd. (CAP) to provide various risk mitigation solutions for the medical travel / tourism industry. If you need a solution or insurance product we do not currently have, just ask us and CAP can help customize one for you.

Who is Custom Assurance Placements, Ltd. ?

Custom Assurance Placements (CAP) is a US based insurance broker. CAP created and is the administrator of the Global Protective Solutions programmes.

What makes the accident and complication benefits different from other travel medical insurance plans?

In addition to participants receiving regular travel accident benefits, cover has been enhanced to include additional benefits for medical complications for up to 6 months after the initial procedure.  Nearly all standard travel insurance policies exclude the activity of travel related to receiving elective, scheduled medical or dental procedures/treatments, thus these policies are not sufficient for the medical traveller.

What happens if I have a travel emergency or medical complication abroad?

Provisions have been made for comprehensive 24 hour emergency travel assistance, by simply calling the telephone numbers provided on the issued ID Card.  These services are to be used when an enrolled participant requires emergency assistance services during their travel or has the need to file an immediate claim.

Emergency Assistance / Claims Manager:

Global Response Ltd.

Regus House, Falcon Drive

Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF10 4RU United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 2920 662423

(International access and charges may apply)

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE: swsassist@global-response.co.uk

GENERAL CLAIMS: swsclaims@global-response.co.uk

• As soon as practical, notify the claims manager

• Seek emergency care at a duly qualified facility as not to further the complication

• Provide authorization for needed medical records to the clam manager to assess the claim

• Seek pre-approval for non-emergent care to avoid a reduction in benefits.

TO USE THIS SERVICE, IDENTIFY THE ENROLMENT ID NUMBER AND/OR GROUP NAME ON YOUR ID CARD.

Please review your coverage confirmation documents once enrolled and see the section “how to file a claim” for details.

Will benefits pay for my procedure?

We do not provide benefits to cover elective procedures and the cover is not meant to cover any medical expenses related to the initial procedure.  The travel accident and complications benefits provide for unexpected travel accidents and medical complications of the original surgery that was elected and paid for by you.

Will benefits pay for medically necessary treatment of a complication in another (host) country and once I return home?

Yes, eligible medical expenses and other claimable cost are not limited to a specific country to be eligible for reimbursement. Care for covered complications can occur in your home country up to 180 days past the procedure date or if warranted in the original treating country. However, you may elect to remove home country coverage at enrolment. If elected, you will be covered for a complication only whilst outside of your home country and for the period between your departure and return date indicated when you enrolled in benefits.

Please note, any OFAC sanctioned country expenses are not eligible for claim payment and therefore people travelling to or from any sanctioned country cannot enroll in benefits.

Benefits are secondary to any and all collectible insurance.

What if I am not satisfied by the outcome of my procedure?

The benefits do not provide a guarantee of workmanship or a guarantee of satisfaction of the aesthetic results. Further, we do not guarantee the successful outcome of a correcting procedure. A covered complication is a separate medical diagnosis as a result of the procedure, such as an infection. For specifics, please refer to your confirmed coverage limits and overview of benefits, once enrolled.

Do the benefits and services for travel accident and complications include benefits for follow-up care after a procedure?

Follow-up care should be planned well in advance and before you finalize your medical trip, follow-up care is often necessary and also helps lessen the occurrence of post-surgical complications.  Normal follow-up care which is not the result of a covered complication is not included nor is it claimable. Additionally, there are no benefits for the patient’s failure to follow pre- and post-operative medical instructions.

Can my travel companion participate in benefits as well?

Yes, your travel companion can participate and enroll.  Travelling companions may be included at the time of enrolment for benefits for travel related accidents. Typically, it is recommended that travellers on the same trip have the same coverage. This helps in the case of an accident where both parties may be involved. It can help make claim assistance easier when coordinating with one provider.

How do I participate in travel and complications coverage?

Individual participants can submit an application for enrolment online.  Once the application has been reviewed and approved, you will receive an approval notification with instructions on how to submit a secure payment.  Once payment is verified you will immediately receive participation confirmation and your ID Card.

This FAQ is meant as a general overview of the services and benefits including those provided by Soter World Services (Guernsey) Trust, and is not meant to describe benefit details or specifics. Please refer to your confirmed coverage documents for specific coverage details.