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Q: Am I eligible for cover?
A: Yes, provided you are under age 65 and in full-time church or mission service you are eligible to join Talent Trust and receive program benefits. We will also consider tentmakers who are carrying out the Great Commission overseas.
Q: Do I need to have a medical examination before enrolling?
A: No.
Q: Am I covered for any pre-existing illness or injury sustained before enrolling in the program?
A: As our healthcare program is insurance-based (providing cover against any 'unforeseen' accident or illness) it does not reimburse costs for preventative care, treatment arranged of your own volition or for conditions that may have pre-existed your enrollment. However, following a period of clear membership (no medication, treatment or doctors' consultations) for two years, the program will then cover any pre-existing conditions.
Q: How quickly can I be covered?
A: We are usually able to confirm a member's cover within a single working day, upon receipt of a member's details. Please note, we start a member's coverage ahead of their premium receipt and ask that you refer to the Payment areas of our website to understand how we operate on a trust basis.
Q: Which hospitals can I use?
A: Outside of the United States there are no restrictions, but we do ask members to be prudent and bear in mind the costs when selecting their hospital facility. Within the United States it is imperative that one of Aetna’s PPO network facilities be used. Therefore, we suggest you enquire as to the most suitable facility when seeking pre-approval from the medical Helpline. For a current list of the approved PPO service provider facilities within the United States, please visit the Network area of our website.
Q: Will costs incurred for physical examinations or check-ups, including such things as gynaecological, hearing or eye tests, be reimbursed?
A: The simple rule of thumb is that anything prescribed by a medical doctor following an accident or illness, but not related to a congenital problem or pre-existing condition, qualifies for consideration. If the procedure is for routine checks, it would not be covered.
Q: Will the program provide for normal childhood illnesses such as Chickenpox, Diphtheria, German Measles, Mumps, Scarlet Fever and Whooping Cough?
A: Yes, as long as the child has been enrolled with us. You will need to inform us of any new births - full name and date of birth, etc., within 45 days.
Q: Am I covered if I travel away from my country or area of residence?
A: Yes, whether you are travelling on vacation or your church/mission’s business, you are covered worldwide, subject only to the 60-day and/or US$50,000 (for emergency needs only) rule within the United States under the Alpha program - the Omega program has no such limitation.
Q: How does your program differ from a Travel policy?
A: One of the very big differences between our program and a travel insurance policy, is that those policies have control over whether or not you can renew your cover each year. This restriction could lead to you being without cover following an initial diagnosis of a need for expensive treatment. You also need to consider that if you had to return home, you would most probably be without cover after only a very short period of time (most policies stop immediately). However, our program is a full private medical policy designed for the long-term and has a broader range of benefits. Having said that, there are some excellent short-term products on the market, but it must be remembered they are only designed to protect you for short periods of travel; returning you to your own home country’s heath service, or insurance carrier, should there be any serious ongoing medical problems.
Q: Can the emergency air-ambulance flights get into such places as Afghanistan or Cambodia?
A: Yes, an air-ambulance flight can normally get into these countries. However, the emergency assistance company (International SOS) would have to obtain permission from the local aviation authority to land. If this posed too much of a problem, then a local air charter company would be used to evacuate a patient. Therefore, please ensure that the emergency assistance team are fully informed as they will then be able to make all the necessary arrangements.
Q: With the compassionate emergency travel, are children included in the cover should it prove necessary for parents to return home to visit their own parents?
A: Yes, as long as your children are under age 16. However, please note that the US$3,000 benefit limit is per claim and would probably be insufficient for more than two people.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of days that a person can be resident in their own home country?
A: Not any longer, except in the United States, where there is the 60-day limit with a US$50,000 maximum, whichever comes first.
Q: Will the pregnancy benefits cover a Caesarian Section and repatriation to the nearest capable hospital if that is prescribed?
A: Yes, an emergency Caesarian Section would be covered as would repatriation to the nearest capable hospital. All related medical costs would, however, be limited to a total of US$15,000 under the Complications of Pregnancy benefit. Likewise, any travel or accommodation costs (outside a member's country of residence) would, if necessary, fall under the Evacuation benefit.
Q: Is it possible to start our cover early, before we actually depart?
A: Yes, even an American member who has already forwarded their belongings overseas may use their 60-day emergency home country allowance before they leave home. However, it should be noted that the Omega Program is far better suited to Americans as it provides its full coverage within the United States.
Q: Is the program on a Worldwide, 24-hour basis?
A: Yes, a 24-hour, 365-days a year service is provided. Our Medical Helpline is staffed by a multi-lingual team who can grant authorisation, arrange admission to hospitals, schedule ambulance transfers and provide air evacuation wherever necessary. For convenience, our membership cards and the full program wording include all the emergency contact numbers. Any call may be made collect, but please have your membership card ready to help answer any questions needed to verify your coverage status.
Q: How do I obtain pre-notification?
A: Please contact the Medical Helpline by telephone or fax at least five (5) days prior to any planned in-patient treatment, outpatient treatment likely to exceed US$1,000 or within forty-eight hours following an emergency admission. Please refer to the Emergency area of our website for further details.
Q: We are serving in a remote village, a 5-day walk from the nearest airstrip, plus a plane journey away from the nearest doctor. There is, however, a police post with radio contact, which could be reached in one long day's run by a local villager. We are therefore concerned about what happens in an emergency. The program wording says it covers emergency medical airlift upon the advice of a registered practitioner. However, in our situation there are no doctors available. We would have to assess the situation ourselves, and if we thought it was an emergency, send a local runner down to the police post with a message to radio for help. Please can you give us a definite 'yes' or 'no' as to whether the policy would provide emergency helicopter lift out under these sort of conditions?
A: In this situation, consideration would be given to costs incurred provided that:
- - it is an eligible claim in accordance with the benefits and rules.
- - the condition was serious enough to warrant the evacuation taking place.
That is to say, the underwriters would not consider any expenses incurred as a result of a minor condition, where a trip could have been made to the nearest doctor, i.e., primary care for something like a sprained ankle, skin conditions, arthritis, joint pains, etc.
Q: How do I know that I am covered before receiving treatment?
A: For planned admission to hospital, written pre-notification must be obtained from the Helpline staff as that will establish whether the treatment is covered by your membership. Settlement can then be made directly with the hospital, which gives you the peace of mind of knowing that all costs (except for your policy excess) will be met. However, in the event of an emergency, please seek treatment immediately and then contact the Helpline within the next 48 hours.
Q: Would you explain how the policy excess works please?
A: Under the Alpha program the US$100 excess only applies against out-patient treatment. This is best explained as a deduction of US$100 against any claim relating to the same accident or illness and could include several visits to a doctor along with various medication, therapy and x-rays, etc., as long as all treatment relates to the same condition. However, should another condition occur, that is unrelated to the first, then a new policy excess would be applied.
Q: Does the 20% co-pay mean that for each US$1,000 claimed, the member must pay US$200?
A: Yes. But, this only applies within the United States and is limited to the next US$25,000 after the policy excess has been taken into account. After that, the underwriters meet the full amount within the various individual benefit limits.
Q: I submitted my enrollment form, but did not get an email confirmation within the normal 48 hours?
A: Your mailbox could be full, your email address was not entered correctly, or your email server could be suffering high traffic or other web related service problems. If you have a SPAM filter enabled, please check your SPAM or BULK mail folders and ensure that any email with the subject line starting as TTc is allow through please. Should there still remain a problem with receiving our emails, please email us at
info@talent-trust.com
.
Q: Why is TTc operating from Malaysia?
A: Talent Trust could operate from any country in the world, but is based in Malaysia primarily because it is central to many of the countries where our members serve. Being there also lowers our operating costs and has an additional advantage ...we experience many of the same cultural problems as our members and thus learn how to deal with them better.
