PHIL

ENSURE YOU'RE INSURED

According to www.expat.telegraph.co.uk, expatriates face further medical cover rises in 2005. The answer may be to cut items of cover that are unlikely to apply. George Connelly, of Dorchester-based Health Care Matters, told New Skys: "Policies can be loaded with bells and whistles. Look to see which of the bells and whistles you probably don't need. A lot of international insurance is menu-based. Look at the menu. Make a judgement."

He urged policyholders to read the small print. For example, people with family policies often still had maternity cover when the mother has passed childbearing age and those who stopped hazardous sports a while back could be paying for cover years later.

A sure way to cut premiums is to take an excess, under which you pay the first slice of a claim. Excesses - also known as deductibles - are increasingly used. George Connelly added: "Excesses are there to take. Your pocket is going to be fuller, but obviously you have to be careful. There are some pretty hefty excesses you can take and, if you are healthy, it's worth thinking about." Another approach is to discard primary care cover with some expats being better off paying their own way for medical check-ups, GP visits and injections. But they should retain cover for potentially 'expensive or very inconvenient' hospital treatments.