Global Connections Newsletter

Pandemics Considerations for International Employees

Planning for unexpected health issues related to a pandemic is a critical business decision for employers with domestic employees and international assignees across the globe. Public health officials warn that even in these health-conscious times, a new virus could make its way around the world in as little as three months. Once a globally mobile employee contracts H1N1, they may not be able to fly home for treatment.

While it is hard to predict just how many people have or will contract the disease, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) warns that certain populations are at a higher risk of contracting the H1N1 virus, including people 65 years and older, children younger than five years old, pregnant women, and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions.

According to the World Health Organization, due to global transport, the potential that a virus could mutate and infect a population that has no prior exposure, and therefore no immunity to it, can cause a worldwide pandemic much quicker than in the past.

“True pandemics can be very disarming. The availability of resources, freedom of movement, and rationing of care may all quickly lead everyone to become mere spectators,” said Gregory Cain, a Global Health Solutions expert at CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits (CIEB). “This is what makes preparation before-hand critical in limiting exposure and transmission.”

In the event of a pandemic, preparation is essential and prevention is a major component of preparation. Employers with a globally mobile workforce need to be proactive and manage the situation by ensuring that their international assignees are covered by a global health benefits plan.

Some international insurance providers are making arrangements to sustain expatriates’ access to care through such measures as:

Suspension of referrals, prior-authorization and medical necessity requirements;
Suspension of “too soon to fill” requirements for prescriptions;
Coordination with, supporting, and complementing public health efforts with international medical directors; and
Providing 100% coverage for preventive care benefits.

Experts at the CDC recommend that medical care be obtained if one becomes ill and experiences warning signs of the H1N1 virus. In adults, emergency warning signs that could signal the need for urgent medical attention may include:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish or gray skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Severe or persistent vomiting
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

To read more about what CIEB is doing to prepare for an H1N1 pandemic, please visit www.CIGNAenvoy.com.

“We encourage employers and employees to contact their international insurer for pandemic preparedness literature based on public health agency policies such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization,” said Dr. Lyndon Laminack, CIEB Medical Director. “These agencies also offer guidelines that can be linked to a company-wide planning process.”

Member Newsletter Released This Month

CIEB is dedicated to keeping international assignees and their covered family members current on all of the services available to them as CIEB customers. Beginning this month, customers will receive our customer newsletter, Going Global. Customers who provide email addresses will receive the newsletter quarterly in HTML format.

Introducing CIGNA Compass

CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits (CIEB) offers CIGNA Compass, a customer benefits interactive, developed to help expatriates and their dependents more fully understand and utilize their CIEB benefits program. CIGNA Compass allows customers to explore the full range of benefits and services available to them and is a valuable supplement to their Expatriate Benefits Kit.

Combining both on-screen text and audio/video prompting, CIGNA Compass guides customers through a variety of benefits explanations, podcasts, tools, and other information that will enable them to maximize the value of their CIEB benefits program. The interactive chapters are delivered by a friendly face and are accompanied with side-by-side graphics and live examples. Customers will explore the many features CIEB offers in a straightforward and thorough manner, with the ability to repeat or skip chapters, pause the player, and listen as many times as needed.

CIGNA Compass is a unique supplement to the Expatriate Benefits Kit that no other international benefits carrier is offering. It is exclusively available for expatriates through the CIGNA Envoy web portal, where it is readily accessible.

DISCLAIMER: “CIGNA” refers to CIGNA Corporation and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates. CIGNA International and CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits (“CIEB”) refer to these subsidiaries and affiliates. Products and services are provided by these subsidiaries, affiliates and other contracted companies and not by CIGNA Corporation. “CIGNA” is a registered service mark.

References to non-partnered organizations or companies, and/or their products, processes or services, do not necessarily constitute an endorsement or warranty thereof.

CIEB’s web-based tools, such as CIGNA Envoy®, are available for informational purposes only. CIEB’s web tools are not intended to be a substitute for proper medical care provided by a physician. This material is provided for informational purposes only. It is believed accurate as of the date of publication and is subject to change. Such material should not be relied upon as legal, medical, or tax advice. As always, we recommend that you consult with your independent legal, medical, and/or tax advisors. Products and services may not be available in all jurisdictions and are expressly excluded where prohibited by applicable law.