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The following events I unveil are known only by a few select friends and family members and reflect my personal experiences that have radically shaped my beliefs and understandings of expat medical insurance plans.

I feel the lessons learnt are so vitally important for all expats, whether simply living or working abroad, that it is imperative serious consideration be given to the choice of medical insurance providers and the plan to be purchased. This holds true for individuals and their families as well as company owners and their employees.

I need to take you back to 2001.

I was a relatively new expat at the time having relocated to Thailand from my home country of the UK, to establish my new business. After some time life, albeit extremely busy, was panning out well and the business was progressing as forecast.

From time to time we all experience small health 'niggles' and I too had started to notice a numbing sensation in the extremities of my small fingers in both hands. I thought at the time, t like most 'niggles' these sensations would pass and become a thing of the past. However this was not to be and the tingling / numbness sensations that I was encountering continued and actually appeared to worsen over the following weeks.

It came to a point where I became quite concerned with the sensations and needed to establish the root cause of the problem. I decided to book an appointment with the Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok for evaluation.

Prior to leaving the UK and appreciating the risks of living overseas and far away from the (then) relative safety of the UK NHS system, obtaining a comprehensive medical insurance plan was a top priority for me as I ventured into the relative unknown as a new expatriate.

Additionally, and as a financial planning advisor, I was (and am) all too aware of the costs that can mount extremely quickly in a foreign country when medical services need to be called upon.

As such I took great care and time in evaluating the many options that were available and studied very closely the many terms and conditions of the various contracts on offer (at this time expat medical insurance was a relatively new class of insurance to me).

After reading countless terms and conditions documents (not particularly inspiring night time reading!) it quickly became apparent that not all expat medical insurance contracts were / are created equal and in fact there are startling differences between many of them.

Having concluded my due diligence I selected a provider and a plan that I was very comfortable with. It was neither the cheapest nor the most expensive contract but I felt it offered the best benefits and cost ratio that I felt offered good value.

The contract I had selected offered both 'in-patient' and 'out-patient' benefits with a relatively small policy excess / deductible.

The contract had been in force for approximately one year when I decided to book my appointment at the Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok for my tingling / numbness issues.

After my initial consultation I underwent several blood tests and a physical examination. Nothing obvious at this stage was detected and I was advised that to dig deeper into the issue would require an MRI scan to examine my spinal column, the thought being at this stage was that I could be suffering from some form of nerve damage.

Whilst I awaited for my MRI appointment I contacted my insurer to keep them 'in the loop' as to what had been going on and what was to follow in terms of further investigations.

For those that have endured an MRI scan you will appreciate that it's a process that cannot be described as being a 'comfortable experience', particularly if you suffer from any sense of claustrophobia. The 45 minute scan dragged on and on and I was only too pleased when I was eventually wheeled out of the machine.

After a few days gathering my thoughts and composure in addition to a great deal of time researching my diagnosis I returned to the Bumrungrad Hospital for a further consultation but this time I was to consult with a specialist, a neurosurgeon.

I cannot recall at this time the specific surgical procedure that was being recommended by the surgeon but with the overarching 'sword of Damocles' hanging over me I was extremely nervous and uncomfortable. The risks of the surgery were made very clear to me as was the estimated costs of surgery which was circa 500,000 Thai Baht.

It was time to revert to my insurers to provide them a further update. The insurer in turn realising the seriousness of the procedure suggested that obtaining a second opinion may well be worth my time and effort.

It should be noted at this point that not all insurance companies nor medical insurance contracts allow for second opinions, especially at the expense of the insurer! Many insurers and many contract terms and conditions simply do not provide this 'luxury'.

Naturally I was totally on-board with this idea felt assured by the insurance company recommendation and set about collating my medical records from the Bumrungrad Hospital and setting up a further consultation with the Bangkok Hospital also in Bangkok.

During the consultation at the Bangkok Hospital, surgery was again recommended as the course of action required but unlike the recommendations received at the Bumrungrad Hospital a significantly different procedure was suggested, albeit with the same risk caveats.

I was becoming increasingly confused and most definitely more nervous.

All in all I sought 4 separate and independent consultations with different surgeons at different hospitals. All of the surgical recommendations were different from each other.

What should I do? How does one choose the best option? I was definitely in a quandary.

What I had come to realise was that if any of the surgical procedures failed and I was left in a state of paralysis I most definitely did not want to be 6500km away from home and having to struggle with daily living in a foreign country, especially one in South East Asia.

With these additional stresses and concerns I again spoke with my insurer as I felt that I wanted and needed to consult with a UK based neurosurgeon. I needed also to clarify that my contract would cover me within the UK should I choose to have treatment back in my home country.

Here is another key point which needs to be understood! - Not all insurance companies nor their contracts allow an individual to choose a geographical location outside of their country of residence (Thailand in my case) for elective surgery (indeed some insurers and contracts do not allow 'out of province' selections!)

I was quickly provided the assurance that not only could I elect my country of choice for surgery (albeit the UK in my case) but that I could also elect my surgeon of choice. What would not be covered however were the costs of travelling back to the UK for the consultation.

This news and clarification was extremely comforting for me at this time. Had this option not been available to me my treatment path would have been totally different.

I quickly set about researching the best UK based neurosurgeons and soon discovered the existence of Mr Neil Kitchen, an eminent surgeon in the world of neurology, specialised in my condition. He, at the time, was practising at the world famous Wellington private hospital in St. Johns Wood, London.

Arrangements were made with Mr Kitchens office for a consultation and a return flight to the UK booked.

Armed with my medical records from Thailand I met with Mr Kitchen. Despite providing my medical records and scan results Mr Kitchen advised that due to the age of the scanners in Thailand he would rather perform new scans himself with 'state of the art' scanning machines which could reveal far greater detail regarding my issues.

The upshot was that I needn't have worried as the insurer calmly stated that the costs were not a factor for them as I was permitted to choose my geographical location, surgeon and hospital, these were all intrinsic features of my contract.

My decision was made and I elected for the surgical procedure to be scheduled within a few days.

My trust and confidence in Mr Kitchen and the Wellington Hospital were rewarded with a very successful outcome which to this day has never created any further issues.

Sadly the tingling and numbness that I first encountered has not been eradicated (due to the damage having already been sustained) but at least it has not worsened and I am no longer at risk of paralysis. The convalescence period took around six weeks before I was able to fly back to Thailand to resume my expat life.

Hopefully the outline of my personal story above has enabled you to consider issues which hitherto you may not have considered when it comes to the choices (or not) that an expat medical insurance contract can provide.

In my case as you have read I was experiencing extreme anxiety driven by the prospect of having to live a life as a paraplegic.

I cannot say that any of the surgical procedures offered by any of the neurosurgeons in Thailand would have had better or worse outcomes, I am not qualified to offer such an opinion.

What I can state emphatically is that having the choice and ability to make MY choices a reality relieved a great deal of stress. For certain, had the surgery not been a success, I was at the very least in my home country where re-mapping my life would have been far less arduous than in a foreign country having to navigate a multitude of very unfamiliar obstacles as a paraplegic.

It was also a very comforting fact that my insurer stood by their contract and only looked for ways to help and guide me towards the outcome I sought and not focus on trying to 'nickel and dime' the cost aspects of the treatment - this was refreshing then and the company concerned still uphold these values to this very day.

Given the service and support that was provided to me at this critical point in my life I contacted the insurance company soon after leaving the UK with a desire to add their products and services to the roster of expat medical insurance being offered to our clients.

My experience of utmost professionalism, efficiency and speed of communication has also been witnessed first hand by a plethora of our clients during the past decades who took our advise and effected similar contracts to mine and continue to value their contracts as I do still.

From a broker perspective I know that this insurer always seeks to pay legitimate claims, which after all said and done, is what expat medical insurance should be about.