Private Health Care in Cyprus

If you will be traveling abroad to Cyprus you made need to have private health insurance depending on your circumstances and preferences. Cyprus does have a national health care system that offers medical treatment and services at low or no cost for eligible residents. To be eligible for health care services under the Cypriot social insurance system you will need to be working in Cyprus and contributing to Cypriot social security or be a European Union national that has previously contributed to a social security system of another European Union country. Even if you are eligible for coverage under the public health care system in Cyprus you may still choose to take out private health insurance as a way to forgo the lengthy waiting lists and lines at public health facilities and to provide your self with more choices when seeking treatment or services.

If you are not covered by the Cyprus social security system for health care then you will need private health insurance. While it can be a bit on the expensive side to take out private health insurance for your self, it is not uncommon to do so. In fact, most foreign residents and Cypriots that can afford it have private health insurance coverage. If you already have private health insurance coverage in your home country you may be able to simply extend it so that it will cover you while you are in Cyprus.

The choice of public health insurance offers two major benefits over public health insurance. With private health insurance you are offered a much wider selection of doctors and hospitals than you are with the public health system. You are also freed from having to go on a waiting list for treatment or services like you would under the public health system.

When you are looking for private health insurance you should look for a company that will pay the medical bills directly instead of having you pay upfront and then file for reimbursement. You should know that the typical private health insurance policy does not provide coverage for doctor's fees or medication costs that was not provided in a hospital. They also do not provide coverage for services that are deemed excessive and actually exceed the cost of treatment. You can expect for your private health insurance to pay in full the cost of any specialist visits or hospital treatments.

There are a large number of Cypriot private insurance providers as well international private insurance providers that you can choose from. Remember that the higher you premium then the more choice you will have when looking for a doctor or hospital. Sometimes there is a yearly surcharge for people over the age of 60 or supplemental charges for services such as dental and maternity care.