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Business protocols

About our firm
Expacare Limited is a provider of international health insurance for expatriates of all nationalities and many local business communities throughout the world. We offer only our own products for International Healthcare Insurance and do not provide advice or recommendation as to their suitability. Whilst Expacare makes all product information available, it remains the client's or their broker's responsibility to select the most suitable product.  Our aim is to provide an effective and efficient service for our clients using experienced teams trained in specific areas of our business.

Regulation
Expacare Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (www.fsa.gov.uk). Our FSA number is 134284.

Our services

Quotations for Individual Schemes
We provide quotations for cover taking into account the location and individual client details for whom cover is required, based on the information provided.
Applications to join Individual Schemes
We respond to application forms in writing, confirming the start date, plan type and the geographical area of cover. Please check that the cover confirmed is entirely in accordance with the given instructions and write to us immediately if any change is required, quoting the client membership or invoice number.
Cover cannot be backdated and will start on the day we receive the application form unless a later date is specified (which must be within 30 days from the date of receipt of application).

Quotations for Corporate Schemes
To provide a quotation for a corporate or group scheme (minimum of 5 employees), for each person to be covered we require name, age or date of birth, nationality, where located, occupation, plan type and geographic area. For a claims related quotation (available for schemes of 30 or more employees) we require the last three years claims experience.
If the scheme is to be on a ‘medical history disregarded’ basis, membership of the scheme must be compulsory, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the insurer.
Individuals insured under a Voluntary Scheme are subject to a two-year moratorium.
Applications to join Corporate Schemes
To set up a corporate or group scheme, we require a full member listing of employees and their dependants (if applicable). Please note that Specialcare benefits can only be provided if applied to the entire membership of the group unless otherwise agreed in writing with Expacare.
Payment is due on the start date and must be received within 30 days.
Issuing Insurance Certificates for Individual and Corporate Schemes

We will despatch membership documents (membership guide, insurance certificate for each member, membership card and claim forms) as soon as practicable following receipt of the premium due.

Documentation must be checked thoroughly to ensure that it has been issued in accordance with instructions given to us.

There is a 14-day ‘cooling off’ period from the date of receipt of the insurance certificate, during which time the contract may be cancelled. This would be effective from the start date and premiums will be refunded. No claims will be met if the plan is cancelled. If a claim has been made, premiums will not be refunded.

Duty of disclosure
We wish to remind clients of their duty of disclosure.
In addition to providing all basic information to enable us to place the risk, you must ensure that you are complying with your legal duty to disclose all material matters relating to the risk. In particular, you must satisfy yourself as to the accuracy and completeness of the information you provide to insurers. This will still apply where any amendment is made to the insurance.
In this respect, you must provide all information relating to the risk, whether favourable or not, which would influence the judgement of a prudent insurer in determining whether he will accept the risk and, if so, the premium applicable and on what terms.
If you do not disclose all such information, insurers have the right to void the contract from its commencement which may lead to claims not being met.

Binding Authority
When providing a quotation or confirming cover, we are acting in an underwriting capacity on behalf of the Insurer who, under a Binding Authority Agreement, has given us authority to act on their behalf.

Underwriting
Moratorium for Individual or Voluntary Scheme Clients

Applicants for individual or voluntary plans who are aged 64 and under, are excluded from claiming for pre-existing conditions under a moratorium which states:
A pre-existing condition is a medical condition which has within the prior two-year period:

  • been diagnosed
  • needed medical treatment (including drugs, special diets or injections)
  • for which medical advice has been sought (including check-ups)
  • for which medical advice should have been sought if recognised clinical advice had been followed
  • has undiagnosed symptoms, whether investigated or not


After two years of continuous insurance cover, a pre-existing condition will become eligible for benefit (unless specifically excluded under your Plan) provided that:

  • no symptoms have been suffered
  • no physician has been consulted for checkups, medical treatment or advice
  • no medication has been taken (including drugs, special diets or injections)


Medical Underwriting for Applicants aged 65 or over
Applicants for individual, voluntary or group plans who are 65 or over at commencement are excluded from claiming for pre-existing conditions through the imposition of specific exclusions based on the completion of a medical questionnaire which we will send.
Cover will not start until the applicant’s acceptance of any exclusions has been received by us, which should be within 6 weeks of our notification to the applicant.

Changes to membership for Individual and Corporate Schemes
Any change in cover required should be notified in writing, at the earliest opportunity, detailing the required changes and enclosing any relevant documentation, e.g. additional application form, copy of birth certificate etc.
Any payment is due immediately and must be received within 30 days. Revised / new documentation will not be issued until payment has been received.
On reaching age 18, a child dependant may remain covered at the child rate provided they are in full time education – verification of which will be required. At the renewal following their 24th birthday, children must leave the family plan for their own adult plan

Administration fees
Expacare Limited are able to offer the choice of paying premiums on either a yearly one off basis or six-monthly or quarterly basis (frequency to be confirmed to Expacare prior to renewal of the policy) where an administration charge of 2% and 4% respectively will be applied.

Termination
Individual and Corporate Plans
Amendments, additions to and/or cancellations cannot be backdated. We will provide a pro-rata refund for cancellations provided no claims have been incurred against the policy.

Our dealings with you
Under this agreement, including our dealings with you in connection with Claims, we act as agent of the Insurer / Provider. Additionally we hold monies received under this agreement as agent of the Insurer and not as client money.
Occasionally, it may be necessary for us to contact you by telephone, fax or Email. Should you not wish us to do so you must advise us in writing.
The language of this Health Insurance contract is  UK English.

Record and documents
We treat all client records as confidential and keep records of our business transactions for at least 6 years.

Remuneration

Expacare Limited do not charge a fee for their services but do receive a percentage of the premium as commission.
If you are a corporate entity with whom we have a direct relationship, we will disclose upon request our earnings in cash terms, or to the extent that it cannot be indicated in cash terms, the basis upon which the calculation is made.

E-mail
We recognise that communicating by e-mail on a ‘desk-to-desk’ basis is a very desirable method of conducting business and that e-mail is fast replacing facsimile as the preferred method of communication. However, if you choose to communicate with us by e-mail, we do have some concerns specific to its use in placing and servicing insurance which we would like to share with you:

  • Integrity & Receipt: There is no certainty of the completeness, accuracy or even the receipt of a message or data file sent by email. We are concerned that using e-mail as part of a contractual process creates an exposure for our clients as their agent or professional advisor (e.g. in such areas as mis-representation or non-disclosure of information, where corruption of data during transmission or missing file data file attachments may not be immediately obvious to the recipient, and the offer and acceptance process of insurance contract terms). For important messages, we may ask for a confirmation of receipt and we will acknowledge or respond to those messages that we receive. Hard copies of messages may also be requested or sent where considered appropriate
  • Confidentiality: By unavoidably having to use third party service providers to ‘deliver’ emails, confidentiality may be outside of the sender’s control
  • Appropriateness: Where receipt of a message by a given time/date is critical or the subject matter is of an important nature, such messages should be communicated by facsimile or courier to ensure that it is received and can then be acted upon. Many contracts of insurance have provisions which require notice in writing in order to ensure compliance, particularly in relation to claims advice. The use of e-mail in such circumstances may be inappropriate
  • Legality: In the absence of any contract setting out the terms of communicating by email, it may be questioned in certain jurisdictions as to whether such communications are or will be legally admissible as evidence in any dispute, without considerable supporting evidence as to checks having been made on receipt, security and integrity of the communication
  • Viruses: With knowledge of the potential damage which computer viruses can cause, e-mail users should use their best endeavours to ensure that they do not transmit harmful viruses to other parties


We have a standard form of contract which deals with the above issues more formally than this document. If you would like any e-mail exchanges between us to be governed in a more formal way and we have not already done so, we would be happy to send you a signed copy of the contract for counter-signature

Governing Law & Jurisdiction
The Plan shall be interpreted under, governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and for this purpose the Client and Underwriters agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England in any dispute arising hereunder.

Data Protection Act 1998
As part of our role and service we will from time to time need to collect personal data that might on occasions be deemed personal sensitive data. This Company is registered with the Information Commissioner as Data Controller and Processor.
We will abide by the stated principles of the Data Protection Act at all times. These can be viewed on the Information Commissioners website – www.dataprotection.gov.uk. Our clients are entitled to request a copy of the personal data which we hold with reference to them by writing to the:

Data Protection Officer,
Expacare Limited
Columbia Centre,

Market Street,
Bracknell,
Berkshire RG12 1JG

United Kingdom


Your personal data may be transferred outside of the European Economic Area for processing. Any transfer of your data is done in circumstances ensuring that your data is processed only in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Your personal data will be shared with our third party 24 hour assistance companies and claims administration providers. Expacare Limited or others may use aggregated data for research, product design or statistical purposes. The personal data may also be used by Expacare Limited to provide clients with details of products that we consider suitable.

How to complain
If you have a complaint about our practice or performance, including claims handling, this should be referred to The Managing Director, Expacare Limited, Columbia Centre, Market Street, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1JG. Complaints may subsequently be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Services, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR.
Tel 020 7964 1000. Please see www.financialombudsman.org.uk for information.

Compensation
Expacare Limited are subject to the Financial Services Compensation scheme in the United Kingdom. Please see www.fscs.org.uk for information.

Limitation of Liability
Expacare Limited's maximum total liability, including that of any employee, affiliate, agent or contractor, relating to its services, regardless of the cause of the action, will be limited to direct damages in an amount not to exceed £100,000 for each and every incident and no more than £250,000 in the aggregate over the life of the appointment.
The foregoing limitation of liability shall not apply to the extent that any liability arises from the gross negligence or wilful misconduct of Expacare Limited, its employees, affiliates, agents or contractors or from bodily injury, death of any person, or damage to any real or tangible personal property. Neither party shall be liable for any direct special or consequential damage. Full details of the products offered by Expacare can be found on our website at: www.expacare.com

Expacare Limited
Columbia Centre,
Market Street,
Bracknell,
RG12 1JG
Telephone: + 44 (0) 1344 381650
Fax +44 (0) 1344 381690