Insurance Answers, of a Sort, From Ankara - NYTimes.com

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara this week delivered a somewhat dog-eared
valentine to Americans living in Turkey, in the form of details about the new requirement to enroll in Turkish national health insurance.

American diplomats were briefed last week by officials from the
Turkish Social Security Institution, or S.G.K., on the new General
Health Insurance law.

?Unfortunately, the Embassy has still not received adequate clarification from Turkish authorities on several key points of the law,? according to the message on its Web site.

One hitch seems to be that the United States, unlike some other countries, lacks a bilateral agreement with Turkey that would exempt Americans from the new requirement. British citizens, for example, have been told by their mission in Ankara that they are exempt.

People who do wish to register have to meet criteria listed in the
embassy?s posting.

In their session with the U.S. envoys, the Turkish officials also confirmed that U.S. citizens who choose not to participate in the insurance plan would
not face fines or other punishment, unless they tried to sign up later.

Missing the deadlines could prove costly. Late-comers must pay the
monthly premiums, retroactive premiums, interest on the late premiums
and a fine equal to one month of the Turkish minimum wage. (Turkey announced late last year that it would raise the official minimum wage for 2012 by more than12 percent in two stages, reaching 739 lira, or $417, by July.)

How much is the insurance? The embassy message says it is 212.76 lira per month, or $120, and the premiums would automatically increase each January and July.

What the policy covers is unclear. Also unexplained is how people who don?t need the coverage can let Ankara know that.

We?ve heard that people have begun the process of registering, and even
though it means multiple trips to multiple offices, they report that it has been a fairly pleasant experience. What are most of you finding?

Source: http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/16/insurance-answers-of-a-sort-from-ankara/

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