Insurance coverage in Hungary

I think this subject all depends on your budget, beliefs and fears.
If one has the means there is always an insurance agent willing and able to take your money for a policy.
You can pick and chose your insurance, they may come in a plan if you buy both auto and flat insurance with the same co.
Health insurance again depends on how much you are willing to part with, if you are in general good health I wouldn't spend on a pricy policy that you may never use. Did that years back in the US, never ever used it and we parted with over $500. cash money a month,  ( when $500 was serious money)as luck would have it, we cancelled the policy after years of not using it because of a job change, out of the blue our son broke his arm 3 times with 3 surgeries all in one year.
One can not always cover all their bets.
In HU to just get by with the required health coverage for immigration using a cheap policy for students should work for most healthy people. Using Generali insurance for a few hundred bucks for the year worked out for me while I was doing the immigration game.
Flat insurance we used to have with our auto policy, after reading the policy in detail we realized it barely covered a thing and didn't cover anything at all if one was out of the country, that was about the only reason we wanted flat insurance for when we were not home, cancelled that plan, it was cheap but a total waste of money for us. The monthly common costs for a flat covers most of the building, if you do not have paperwork on personal items then you are out of luck, policy or no policy.
We have always lived by the skin of our teeth, don't insure for life or death of a loved one, feel like it is bad karma to do so, just our way .
Never want to profit from a death.

I feel insurance companies just  play with ones fears and worries, not my game.
I know from personal family experiences with my parents and others that if ones insurance is too good, then they will cut, dig and really mess you up until you run out of coverage for the year.
If you have just so/so coverage they will keep you going and give your body time to heal itself, sometimes good insurance kills more people then letting the body heal itself with nutri
tion and time. I do not trust doctors or insurance co. to have anyone's best interest at heart.
When our son broke his arm so many times we first paid out of pocket several thousands of US dollars just for tests and x rays, when I asked for all the work we had paid for to be given to me because no doctors could tell me how much the final costs would be, the doctors at UCLA medical center in Cal just starred at me. I said I was taking him to Hungary with his family to get the operations done at a cost we could handle, they decided to do all his 3 surgeries, follow up care etc. for 100% free, teaching centers like UCLA or centers even here in HU would rather do the work for free and let students learn then have you hurt their pride by saying no thanks to their care. everything works out if you don't panic. At least in non 3rd world countries . In HU they will treat any serious emergency no matter what, they are not that evil to turn away a dying or injured person.
I personally now have HU national health coverage, had knee surgery in HU. Not great care, really odd treatment but it was covered except for my tips under the table by my monthly payments. There are many reasonable priced private clinics for small issues in HU. The wealthy in HU have a Golden policy that  really I forgot their money costs for coverage, was allot like $1,000. but they have no wait times and all private rooms with the best doctors HU has to offer. Like I stated, it all depends on you budget and how much you think your life is worth. Most "normal" people in HU don't have that sort of ready cash to blow every month just to feel secure.
For the 7,500 or there about's that the average HU pays every month for health coverage they are willing to take the chance that they won't need to use it.
Some hospitals in HU are good and the staff cares and other hospitals one is on their own fingers crossed that you get out alive.Or at least without life long nightmares of the experience.
Where I had my knee surgery was a nightmare, my husband had hernia surgery in HU and the doctor and nursing staff were caring and kind,it's a roll of the dice.

Kenjee wrote:

What type of insurance expatriates need the most in Hungary: health, house or liability insurance? All of them? Do they come as a package?

Health -- Health insurance is required. Gotta have it.

House -- if you own one. This is a personal decision.

Liability -- Liability in Hungary is pretty much capped out at out of pocket expenses (i.e. one is only reimbursed if one can show a bill proving loss or from a cost statement from an independent appraiser). There is no real legal system like in the US for "pain and suffering".

Also, auto insurance is required. But the standard policies only pays for damage in an accident that was not your fault.

Kenjee wrote:

Are there other insurance options to consider like critical illness, damage or property insurance?

If you live in Hungary long enough, one normally pays into the the state mandated health insurance, which pays for any critical illness. One can get property insurance, but it is expensive and the coverage is often rather limited.

Kenjee wrote:

Is it better to purchase insurance from an expat insurance specialist or from a local insurance provider?

I have only used local insurance myself. So I can not compare or suggest.

Kenjee wrote:

And what about insurance costs?

Rather inexpensive, but then the coverage is also usually limited; and some companies might find weird, or unexpected, ways to avoid paying a claim.