Top 5 Most Common Expat Health Insurance Plans

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After years of inconvenient international travel, are you itching to visit places again soon? Whether you are going places for business, study, leisure, or retirement, if you are staying for an extended period of time, there is one thing you shouldn’t forget about before you hop on the plane – international health insurance.

 

A good international health insurance policy will not only foot your medical bills while abroad, it will further provide advice and support around the clock and, in times of crises, help you come back to your home country. You see, we are not trying to ruin your mood, and if there is a way to sound light-hearted about expat health insurance you would have done it, but private medical services are notoriously expensive in many places across the world, and you don’t want an experience of living in a foreign country to end up breaking the bank.

 

So if you are looking for some pointers, this article from our friends at Pacific Prime Thailand presents the top 5 expat health insurance plans (in no particular order). Read on to discover more about them!

1.  Cigna Global Health Options

With a medical network comprising over 1.65 million partnerships, including 175,000

mental and behavioral healthcare providers, and 14,000 facilities and clinics, there is no question Cigna is well positioned to deliver choice, predictability, affordability and access to quality care for their customers.

 

The Global Telehealth service gives you access to licensed doctors around the world for non-emergency health issues. Cigna can arrange a callback appointment for you (often on the same day), or you can arrange a telephone or video consultation from the Cigna Wellbeing app.

 

Cigna’s Case Management service enables you to receive personalized support and assistance from their dedicated nurses and doctors if you are diagnosed with a complex condition requiring special support. They will serve as your single point of contact, offering support through coordinating your healthcare and treatment plan. That’s support right when you need it, in the way you want it!

 

The International Evacuation & Crisis Assistance Plus optional module gives you access to a

worldwide comprehensive crisis assistance service for your peace of mind while you travel. So even if the worst comes to the worst, you can still rest assured home is not far away.

 

There are three tiers of coverage, ranging from USD $1,000,000 to unlimited annual benefit maximum, and you can choose between 2 areas of coverage (worldwide including USA, worldwide excluding USA). You may further opt to include the International Outpatient, International Evacuation & Crisis Assistance Plus, International Health & Wellbeing, and International Vision & Dental modules to make your plan fit your needs even better.

 

If you want to lower your premium, there is a wide range of deductibles and cost shares that you may consider. You also have the freedom to choose how often (annually, quarterly or monthly) you pay for your policy. If you choose an annual or quarterly payment, your premium will be slightly lower than it otherwise would be.

2.  Xplorer Essential and Premier from GeoBlue Health Insurance

First off, the GeoBlue Xplorer Essential and Premier plans are limited to US citizens moving abroad and non-US residents moving to the US. An employee of a US company is also eligible provided the company is domiciled in a US state and the company pays the premium. Certain further restrictions apply, so please check before you apply for cover.

 

Congratulations if you clear that first bar! The Premier plan has the most comprehensive policy with the maximum amount of coverage. Ideal for US citizens living abroad, the plan provides the most coverage in the USA of any global insurer, including a total of 9 months of benefits for US citizens for each policy period.

 

The Premier plan is well suited to individuals and families looking to get the most coverage in the US and worldwide with minimum limitations. It is also the perfect premium insurance for foreigners living in the US because the benefits, coverage, and service levels offered are considered to be the best in the business.

 

On the other hand, if you do not plan to return to the US, then Xplorer Essential is for you – it offers the same benefits as the Premium plan, except that there is no coverage in the US. This plan will save you money compared to plans that offer coverage in the US as well.

 

If you need some basic coverage in the US, you may consider the optional essential add-on which provides coverage for emergency medical care, illness, prescriptions, and accidental injuries while you are temporarily in the US.

 

For citizens continuing their US health insurance plan while living overseas, the GeoBlue Xplorer Select plan covers you while outside the US. It has a simplified underwriting process that asks fewer medical questions, and the benefits are very similar to XPlorer Essential.

 

One of the best features of the GeoBlue is that it imposes no waiting periods with any preventive services, such as doctor office visits and routine physicals, and you are not required to pay a deductible for standard services such as office visits, preventive care, and outpatient prescriptions. These plans also offer unlimited annual and lifetime maximum to its policyholders, and you can cancel the policy any month with no cancellation fee.

3.  William Russell Health Insurance

For over 30 years already, William Russell has been supporting expats around the world. With their global plans, you can get cover for the latest medical treatments and access private healthcare internationally. Plus, you'll have help and support from a team of experts with their trademark personalized service.

 

With over 40,000 hospitals in their worldwide network, you can be sure you’re getting the best medical care. You’ll have access to the best hospitals and doctors wherever in the world you are, whether it is primary care or complex surgery you need.

 

Their plans cover the latest cancer care and treatments, including genome testing. What’s more, they provide benefits, such as wigs following chemotherapy, counseling with a psychologist, and consultations with a dietitian, and more.

 

Your mental health will be in good hands too. It can be tough living and working away from your support network. That’s why most William Russell plans cover your mental health consultations and treatment.

 

The William Russell plans are available in four tiers of coverage – Bronze, Silver Lite, Silver, and Gold, with annual coverage benefits ranging from USD $1.5m to USD $5m. The Gold plan covers pregnancy and childbirth, and all plans include 24/7 emergency assistance.

4.  Global Medical Insurance Plan from IMG

This plan provides 24/7 global access to healthcare, and connects you to important international medical services, including the coordination of emergency evacuations if necessary.

 

This plan can be customized to suit the your needs and those of your family, you can choose from several plan options, customize your length and area of coverage and select from multiple deductibles (from USD $100 to USD $25,000), modes of payment, and maximum limit options (from USD $1,000,000 to USD $8,000,000). Most importantly, the program provides different underwriting methods to extend medical coverage to you that may be declined by other companies.

 

You can rest assured knowing that IMG has a department dedicated to keeping your insurance as affordable as possible. As part of that effort, IMG offers a Medical Concierge program, an unparalleled service that saves you on out-of-pocket medical expenses. IMG also offers a cash incentive and waives 50% of your deductible if you choose to receive treatment from some of the best medical facilities outside the US.

 

Lifetime medical coverage is available if you are enrolled in the program by your 65th birthday and maintain continuous coverage to age 75. Before your 75th birthday you will receive a summary of benefits for a new plan, Global Senior Plan, and an enrollment form for coverage. There is no additional medical underwriting. All you need to do is review the benefits, and complete and return the enrollment form with your premium.

 

Once you are accepted in the plan, IMG provides a 15-day free look period for you to review the coverage. If during that 15-day period you find that you are not satisfied with the plan for any reason, you may request cancellation and full refund of your premium. That just goes to show the confidence IMG has in their Global Medical Insurance Plan.

5.  WorldCare from Now Health International

There are four levels of cover to choose from – Essential, Advance, Excel, and Apex, ranging from essential hospital care through to their most comprehensive plan which includes inpatient and outpatient treatment cover, including dental and maternity. All of their plans come with the great service Now Health International is renowned for, including fast and accurate claims service and state of the art digital tools.

 

Leveraging their extensive network of medical experts worldwide, Now Health International provides members with a second medical opinion service to help ensure you get the right diagnosis and the right treatment, and to give you peace of mind. Members can access this service for both acute and long term conditions, and in most cases the second medical opinion will be delivered within days.

 

To help make seeking treatment overseas easier for you, Now Health International provides concierge support to help you manage the process. This includes recommending where to get treatment, support to book medical appointments, appointment reminders, placing guarantees of payment with the hospital (including in an emergency) so you don’t need to pay upfront, and support with arranging medical visas.

 

Taking a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, the Member Assistance Programme includes immediate support by phone from specialized professionals in counseling, social work, psychology or human services, available 24/7 in multiple languages. It also provides real-time online conversation with support professionals for immediate assistance with work, health, or life issues. Confidential and secure telephonic or video sessions with counselors in your native language are available too.

 

Now Health International understands time is precious to you, that is why they promise if you have had to pay for treatment and need to claim back your expenses, they will process eligible claims within five working days. If you need day-patient or in-patient treatment, Now Health International will aim to pre-authorise your claim so you don’t need to pay anything, and they will place guarantees of payment with medical providers within two working days.

 

When you buy your plan, if they need to underwrite your application, Now Health International will respond to you within two working days. If you choose to receive your plan documents by post, Now Health International will dispatch them within five working days, and they will respond to all your enquiries within one working day.

 

Want to learn more about international health insurance or looking for a plan that serves you and your family best? Contact Pacific Prime Thailand today! Their expertise and experience in all matters related to insurance, combined with their in-depth knowledge of the products from all the major insurers around the world, give them the ability to provide impartial advice that only a leading global insurance brokerage can provide.

 

Not only can Pacific Prime Thailand tailor a plan that meets all of your needs and fits your budget, but they make sure their clients have a good time working with them. Their company motto of “simplifying insurance” is not just a slogan: it’s their core value!