Independent market guide · reviewed 21 August 2026
HEALTHCARE / INSURANCE
A provider name tells you very little on its own. The real comparison is between policy wordings: what is covered, where it works, how claims are paid and whether the protection survives your next diagnosis or move.
Start with the right product
International private medical insurance (IPMI) is designed for people living abroad and can cover ongoing inpatient care, cancer treatment and, depending on the plan, outpatient care, chronic conditions, maternity, dental and evacuation.
Travel medical or nomad insurance usually focuses on unexpected illness and injury during temporary travel. It may have trip-duration limits, weaker routine or chronic care and no guarantee that it will renew after your health changes.
Provider directory
This is a market map, not a ranking. Products, eligibility, underwriting and legal entities change by residence, nationality and sales channel. Follow each provider link and obtain the full wording for the exact plan quoted.
| Provider | Product type | Typical structure | May suit | Verify before buying |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allianz Care | Full international private medical insurance (IPMI) | Core inpatient and day-care cover, with plan-dependent outpatient, dental, maternity and repatriation options; regional or worldwide areas of cover. | Individuals and families wanting a large international service and provider network. | The issuing insurer, modules and underwriting rules vary by residence. Check maternity waits, chronic-condition treatment and whether USA cover is included. |
| Cigna Global | Modular IPMI | A core international medical plan with selectable outpatient, dental and vision, health and wellbeing, and evacuation options; geographic coverage choices are available. | People who want to adjust benefits and cost rather than buy one fixed package. | Optional modules can materially change the quote. Read the deductible, cost-share, pre-authorisation and pre-existing-condition terms together. |
| Bupa Global | Premium IPMI | Country-dependent levels of worldwide private medical cover, with digital health support and access to Bupa's international healthcare network. | Families and professionals prioritising broad private-hospital access and higher-benefit plan options. | Plans shown depend on the country of residence. Compare outpatient, maternity, mental-health and evacuation limits rather than assuming the brand's top benefits apply to every tier. |
| AXA Global Healthcare | Tiered IPMI | Five cover levels with optional outpatient and dental upgrades, online-doctor services and plan-dependent evacuation and repatriation benefits. | Buyers who want clearly tiered cover with the ability to add routine treatment. | Foundation has narrower emergency treatment outside the chosen area than higher levels. Check excess, USA treatment, evacuation destination and maternity eligibility. |
| APRIL International | IPMI and international travel products | International medical plans for individuals and families, often with selectable benefit levels, digital claims support and telemedicine; the product menu is market-specific. | Mobile individuals wanting a digital-first insurer with products distributed across multiple regions. | Identify the exact product and legal underwriter in the quotation. Do not confuse short-stay travel products with annually renewable medical insurance. |
| BCBS Global Solutions (formerly GeoBlue) | Long-term international medical cover with strong US links | Long-term plans for people living abroad, with worldwide provider support and access to Blue Cross Blue Shield networks when eligible for US treatment. | US citizens and other eligible US-linked expatriates who value recognised access inside the United States. | Eligibility and US-home-country rules are central. Confirm whether US cover is full, limited or excluded and which domestic plan or citizenship conditions apply. |
| IMG | Tiered global medical insurance | Multiple benefit tiers, geographic areas and deductible choices, with optional benefits or riders depending on the plan and applicant. | Buyers comfortable comparing detailed schedules and using deductibles to control premiums. | Read benefit sublimits, pre-certification rules, USA network conditions, age limits and the treatment of pre-existing or chronic conditions. |
| Now Health International | Tiered IPMI | WorldCare and market-dependent SimpleCare plans for individuals and families, supported by international direct-billing and digital claims services. | Expats in Asia, the Middle East and other served markets wanting a choice between broader and more budget-conscious structures. | Availability, network arrangements and modules differ by residence. Compare routine outpatient limits, chronic care, maternity and area-of-cover definitions. |
| William Russell | International health insurance for individuals and families | Annually renewable expat medical plans with optional or tier-dependent outpatient, dental and maternity benefits and international member support. | Individuals who value a specialist expat insurer and more personal member service. | Check country eligibility, USA options, maximum entry age, benefit caps and the insurer named in the policy—not only the distributing brand. |
| Global Health (formerly Foyer Global Health / Globality Health) | Premium individual and corporate IPMI | International medical cover with worldwide assistance, sold under a consolidated current brand following changes to the older Foyer and Globality brands. | Europe-linked expatriates and employers looking for comprehensive international cover. | Older comparison pages may use legacy names. Confirm the current legal insurer, product wording and whether an existing legacy plan differs from new business. |
| PassportCard | Cross-border health and travel insurance | Uses a payment-card model to fund eligible treatment and expenses, alongside 24-hour support; health and travel products are distinct. | Eligible internationally mobile customers who want to reduce reimbursement paperwork and upfront payment. | Availability depends on nationality and residence. Card funding does not remove pre-authorisation, exclusions or benefit limits; confirm which product is being quoted. |
| VUMI | High-limit international major medical insurance | Worldwide individual medical products with different geographic areas, deductibles and benefit levels, with a particularly visible presence in the Americas. | International families and Latin America-connected buyers seeking high-limit major-medical options. | Check US access, network rules, organ-transplant and specialty-drug limits, underwriting jurisdiction and the exact policy entity. |
| MSH International | International insurer, administrator and assistance network | Individual and group expatriate health products supported by a large international claims and healthcare network; plan design depends on market. | Individuals and employers wanting international administration with regional product options. | Establish whether MSH is the insurer, administrator or distributor for the quoted plan and identify the regulated risk carrier and complaint jurisdiction. |
| HCI Group Global / Integra Global | International health and employee-benefit cover | International medical products for globally mobile individuals and groups, with the Integra name now presented within HCI Group Global. | Clients accessing cover through an adviser or employer as well as individual international buyers. | Brand ownership and product availability have changed. Confirm the current insurer, service company, plan version and renewal terms in writing. |
| Expatriate Group | International health and related expatriate insurance | International medical cover plus separate short-term, travel and other expatriate insurance products, with optional benefit categories on some plans. | UK-connected expatriates comparing health cover with other international protection products. | Check the named underwriter, territorial scope, chronic and pre-existing-condition terms, renewal age and whether the quote is short-term or annual IPMI. |
| Morgan Price | International private medical insurance specialist | International health plans commonly distributed through brokers, with tiered benefits and geographic choices depending on the current product range. | Buyers using an experienced international insurance broker to compare specialist plans. | Confirm current new-business availability, policy underwriter, claims administrator, wording edition and financial-services jurisdiction before relying on older online comparisons. |
| Pacific Cross | International and Asia-focused medical insurance | International and country-market medical plans distributed across parts of Asia, with inpatient-led and broader benefit options depending on the local Pacific Cross entity. | Expats based in Asian markets who want to compare a regional provider with worldwide IPMI brands. | Pacific Cross companies and products are country-specific. Confirm which entity issues the policy, where direct billing applies and whether cover remains valid after moving country. |
| SafetyWing | Remote-worker and nomad insurance | Subscription-style insurance products for remote workers, including travel-medical and broader health propositions; cover depends heavily on the selected product. | Digital nomads and remote workers who need portable, flexible-duration cover. | A nomad or travel-medical policy is not automatically equivalent to full IPMI. Check routine care, cancer, chronic illness, maternity, home-country periods and guaranteed renewal. |
Important: “Worldwide” often does not mean unrestricted treatment everywhere. USA cover, elective treatment outside your residence, home-country visits and sanctioned territories commonly have separate rules.
Policy wording first
A premium comparison is meaningful only after the benefits and exclusions are made equivalent. These are the questions that expose the real differences between policies.
The application must use your real country of habitual residence. A policy sold to a visitor, tourist or resident of another jurisdiction can be invalid or unavailable, even if the website accepts a quotation request.
Distinguish worldwide including USA, worldwide excluding USA, regional cover and treatment limited to your residence. Check home-country visits, elective treatment abroad, sanctions and emergency cover outside the area.
Inpatient-only cover protects against larger hospital bills but leaves consultations, diagnostics, medication and follow-up outside hospital to you. Day surgery may have a separate definition.
A large overall maximum can coexist with small caps for room type, scans, cancer drugs, rehabilitation, mental health, prostheses, organ transplants, ambulance use or home nursing. Compare the schedule line by line.
Ask whether each condition is covered, excluded, loaded or subject to a moratorium. Confirm treatment of related symptoms, medications, complications and conditions that were undiagnosed when you applied.
Check outpatient chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted and biological medicines, genetic testing, approved drug lists, palliative care and whether experimental or off-label treatment is excluded.
Maternity commonly has a waiting period and its own limit. Examine routine and complicated delivery, prenatal care, fertility exclusions and the deadline and underwriting rules for adding a newborn.
These benefits are often optional or tightly capped. Check inpatient versus outpatient mental healthcare, counselling qualifications, dental waiting periods and whether optical means examinations, lenses or both.
Medical evacuation may only take you to the nearest suitable facility—not your preferred hospital or home country. Check who decides, companion travel, return after treatment and repatriation of mortal remains.
An annual deductible, per-condition excess, per-visit copay and percentage coinsurance can apply together. Confirm the maximum out-of-pocket exposure per person and whether it resets at renewal.
A hospital appearing in an insurer's network does not guarantee cashless care for every treatment. Planned admissions, scans and expensive drugs may require approval, a guarantee of payment or a deposit.
Look for guaranteed or contractual renewal, maximum entry and renewal ages, age-band increases, portfolio repricing and what happens if the product closes. Renewal does not mean the premium stays affordable.
Record the company actually carrying the insurance risk, its regulator, governing law and complaint or ombudsman route. The familiar brand, broker, administrator and insurer may be four different organisations.
A good medical policy may still fail a visa requirement if the certificate, local licensing, benefit wording or minimum limits do not match. Obtain written confirmation for the specific visa before purchase.
Motorcycle use, alcohol or drugs, professional or hazardous sports, diving, climbing, civil unrest, self-inflicted injury and working in dangerous occupations can affect claims. Definitions and helmet or licence conditions matter.
The decision behind the quote
A quotation is not proof that a condition will be covered. The insurer's final acceptance, endorsements and exclusions must be read alongside the standard policy wording.
You disclose your history before cover starts. The insurer may accept conditions, exclude them, impose a premium loading or decline the application. The written acceptance terms are decisive.
Certain recent conditions are initially excluded and may become eligible only after a specified symptom-, advice-, medication- and treatment-free period. Recurrence can restart the clock.
When transferring from another insurer, some providers may continue established exclusions or underwriting terms. This is not automatic and should be approved before cancelling the old policy.
Most common in qualifying employer groups, this can cover prior conditions subject to the group wording. It is unusual in individual retail insurance and can disappear when employment ends.
The real annual cost
Run a routine-care year and a serious-claim year. Include foreign-exchange costs, treatment paid pending reimbursement, travel to an approved facility and any maximum coinsurance. A lower premium can be rational—but only if you can comfortably fund the retained risk.
When treatment is needed
The condition and proposed treatment are eligible under your policy.
The clinician and facility are covered and, where relevant, in network.
Pre-authorisation or a guarantee of payment has been issued in writing.
You understand the deductible, cost share, sublimit and deposit you must pay.
You know which reports, invoices, translations and submission deadlines apply.
Emergency exception: obtain urgent care first where delay would be unsafe, then contact the insurer's assistance service as soon as reasonably possible. The policy may specify a notification window.
Sales and policy risks
A regulated broker can help with underwriting and claims, but the same tests apply: understand who pays the broker, which insurers were compared and whether advice or only information is being provided.
The salesperson discusses a brochure but will not provide the full policy wording.
A pre-existing condition is described as covered, but it is missing from the formal acceptance terms.
The quote says “cashless worldwide” without explaining network, approval or deposit requirements.
A very cheap plan relies on low room, cancer, drug or evacuation sublimits.
The policy is issued in a jurisdiction with no clear complaint process available to you.
Travel insurance is presented as permanent health cover without examining residence and trip-duration rules.
The premium is affordable today, but entry ages, renewal ages and age-band increases are not disclosed.
You are told to omit symptoms or alter your residence, occupation or travel history to obtain acceptance.
One more comparison
Usually offers portability, wider treatment geography, cross-border assistance and higher benefit options. It can cost more, and local direct billing or compulsory-insurance recognition is not guaranteed.
Can be cheaper and better integrated with local hospitals and regulation. It may provide weak cover outside the country, have local-language administration or end when residence changes.
Some expats use a local plan for routine access and an international major-medical plan for serious treatment. Overlap, coordination and disclosure must be checked; two policies do not mean two payouts.
Country guide
Thailand has its own regulatory, visa, hospital, road-traffic and property context. Use the country guide to compare the four protection areas separately and understand where local and international policies differ.
Research method
Provider names, current positioning and product structures were checked against official provider websites on 21 August 2026. Where a brand now redirects or appears within a new group, the current relationship is identified rather than repeating an outdated market list.
This directory is deliberately not a price table. Insurers calculate premiums from age, residence, geography, deductible, family composition, underwriting and benefit selections; a sample price would not be comparable or durable.
Provider links are supplied for primary-source checking. Emigrated.org does not currently rank these insurers or state that one is suitable for a particular person. Product documents and the insurer's written acceptance terms take precedence over this guide.
Not personalised advice: insurance is a regulated financial product in many jurisdictions. A locally authorised broker or adviser is particularly valuable for pre-existing conditions, maternity, older applicants, visa requirements or several countries of cover.