International health insurance (IPMI) for nomads (2026): providers compared

Money, Banking & Insurance
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International private medical insurance (IPMI) is annual health cover for people living abroad, not travel insurance for a single trip. The main decisions are whether to include the US, how high a deductible to take, and whether to choose full medical underwriting or a moratorium. Cigna Global, Allianz Care, Bupa Global, AXA Global Healthcare, GeoBlue, William Russell and Now Health all sell individual plans. Almost all prices are quote-based, and premiums rise with age.

This is a wiki: members can edit this first post to add options, prices and experiences. Please keep it factual and say when you last used a service.

Last checked: October 2026

In short:

IPMI vs travel or nomad insurance

Travel and nomad policies focus on emergencies abroad and often limit cover in your home country. IPMI is built for planned and ongoing care where you live, including cancer treatment, specialist visits and, on higher tiers, outpatient, dental and maternity care. For a deeper comparison see Expat health insurance for digital nomads: SafetyWing vs Genki vs Cigna and more. For a review of one well-known nomad policy see Is SafetyWing legit? Nomad Insurance review and member experiences (2026).

Key terms

  • Area of cover. Usually “worldwide” or “worldwide excluding the USA.” Bupa Global also offers “worldwide without U.S. or Europe” on some plans. Allianz Care added a Europe area in November 2025.
  • Deductible (excess). The amount you pay before the insurer pays. A higher deductible means a lower premium.
  • Full medical underwriting (FMU). You declare your history, and the insurer states up front what it will exclude.
  • Moratorium. No health questionnaire. Allianz Care explains that a pre-existing condition can become eligible only after a continuous 24 months with no symptoms, treatment, medication, special diet or advice for it.
  • Renewability. Most policies are annual contracts. Cigna’s Hong Kong product summary says premium rates “will increase with age upon renewal” and are “not guaranteed.”

Providers compared

Service What it’s for Price from (date checked) Notes
Cigna Global (Global Health Options) Modular plans: Silver, Gold, Platinum Quote-based (Oct 2026) Worldwide including or excluding the USA. Deductibles from $0 to $10,000. Silver limit $1,000,000; Gold $2,000,000. Hong Kong summary (Feb 2026): no maximum age at inception or renewal.
Allianz Care Base, Enhanced and Signature plans, launched November 2025, mainly for EU and UK markets Quote-based (Oct 2026) Cover can include or exclude the USA. Moratorium, full medical underwriting and some non-underwritten options. Short-term cover of 3 to 12 months.
Bupa Global Major Medical, Select, Premier, Elite, Ultimate Quote-based (Oct 2026) Annual limits from £1,000,000 (Select) to unlimited (Ultimate). Area options vary by plan. Plans differ by country of residence.
AXA Global Healthcare Foundation, Standard, Comprehensive, Prestige, Prestige Plus Quote-based (Oct 2026) Worldwide or worldwide excluding the USA, with US emergency cover on most plans. Optional excess. 18-month wait for pregnancy benefit (Feb 2023 brochure).
GeoBlue Xplorer Plans for US citizens and US residents living abroad, with US cover Quote-based (Oct 2026) GeoBlue’s 2023 eligibility document: age 74 or younger, and living outside your home country at least 3 months a year.
William Russell Bronze, Silver Lite, Silver, Gold “From US$76 per month” (Oct 2026) Annual limits US$1.5m to US$5m. Must be under 76 at start, and generally an expat. Example: US$84 a month for Bronze, age 30, UK national in Vietnam, South East Asia cover, US$250 excess.
Now Health WorldCare Essential, Advance, Excel, Apex Quote-based (Oct 2026) Annual limits US$3m to US$4.5m. Deductibles up to US$15,000. The Essential IPID says default cover is any country except the USA.

Fair downsides

  • Premiums rise. Annual renewal means your price can go up because of age and the insurer’s claims experience, even if you never claim. Ask for renewal increase history at your age band.
  • Pre-existing conditions. Cigna’s terms exclude treatment for pre-existing conditions it hasn’t expressly agreed to cover. Now Health’s IPID excludes conditions “that you had, or had symptoms of, before joining” unless your terms say otherwise.
  • Waiting periods. Maternity commonly has a wait: 24 months in Cigna’s Hong Kong terms, 12 months for pregnancy conditions at Now Health, and 18 months at AXA.
  • Eligibility. Some insurers expect you to live outside your country of nationality. William Russell, for example, generally requires expat status. Age caps apply at some insurers: 74 at GeoBlue, under 76 at William Russell.
  • US cost. Adding the US is the biggest single price lever. Many nomads without US ties choose cover that excludes the US, plus a separate travel policy for short US trips.

How to choose

  1. Decide where you will actually live for most of the year, and whether you need cover in the US.
  2. Choose underwriting deliberately. With any history at all, full medical underwriting gives certainty. With a clean history, a moratorium is simpler.
  3. Set the deductible at an amount you could pay from savings without stress.
  4. Get two or three like-for-like quotes, read the full policy rules, not just the brochure, and check country-specific versions.

Member experiences

Reply below with which one you use and why. Please include your age band, area of cover, deductible, annual premium, any renewal increase, and any claims experience, with dates.

Related guides: Expat health insurance for digital nomads: SafetyWing vs Genki vs Cigna and more · Is SafetyWing legit? Nomad Insurance review and member experiences (2026) · How to become a digital nomad in 2026: a realistic 7-step plan · Digital nomad packing list (2026): what experienced nomads actually carry

Quick answers

Q: What is the difference between IPMI and travel insurance?
IPMI is an annual health policy for the country where you live, covering planned and ongoing treatment, often with outpatient, dental and maternity options. Travel and nomad insurance mainly covers emergencies on trips and may limit home-country care. People who are settled abroad usually need IPMI.

Q: Should I choose a moratorium or full medical underwriting?
A moratorium means no questionnaire. At Allianz Care, a pre-existing condition can become eligible after 24 continuous months with no symptoms, treatment or advice for it. Full medical underwriting means you declare your history and know your exclusions up front. With any medical history at all, full underwriting usually gives more certainty.

Q: How much does international health insurance cost?
Most insurers only quote individually, based on age, residence, area of cover and deductible. William Russell publishes a starting price of US$76 a month, and an example of US$84 a month for a 30-year-old in Vietnam with South East Asia cover and a US$250 excess. Adding US cover raises premiums significantly.

Sources

This is general information from the Nomad Forums team, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change; check the official source or a qualified adviser before acting.

Over to you: Which insurer covers you, with or without the US, and how much did your premium rise at your last renewal? Has anyone had a claim declined as pre-existing under a moratorium?