TL;DR
Navigating the world of international private medical insurance (IPMI) can feel overwhelming. At WeCovr, our expert advisers have helped arrange over 900,000 policies, giving us unparalleled insight into the UK market. This guide cuts through the noise, comparing three of the world's leading IPMI providers to help you make a confident choice for your global health needs in 2026.
Key takeaways
- IPMI is NOT travel insurance. Travel insurance is for short-term trips and emergencies (e.g., a broken leg on holiday). IPMI is comprehensive, long-term health cover for those living abroad, covering everything from routine check-ups to major surgery.
- IPMI is NOT a local health plan. Local plans often restrict you to one country and may not offer the comprehensive benefits, direct billing, or international portability of a true global policy.
- Foundation: A hospital-focused plan covering essential inpatient and day-patient treatment. Ideal for those seeking major medical cover on a budget.
- Standard: Adds a good level of outpatient cover for GP visits, specialist consultations, and diagnostics.
- Comprehensive: Expands on outpatient limits and often includes benefits for routine dental and wellness checks.
Navigating the world of international private medical insurance (IPMI) can feel overwhelming. At WeCovr, our expert advisers have helped arrange over 900,000 policies, giving us unparalleled insight into the UK market. This guide cuts through the noise, comparing three of the world's leading IPMI providers to help you make a confident choice for your global health needs in 2026.
A detailed comparison of three major IPMI options – cover scope, outpatient and maternity benefits, underwriting approach, network access and value
Choosing the right international health insurance is one of the most critical decisions you'll make when living or working abroad. Your policy is your passport to quality healthcare, protecting you from crippling medical bills and ensuring peace of mind.
Three providers consistently dominate the landscape for expatriates and global citizens: AXA Global, Bupa Global, and International Medical Group (IMG). Each has distinct strengths, catering to different needs and budgets. This comprehensive comparison will examine them across the five pillars of a great IPMI plan.
First, What Exactly is International Private Medical Insurance?
Before we dive into the comparison, it's vital to understand what IPMI is and, crucially, what it is not.
- IPMI is NOT travel insurance. Travel insurance is for short-term trips and emergencies (e.g., a broken leg on holiday). IPMI is comprehensive, long-term health cover for those living abroad, covering everything from routine check-ups to major surgery.
- IPMI is NOT a local health plan. Local plans often restrict you to one country and may not offer the comprehensive benefits, direct billing, or international portability of a true global policy.
The Golden Rule of Health Insurance: Standard international and UK private medical insurance policies are designed to cover acute conditions—illnesses or injuries that are short-term and curable—that arise after your policy has started. They are generally not designed to cover chronic conditions (long-term, manageable illnesses like diabetes or asthma) or pre-existing conditions you had before joining. Cover for these may be possible through special negotiation, but it is not standard.
AXA Global: The Global Insurance Behemoth
As one of the largest insurance groups in the world, AXA brings immense scale, a vast global network, and a reputation for financial stability to the IPMI market. Their plans are structured to be comprehensive and are a popular choice for both individuals and corporate groups.
Cover Scope & Plan Structure
AXA typically offers tiered plans, allowing you to match the cover level to your needs and budget. For 2026, their structure generally follows:
- Foundation: A hospital-focused plan covering essential inpatient and day-patient treatment. Ideal for those seeking major medical cover on a budget.
- Standard: Adds a good level of outpatient cover for GP visits, specialist consultations, and diagnostics.
- Comprehensive: Expands on outpatient limits and often includes benefits for routine dental and wellness checks.
- Prestige: The top-tier plan with very high or full cover for most benefits, including extensive maternity and dental.
Key Strength: AXA's plans often include generous cancer cover and mental health support as standard, even on lower-to-mid-tier options. Their evacuation and repatriation services are world-class, leveraging their global assistance network.
Outpatient and Maternity Benefits
- Outpatient: AXA's mid-to-upper-tier plans provide robust outpatient cover. This means consultations with specialists, diagnostic tests like MRI scans, and physiotherapy are usually covered up to a significant annual limit (£5,000 to £25,000 or more, depending on the plan).
- Maternity: Maternity cover is an optional benefit that must be added. It comes with a waiting period, typically 10-12 months. This means you must have the policy in place for that duration before you can claim for maternity costs. AXA's maternity benefits are comprehensive on their higher-tier plans, covering routine delivery, complications, and sometimes newborn care.
Underwriting and Network
- Underwriting: AXA offers both Full Medical Underwriting (FMU), where you disclose your full medical history, and Moratorium underwriting. A moratorium approach automatically excludes conditions you've had in the last 5 years, but may cover them after a 2-year claim-free period on the policy.
- Network: AXA boasts one of the largest global networks of hospitals, clinics, and doctors. This extensive network facilitates direct billing, where the hospital bills AXA directly, so you aren't left with a huge out-of-pocket expense.
Best for: Individuals, families, and businesses seeking a reliable, well-known insurer with a vast global footprint and comprehensive, straightforward plans.
Bupa Global: The Premium Service Specialist
Bupa Global has carved out a niche as the premium provider in the IPMI market. Their focus is less on being the cheapest and more on delivering exceptional service, extensive benefits, and access to a curated network of elite medical facilities.
Cover Scope & Plan Structure
Bupa Global's plans are designed to be rich in benefits from the outset. Their typical plan family includes:
- Major Medical: A high-end hospital plan with an exceptionally high annual limit. It’s more comprehensive than many entry-level plans from other insurers.
- Select: Adds solid outpatient benefits to the core hospital cover.
- Premier: Increases outpatient limits and introduces wellness and dental benefits.
- Elite: Bupa's flagship plan, offering some of the most extensive benefits in the market, including full cover for most services, generous maternity, and comprehensive wellness and mental health support.
Key Strength: Bupa Global's commitment to service is a major differentiator. This includes multilingual support teams and access to their 'Second Medical Opinion' service, which can be invaluable when facing a serious diagnosis. Their annual limits are among the highest available.
Outpatient and Maternity Benefits
- Outpatient: Even on mid-tier plans, Bupa Global provides generous outpatient cover, often paid in full up to the annual limit. This encourages proactive healthcare, covering consultations and diagnostics without the sub-limits found on some other policies.
- Maternity: Like AXA, maternity is an add-on with a 10-12 month waiting period. Bupa Global's maternity benefits are market-leading on their Premier and Elite plans, covering not just routine births but also offering significant cover for complications and care for newborn babies.
Underwriting and Network
- Underwriting: Bupa Global has a strong preference for Full Medical Underwriting (FMU). They want to have a clear, upfront understanding of your health to provide certainty of cover. While they may offer moratorium options, their core product is built around the transparency of FMU.
- Network: Bupa Global's network is more about quality than sheer size. They have direct settlement agreements with over 1.2 million providers worldwide, ensuring you can access top-tier care without paying upfront.
Best for: High-net-worth individuals, senior executives, and families who prioritise best-in-class service, comprehensive benefits without restrictive sub-limits, and are willing to pay a premium for it.
IMG (International Medical Group): The Flexible Value Champion
IMG, an American-based company, is a major force in the global health market, known for its flexible, modular plans and strong value proposition. They are particularly popular with US citizens living abroad and those who need customisable cover that can include or exclude the USA.
Cover Scope & Plan Structure
IMG's strength lies in its modularity. You can often build a plan that precisely fits your needs, choosing different levels of cover for different benefits. Their core plans often follow a metallic tier system:
- Silver, Gold, Platinum: These plans offer varying levels of hospital and outpatient cover. A key feature is the flexibility in choosing your deductible (excess) and co-insurance, which allows you to significantly influence your premium.
- Optional Add-ons: IMG excels at offering riders for dental, vision, terrorism, and adventure sports, allowing for a highly personalised policy.
Key Strength: Flexibility and value. IMG often provides a competitive price point, especially if you are happy to take on a higher deductible or co-insurance. Their ability to seamlessly provide cover both with and without the USA is a major draw for American expats and global travellers.
Outpatient and Maternity Benefits
- Outpatient: IMG's outpatient benefits are typically tied to the plan tier and the deductible/co-insurance you select. A Gold or Platinum plan will offer good outpatient cover, but you may be responsible for a portion of the cost (e.g., 10% co-insurance) until you reach your out-of-pocket maximum.
- Maternity: Maternity benefits are available as an add-on with a standard 10-12 month waiting period. The level of cover is good, but it's important to read the details, as it may be structured differently from AXA or Bupa Global, sometimes with specific sub-limits for different stages of the pregnancy.
Underwriting and Network
- Underwriting: IMG is very experienced with Full Medical Underwriting, especially for clients with complex medical histories. They have a detailed application process but are known for being thorough and fair in their assessments. They also offer moratorium options.
- Network: IMG has a very large network, with particular strength in the USA through the UnitedHealthcare and First Health networks. This makes them an excellent choice for anyone who splits their time between the US and other parts of the world.
Best for: US citizens abroad, budget-conscious individuals and families, and anyone who wants maximum flexibility to customise their plan with specific deductibles and add-on benefits.
Head-to-Head Comparison: AXA Global vs Bupa Global vs IMG
To make things clearer, let's compare mid-tier plans from each provider. Note that these are illustrative for 2026 and exact benefits depend on the specific plan chosen.
Table 1: Core Benefits at a Glance (Illustrative Mid-Tier Plans)
| Feature | AXA Global (Standard Plan) | Bupa Global (Select Plan) | IMG (Gold Plan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Annual Limit | ~£1,500,000 | ~£2,000,000 | ~£3,000,000 |
| Inpatient & Day-Patient | Paid in full | Paid in full | Paid in full (after deductible) |
| Cancer Treatment | Paid in full (within overall limit) | Paid in full (within overall limit) | Paid in full (within overall limit) |
| Medical Evacuation | Paid in full | Paid in full | Paid in full |
| Mental Health | Good cover included as standard | Very good cover included as standard | Good cover, subject to limits |
Table 2: Outpatient & Maternity Cover Compared (Illustrative)
| Feature | AXA Global (Standard Plan) | Bupa Global (Select Plan) | IMG (Gold Plan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outpatient Limit | ~£20,000 | Paid in full (within overall limit) | Paid in full (after deductible) |
| Routine Maternity | Optional add-on; ~£7,000 limit | Optional add-on; ~£12,000 limit | Optional add-on; ~£8,000 limit |
| Maternity Waiting Period | 10 months | 10 months | 10-12 months |
| Newborn Care | Included with maternity option | Included with maternity option | Included with maternity option |
Insider Tip: When comparing maternity benefits, don't just look at the overall limit. Check the sub-limits for routine delivery vs. complications. A WeCovr adviser can help you analyse the fine print to see which policy offers the best protection for your family planning needs.
The Crucial Choice: Moratorium vs Full Medical Underwriting (FMU)
This is one of the most important—and misunderstood—aspects of buying IPMI.
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Moratorium (Mori): This seems easier. You don't fill out a long medical questionnaire. The policy simply excludes any condition you've had symptoms, treatment, or advice for in the 5 years before your policy starts. If you then remain completely symptom, treatment, and advice-free for that condition for 2 continuous years on the policy, it may become eligible for cover.
- Pro: Quick and easy application.
- Con: Creates uncertainty. You may not know if a condition is covered until you try to claim. This can lead to declined claims and significant stress.
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Full Medical Underwriting (FMU): You provide your full medical history on the application form. The insurer's medical team assesses it and gives you a clear decision. They may:
- Accept you with no exclusions.
- Accept you but place an exclusion on a specific condition (e.g., "all costs related to back pain").
- Accept you with a premium loading (an increased price) to cover a specific condition.
- Pro: Total clarity from day one. You know exactly what is and isn't covered.
- Con: The application process is longer and more detailed.
Expert Advice from WeCovr: For the peace of mind that IPMI is supposed to provide, we nearly always recommend FMU. The upfront effort is worth the certainty it provides. A moratorium might seem like a shortcut, but it can lead to devastating financial consequences down the line if a past condition re-emerges and is not covered.
Why Work With a Specialist IPMI Broker like WeCovr?
You could go directly to AXA, Bupa, or IMG. But you'd be missing out on the key advantages of using a specialist broker.
- Impartial Expert Advice: We are not tied to any single insurer. Our job is to understand your unique needs—your destination, your family, your health, your budget—and recommend the provider and plan that is genuinely the best fit for you.
- It Costs You Nothing: Our service is free. We are paid a commission by the insurer you choose, but this does not affect the price you pay. You get the same premium, or sometimes even a better one, with the added benefit of our expertise.
- We Do the Hard Work: Comparing policy documents filled with jargon is time-consuming and complex. We do the comparison for you, presenting the options in a clear, easy-to-understand format.
- Claims Support: If you ever have an issue with a claim, we are in your corner. As your broker, we can advocate on your behalf with the insurer to ensure a fair outcome.
- Exclusive Benefits: When you arrange your private medical insurance with WeCovr, you also get complimentary access to our AI-powered calorie tracking app, CalorieHero, to support your health goals. Plus, our clients often receive discounts when they bundle their PMI with other policies like life or income protection insurance.
Final Verdict: Which Provider is Right for You in 2026?
There is no single "best" provider; there is only the best provider for you.
- Choose AXA Global if: You want a trusted, globally recognised brand with solid, comprehensive benefits and one of the largest direct-billing networks in the world.
- Choose Bupa Global if: Your priority is exceptional service, market-leading benefits with minimal restrictions, and you are willing to invest in a premium policy for ultimate peace of mind.
- Choose IMG if: You are a US citizen, need highly flexible and customisable cover, or are looking for the strongest value proposition by being flexible with deductibles and co-insurance.
The smartest first step is not to pick a provider, but to speak with an expert who can assess your needs impartially.
Ready to find the perfect international health cover? Let our friendly, expert team at WeCovr do the heavy lifting. We'll compare the market, explain your options in plain English, and find you the right cover at the right price.
