TL;DR
At WeCovr, with experience in helping clients secure over 900,000 policies of various kinds, we know that moving abroad is an exciting venture. Amidst the logistics, securing the right private medical insurance is one of the most critical steps for any UK national becoming an expatriate. This guide provides a detailed breakdown of the benefits available through Expatriate Group's individual International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) plans, ensuring you can make an informed choice.
Key takeaways
- Hospital Accommodation: The cost of a private room in a hospital, ensuring your comfort and privacy during recovery.
- Medical Fees: Charges from surgeons, anaesthetists, and other specialists involved in your care.
- Intensive Care: Full cover for costs associated with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or High Dependency Unit (HDU).
- Diagnostic Tests & Scans: In-hospital tests like MRI, CT, and PET scans, X-rays, and pathology reports needed to diagnose your condition.
- Surgical Procedures: Including the cost of the operating theatre and all necessary surgical appliances and materials.
At WeCovr, with experience in helping clients secure over 900,000 policies of various kinds, we know that moving abroad is an exciting venture. Amidst the logistics, securing the right private medical insurance is one of the most critical steps for any UK national becoming an expatriate. This guide provides a detailed breakdown of the benefits available through Expatriate Group's individual International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) plans, ensuring you can make an informed choice.
Detailed breakdown of key benefits in Expatriate Groups individual IPMI plans – whats typically included and what to check before buying
Navigating the world of international health insurance can feel complex. Unlike standard UK private medical insurance (PMI), which is designed for use within the UK, IPMI is specifically built for those living and working abroad. It provides peace of mind that you can access high-quality medical care, wherever you are in the world.
Expatriate Group is a specialist provider renowned for its focus on the global citizen. Their plans are structured to offer flexibility, catering to different needs and budgets. Let's break down the key components you'll find in their individual policies.
The Cornerstone of Your Protection: Inpatient & Day-Patient Cover
Every robust IPMI policy is built on a foundation of inpatient and day-patient cover. This is the core protection that covers the most expensive types of medical treatment.
Inpatient treatment is any medical care that requires you to be admitted to a hospital and stay overnight. Day-patient treatment refers to procedures where you are admitted to a hospital bed but are discharged on the same day, such as minor surgeries.
Expatriate Group policies typically cover these essential treatments in full, up to the overall annual limit of your plan.
What's Usually Included Under Inpatient & Day-Patient Cover?
- Hospital Accommodation: The cost of a private room in a hospital, ensuring your comfort and privacy during recovery.
- Medical Fees: Charges from surgeons, anaesthetists, and other specialists involved in your care.
- Intensive Care: Full cover for costs associated with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or High Dependency Unit (HDU).
- Diagnostic Tests & Scans: In-hospital tests like MRI, CT, and PET scans, X-rays, and pathology reports needed to diagnose your condition.
- Surgical Procedures: Including the cost of the operating theatre and all necessary surgical appliances and materials.
- Prescribed Medicines & Dressings: All medications administered during your hospital stay.
- Cancer Treatment: The costs of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other cancer treatments administered while you are an inpatient or day-patient.
- Parent Accommodation: If your child (under 18) is the one receiving treatment, the cost for one parent to stay with them in the hospital is often covered.
WeCovr Insider Tip: Inpatient cover is non-negotiable. It protects you against catastrophic costs that could run into tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds. When comparing plans, ensure "paid in full" is the standard for core hospital charges.
Broadening Your Shield: Outpatient Benefits
While inpatient cover handles major medical events, outpatient benefits cover the day-to-day healthcare you are more likely to use. This level of cover is typically available on more comprehensive Expatriate Group plans or as an optional add-on.
Outpatient treatment is any medical care you receive without being admitted to a hospital. This includes everything from a GP visit to a consultation with a specialist.
Common Outpatient Benefits to Look For:
- Specialist Consultations: Seeing a cardiologist, dermatologist, paediatrician, or other medical expert.
- General Practitioner (GP) Visits: Consultations with a family doctor.
- Diagnostic Scans & Tests: MRI, CT scans, and other diagnostics that are not part of a hospital stay.
- Therapies: Post-treatment physiotherapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic care to aid recovery.
- Prescription Drugs: Medication prescribed by your doctor following a consultation.
- Psychiatry & Psychotherapy: Access to mental health support, a vital benefit for many expats adjusting to a new environment.
Deciding whether you need outpatient cover often depends on the healthcare system in your country of residence. In nations where seeing a doctor is expensive, this benefit can save you a significant amount of money over the year.
Comparing Plan Levels: A Quick Overview
| Benefit Feature | Inpatient-Only Plan | Comprehensive Plan (with Outpatient) |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital Stay (Surgery) | ✅ Covered in Full | ✅ Covered in Full |
| Specialist Consultation | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Covered up to an annual limit |
| GP Visits | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Covered up to an annual limit |
| Physiotherapy | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Covered (e.g., up to 15 sessions) |
| Prescription Medication | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Covered up to an annual limit |
At WeCovr, our expert advisers can help you assess the cost of local healthcare to determine if a comprehensive plan is the right financial choice for you.
A Vital Benefit for Expats Planning a Family: Maternity Cover
For individuals or couples planning to start or grow their family abroad, maternity cover is an essential benefit. However, it comes with specific rules that you must understand before buying a policy.
The Golden Rule of Maternity Cover: There is always a waiting period, typically between 10 and 12 months. This means you must have the policy in place and have served the full waiting period before you can claim for maternity-related costs. You cannot buy a policy when you are already pregnant and expect it to cover the birth.
What Expatriate Group Maternity Cover Typically Includes:
- Routine Maternity: Covers the costs of a normal pregnancy and delivery, including:
- Pre-natal appointments and scans.
- Obstetrician and midwife fees.
- The cost of a routine delivery (natural or planned Caesarean section).
- Post-natal care for the mother.
- Complications of Pregnancy & Childbirth: Provides cover for medically necessary treatment for unforeseen complications, which can be extremely expensive without insurance.
- Newborn Care: Covers the costs of your baby's medical care for a set period after birth (e.g., the first 30 or 90 days), which is crucial if the baby is born with a condition requiring immediate treatment.
What to Check Before Buying:
- Waiting Period: Confirm the exact duration (e.g., 10 months).
- Financial Limits: Check the specific monetary limit for routine delivery and the separate, often higher, limit for complications.
- Newborn Cover: Understand how newborn care is activated and what it includes.
Lifeline Services: Medical Evacuation & Repatriation
This is one of the most valuable and unique features of a high-quality IPMI plan, setting it apart from local health insurance. For expats living in countries with developing healthcare infrastructure or in remote locations, it's a potential lifesaver.
- Medical Evacuation: If you suffer a serious illness or injury and the local medical facilities are unable to provide the necessary level of care, this benefit covers the cost of transporting you to the nearest suitable medical centre. This could be a different city or even a different country.
- Medical Repatriation: This covers the cost of returning you to your home country (e.g., the UK) for treatment if it's medically appropriate and you are fit to travel.
- Repatriation of Mortal Remains: In the unfortunate event of death, this benefit covers the sensitive and costly process of returning the deceased's body home.
- Compassionate Visit: Many plans will also pay for a return flight for a close relative to travel to your bedside if you are hospitalised for a lengthy period.
WeCovr Expert Insight: A single emergency medical evacuation can cost over £100,000. The cost of this benefit alone often justifies the entire annual premium of an IPMI policy, providing invaluable peace of mind.
Optional Add-Ons: Dental, Optical & Wellness
To create a truly comprehensive package, Expatriate Group allows you to add further benefits to your core plan, tailoring it to your specific needs.
Dental Cover
Dental insurance is usually offered in tiered levels:
- Routine Dental: Covers preventative care like check-ups, scaling, polishing, and minor fillings.
- Major Restorative Dental: Covers more complex and expensive procedures like crowns, bridges, root canals, and dentures. This level often has a longer waiting period (e.g., 12 months).
- Orthodontics: Covers the cost of braces and other teeth-straightening treatments, usually with a specific lifetime limit and often subject to co-insurance (where you pay a percentage of the cost).
Optical Cover
This straightforward benefit helps with the costs of eye care. It typically includes:
- An annual eye examination.
- A set allowance towards the cost of prescription glasses and/or contact lenses.
Wellness & Preventative Health
A growing number of insurers, including Expatriate Group, offer wellness benefits on their premier plans. This proactive cover encourages you to stay healthy and can include:
- Routine health checks and screenings.
- Vaccinations and immunisations.
- Health and fitness assessments.
As a WeCovr client, you also get complimentary access to our AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app, CalorieHero, to further support your health goals.
Understanding the Fine Print: Key Terms to Know Before You Buy
To choose the right plan, you need to understand the policy's structure and limitations.
Underwriting: How Your Medical History is Assessed
This is one of the most critical aspects of any private medical insurance UK policy or IPMI plan. It determines how your pre-existing conditions are treated.
- Moratorium Underwriting: This is a popular "fast-track" option. You don't need to declare your full medical history upfront. Instead, any medical condition you've had in the 5 years before your policy starts is automatically excluded for the first 24 months of your cover. However, if you go for 24 continuous months on the policy without needing any treatment, advice, or medication for that condition, it may become eligible for cover thereafter.
- Full Medical Underwriting (FMU): You complete a detailed health questionnaire, declaring all your past and present medical conditions. The insurer's medical team assesses your application and may apply specific exclusions to your policy or, in some cases, charge a higher premium to cover certain conditions.
Crucial Point: International Private Medical Insurance is designed to cover new, unforeseen, acute conditions that arise after your policy begins. It does not cover the routine management of chronic conditions (like diabetes or high blood pressure) or pre-existing conditions, except under the terms of your underwriting.
Area of Cover
IPMI policies are priced based on geography. The cost of healthcare varies dramatically around the world. Expatriate Group offers different areas of cover, typically:
- Europe
- Worldwide Excluding USA
- Worldwide Including USA
Including the USA significantly increases the premium due to its exceptionally high healthcare costs. It's vital to choose the area that matches your travel and residency plans to avoid being over-insured or under-insured.
Excess (Deductible)
The excess is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim before the insurer starts paying. For example, if you have a £250 excess and receive a £2,000 hospital bill, you would pay the first £250, and the insurer would pay the remaining £1,750. Choosing a higher excess is a common way to reduce your monthly or annual premium.
How WeCovr Simplifies Your Choice
Choosing the right IPMI plan from the multitude of options can be daunting. As an independent, FCA-regulated PMI broker, WeCovr is here to provide clarity and expert guidance at no cost to you.
- Expert Comparison: We analyse Expatriate Group's different plan tiers and compare them against other leading IPMI providers to find the best fit for your circumstances.
- Jargon-Free Advice: We translate the complex policy wording into plain English, so you know exactly what you are and are not covered for.
- Tailored Solutions: We help you balance your budget with your needs, advising on the right level of excess, area of cover, and optional benefits.
- Added Value: When you take out a policy with us, we offer discounts on other insurance products, such as life or income protection, helping you build a complete financial safety net. Our high customer satisfaction ratings reflect our commitment to finding you the best private health cover.
Let us handle the research and paperwork, so you can focus on your new life abroad.
Do I need IPMI if my new country has a public healthcare system?
What is the difference between IPMI and travel insurance?
Can I add my family to my Expatriate Group individual policy?
How is my IPMI premium calculated?
Making the right choice in private health cover is a cornerstone of a successful life abroad. Understanding the benefits, limits, and exclusions within Expatriate Group’s plans is the first step towards securing your health and financial wellbeing.
Contact WeCovr’s team of friendly experts today for a free, no-obligation quote. We’ll compare the market for you and find the perfect IPMI plan for your adventure abroad.
