TL;DR
Casting off the lines to live a life at sea is the ultimate dream for many. But while you're navigating turquoise waters and exploring distant shores, the last thing you want to worry about is a medical emergency. Here at WeCovr, where we’ve arranged over 900,000 policies, we know that standard travel or UK private medical insurance simply isn't built for the unique challenges of a life afloat.
Key takeaways
- Standard Travel Insurance: These policies are designed for short-term holidays, typically up to 30 or 60 days per trip. They focus on emergency treatment to get you well enough to fly home. They are not intended for someone living abroad permanently and will not cover routine check-ups, ongoing care, or treatments in your 'country of residence' (which becomes a complex issue when you live on a boat).
- UK Private Medical Insurance (PMI): A domestic PMI policy is designed to supplement the NHS within the United Kingdom. Its geographical coverage is, by definition, restricted to the UK. Once you are outside the country for an extended period (usually more than three or six months), your policy may become invalid. It offers no protection for medical events that happen in foreign waters or ports.
- Inpatient Cover: For when you are admitted to hospital for one or more nights. This includes the cost of the bed, surgeon and anaesthetist fees, nursing care, operating theatre costs, and diagnostic tests like MRI or CT scans.
- Day-Patient Cover: For procedures where you are admitted to a hospital or clinic and discharged the same day, such as a colonoscopy or minor surgery.
- GP or specialist consultations
Casting off the lines to live a life at sea is the ultimate dream for many. But while you're navigating turquoise waters and exploring distant shores, the last thing you want to worry about is a medical emergency. Here at WeCovr, where we’ve arranged over 900,000 policies, we know that standard travel or UK private medical insurance simply isn't built for the unique challenges of a life afloat. This guide explores the essential international private medical insurance (IPMI) you need for true peace of mind.
An in-depth look at the essential features of international private medical insurance for full-time cruising — from inpatient cover to medevac and home port access
Living on a boat means your access to healthcare is constantly changing. One week you might be near a state-of-the-art hospital in France; the next, you could be days from the nearest clinic in a remote part of the Caribbean. IPMI is designed for this reality. It's a comprehensive health insurance policy that provides cover across different countries for individuals living or working abroad—or in your case, cruising the world.
Unlike a UK-based Private Medical Insurance (PMI) policy, which is geographically limited, or a travel policy designed for short holidays, IPMI is your portable healthcare system. It moves with you, ensuring you have access to high-quality medical care wherever your voyage takes you.
Why Your Standard Travel or UK PMI Policy Won't Cut It at Sea
Many new cruisers make the critical mistake of believing their existing insurance will suffice. This is a dangerous and costly assumption.
- Standard Travel Insurance: These policies are designed for short-term holidays, typically up to 30 or 60 days per trip. They focus on emergency treatment to get you well enough to fly home. They are not intended for someone living abroad permanently and will not cover routine check-ups, ongoing care, or treatments in your 'country of residence' (which becomes a complex issue when you live on a boat).
- UK Private Medical Insurance (PMI): A domestic PMI policy is designed to supplement the NHS within the United Kingdom. Its geographical coverage is, by definition, restricted to the UK. Once you are outside the country for an extended period (usually more than three or six months), your policy may become invalid. It offers no protection for medical events that happen in foreign waters or ports.
The Bottom Line: For a full-time cruiser, relying on travel or UK PMI is like navigating with a compass that only points to your last port. You need a global solution.
The Core Components of Your Cruising IPMI Policy: Non-Negotiables
When building your IPMI plan, some features are not just 'nice to have'—they are absolutely essential for life at sea. Think of these as the hull of your policy: without them, you're not seaworthy.
1. Inpatient & Day-Patient Cover
This is the bedrock of any serious health insurance policy. It covers you for treatment that requires a hospital bed.
- Inpatient Cover: For when you are admitted to hospital for one or more nights. This includes the cost of the bed, surgeon and anaesthetist fees, nursing care, operating theatre costs, and diagnostic tests like MRI or CT scans.
- Day-Patient Cover: For procedures where you are admitted to a hospital or clinic and discharged the same day, such as a colonoscopy or minor surgery.
Real-Life Scenario: You develop severe abdominal pain while docked in a marina in Croatia. The diagnosis is acute appendicitis requiring immediate surgery. Your inpatient cover would handle the hospital admission, the surgical procedure, and your recovery stay.
2. Medical Evacuation (Medevac)
For a cruiser, this is arguably the single most important benefit. Medical evacuation covers the cost of transporting you from your current location to the nearest centre of medical excellence capable of treating your condition. When you're in a remote anchorage, this could mean an air ambulance flight costing tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Without Medevac cover, you could face a life-threatening delay in receiving care or an impossible bill. Insurers have 24/7 emergency assistance teams who coordinate the entire process, from arranging the transport to liaising with the receiving hospital.
3. Repatriation
Repatriation is different from Medevac. It covers the cost of returning you to your 'home country' (usually the UK) to receive treatment or for recovery, if medically advisable and you wish to do so. This is often used for less urgent, long-term recovery after an initial emergency has been stabilised.
4. Outpatient Cover
While inpatient cover handles the big emergencies, outpatient cover manages your day-to-day health. It covers:
- GP or specialist consultations
- Diagnostic tests and scans that don't require a hospital stay
- Prescription medications
- Physiotherapy and other therapies
For a cruiser, this is vital for managing minor illnesses, getting prescriptions renewed in foreign ports, or investigating a worrying symptom without having to fly home.
| Core IPMI Benefit | Why It's Essential for Cruisers |
|---|---|
| Inpatient Cover | Covers major, costly medical events like surgery or serious illness requiring a hospital stay. The financial risk without this is catastrophic. |
| Medical Evacuation | Your lifeline. Gets you from a remote location (your boat) to a hospital that can save your life. The cost is often prohibitive otherwise. |
| Repatriation | Provides the option to return to the familiar NHS or a private UK hospital for longer-term care or recovery, surrounded by family. |
| Outpatient Cover | Allows you to manage your health proactively, dealing with issues before they become emergencies. Essential for day-to-day life at sea. |
Choosing Your Area of Cover: Navigating the Globe
IPMI providers don't just offer one global policy. They price their plans based on geographical areas of cover. This is a key way you can manage your premium.
Common areas of cover include:
- Worldwide: The most comprehensive and expensive option, covering you anywhere on the planet.
- Worldwide Excluding USA: A significantly cheaper option. The cost of healthcare in the United States is the highest in the world, so excluding it dramatically reduces the premium. This is a very popular choice for cruisers who don't plan to sail in US waters.
- Europe: Covers you across the European continent. Ideal for those planning to cruise the Mediterranean or Northern Europe extensively.
- Africa & Middle East / Asia: More specific regional plans.
Insider Adviser Tip: Be realistic about your cruising plans for the next 12 months. If you are starting in the Med and have no plans to cross the Atlantic, a "Worldwide excluding USA" or even a "Europe" plan could save you thousands. Most insurers allow you to upgrade your area of cover mid-term if your plans change (though this will require a premium adjustment and potentially further underwriting).
Understanding Underwriting: How Insurers Assess Your Health
Before an insurer offers you a policy, they need to understand your medical history. This process is called underwriting. It's crucial to understand your options, as it determines what is and isn't covered.
Crucial Point: International private medical insurance, like UK PMI, is designed to cover new, acute conditions that arise after your policy starts. It is not designed to cover chronic conditions (like diabetes or high blood pressure that require ongoing management) or pre-existing conditions you already have. However, how these are handled depends on the type of underwriting you choose.
There are two main types:
1. Full Medical Underwriting (FMU)
With FMU, you complete a detailed health questionnaire, declaring all your previous medical conditions. The insurer's medical team then reviews this information and makes a decision:
- Accept: Cover you for everything.
- Add an Exclusion: Offer you a policy but exclude cover for a specific condition (e.g., no cover for knee problems if you have a history of knee surgery).
- Add a Loading: Increase your premium to cover the higher risk associated with a condition.
- Decline: Refuse to offer cover.
The big advantage of FMU is certainty. You know from day one exactly what is and is not covered. For a cruiser, this clarity is invaluable.
2. Moratorium Underwriting
This is a simpler application process where you don't declare your medical history upfront. Instead, the policy automatically excludes cover for any pre-existing conditions you've had symptoms, treatment, or advice for in the past five years.
Cover for these conditions may be added later, but only if you go for a set period (typically two continuous years) after your policy starts without needing any treatment, symptoms, or advice for that condition.
The downside is the uncertainty. You may not know if a condition is covered until you make a claim, leading to a stressful review of your medical history at the worst possible time.
| Underwriting Type | Pros for Cruisers | Cons for Cruisers |
|---|---|---|
| Full Medical Underwriting (FMU) | Total clarity on what's covered from day one. No surprises at claim time. | More complex application. Potential for permanent exclusions on known conditions. |
| Moratorium | Quick and simple application process. Pre-existing conditions might be covered after a 2-year clear period. | Uncertainty at the point of claim. A flare-up of an old issue in a foreign port may not be covered. |
For the peace of mind required when cruising full-time, most experts at WeCovr would recommend Full Medical Underwriting.
Essential Add-Ons and Policy Details for the Full-Time Cruiser
Beyond the core components, several other features can be tailored to your needs.
- Home Country Cover: Many IPMI plans are designed for expats and limit cover in their home country. As a UK citizen, ensure your policy includes an option for at least temporary cover when you sail back to the UK for visits, allowing you to access private treatment or bypass NHS waiting lists.
- Dental and Vision: These are usually optional add-ons. Routine dental work can be expensive, so adding this can be cost-effective, especially if you're away from your regular UK dentist for years at a time.
- Deductibles (Excesses) & Co-Insurance: These are ways to share the cost with your insurer in return for a lower premium.
- A deductible is a fixed amount you pay towards a claim per year (e.g., the first £500).
- Co-insurance is where you pay a percentage of the claim (e.g., 10%) up to a certain limit.
- Choosing a higher deductible is a very effective way to make your policy more affordable, particularly if you are happy to cover smaller, routine costs yourself.
- Direct Billing Networks: Top-tier insurers have vast networks of hospitals and clinics worldwide where they can pay the medical provider directly. This saves you from having to pay a large bill upfront and claim it back later—a huge benefit when you're in a foreign country.
The Real Cost of IPMI for Cruisers: A Look at the Numbers
IPMI premiums vary widely based on several key factors:
- Age: Premiums increase significantly with age.
- Area of Cover: "Worldwide excluding USA" is the benchmark for many; including the USA can almost double the cost.
- Deductible: A higher deductible (£1,000+) will lower your premium substantially.
- Level of Cover: A comprehensive plan with outpatient and dental will cost more than an inpatient-only plan.
Here are some illustrative monthly premium ranges for a "Worldwide excluding USA" plan with a £500 deductible.
| Profile | Inpatient & Evacuation Only | Comprehensive Cover (with Outpatient) |
|---|---|---|
| Single Person, Age 45 | £150 - £250 | £250 - £400 |
| Couple, Both Age 62 | £600 - £950 | £900 - £1,400 |
| Family of 4 (Parents 40, Kids 8 & 10) | £550 - £800 | £800 - £1,200 |
Disclaimer: These are illustrative estimates for 2026 and not a formal quote. Actual premiums depend on your specific circumstances, health status, and the insurer chosen.
How WeCovr Can Help You Navigate Your IPMI Options
Choosing the right IPMI policy is one of the most important decisions you'll make before you set sail. The market is complex, with dozens of providers and countless policy variations. This is where an expert, independent broker is indispensable.
At WeCovr, we specialise in finding the right private medical insurance for UK citizens with unique lifestyles, like full-time cruisers.
- We're Independent: We are not tied to any single insurer. Our loyalty is to you. We compare policies from leading global providers like Bupa Global, AXA, Cigna, and Allianz to find the best fit for your budget and cruising plans.
- We're Experts: We understand the nuances of medevac, areas of cover, and underwriting. We help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure there are no gaps in your cover.
- No Cost to You: Our service is free. We receive a commission from the insurer you choose, but the premium you pay is the same as going direct.
- Added Value: When you arrange a policy with us, you get complimentary access to our AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app, CalorieHero. Plus, customers who take out health or life insurance often qualify for discounts on other types of cover.
Our high customer satisfaction ratings are a testament to our commitment to providing clear, impartial advice.
The Claims Process: Getting Medical Help When You're Afloat
Imagine you're anchored off a small Greek island and you suffer a serious fall. What happens next?
- Contact Your Insurer's 24/7 Helpline: This is your first and most critical action. Your policy documents will have a dedicated international emergency number. Keep it saved on your phone and written down in multiple places on the boat.
- Explain the Situation: The assistance team will assess your situation. They have medical professionals on staff to understand the urgency and your needs.
- Coordination of Care: They will locate the nearest appropriate medical facility. If necessary, they will immediately begin arranging medical evacuation by boat or air ambulance.
- Pre-Authorisation: For any non-emergency planned treatment (like a hospital procedure), you must get it pre-authorised by the insurer. They will then provide a guarantee of payment to the hospital.
- Payment: For major inpatient events, the insurer will use their direct billing network to pay the hospital. For smaller outpatient claims, you may need to pay the doctor or pharmacy and submit the receipts for reimbursement.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying IPMI for Cruising
- Under-insuring: Opting for a plan with low benefit limits or, critically, no medical evacuation cover to save a few pounds. A single medevac can cost more than a lifetime of premiums.
- Choosing the Wrong Area of Cover: Buying a Europe-only plan and then deciding to cross the Atlantic. You will not be covered.
- Misunderstanding 'Home Country' Rules: Assuming you are fully covered for private treatment on a visit back to the UK when your policy has limitations.
- Not Declaring Conditions (on an FMU policy): This is insurance fraud and will invalidate your policy, leaving you with no cover when you need it most.
- Focusing Only on Price: The cheapest policy is rarely the best. Look at the benefits, the insurer's service reputation, and their direct billing network.
Can I get IPMI if I have pre-existing conditions?
Does IPMI cover me in my home country (UK)?
What is the difference between medical evacuation and repatriation?
Is the USA always excluded to keep costs down?
Your life at sea should be one of adventure and freedom, not anxiety about what might happen if you get ill. A robust International Private Medical Insurance policy is the single most important safety equipment you can have on board. It protects your health, your finances, and your dream.
Ready to find the right cover for your voyage? The team at WeCovr is here to help you navigate the options with expert, impartial advice.
