Travel insurance vs expat health insurance

Expat health insurance: for living abroad

International private medical insurance (IPMI) is designed for people living abroad for a year or more. It typically covers:

• Inpatient and outpatient treatment
• Specialist visits, diagnostic tests and scans
• Chronic condition management
• Maternity, mental health and dental as optional modules
• Worldwide or regional coverage, with or without the US (US cover is much more expensive)

You choose a deductible, benefit limits and optional extras. Premiums depend mainly on age, area of cover and deductible.

When public healthcare replaces both

In many countries, residents join the public or statutory system:

• Germany: statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) is mandatory for most employees
• Japan and South Korea: National Health Insurance for residents
• UK: the NHS, funded through the Immigration Health Surcharge for most visa holders
• Canada: provincial health plans, often after a waiting period of up to three months
• Australia: Medicare for permanent residents and some reciprocal countries, private cover for most temporary visa holders

In these cases, you may only need private insurance to bridge the gap before public cover starts, or to top up.

Visa requirements

Many visas require proof of insurance. Some common cases:

• Schengen visas require travel medical insurance with at least 30,000 euros cover
• Digital nomad visas often require health insurance valid for your full stay
• Australian student visas require Overseas Student Health Cover
• Some Gulf states make employer-provided health insurance compulsory

Check whether the policy must be from a local insurer, whether it must have no deductible, and whether a travel policy is acceptable.

How to choose

1. 01Find out what public cover you will have and when it starts.
2. 02Check your visa's insurance requirements.
3. 03Decide whether you need cover for home country visits and the US.
4. 04Compare at least three quotes with the same deductible and area of cover.
5. 05Read the exclusions and pre-existing condition terms.
6. 06Ask whether your employer offers group cover, which is usually better value and may accept pre-existing conditions.

A simple rule

Short trip, one home to return to: travel insurance. Living somewhere for more than a few months: public system plus top up, or international health insurance. In Singapore, I use my employer's group plan and keep a separate annual travel policy for weekend trips around Asia.

This guide is general information for planning. Rules and prices change, so always confirm with the official source before you apply or sign anything.