Asia regional vs worldwide cover: choosing your area of cover

Area of cover is the biggest lever on both protection and premium in international private medical insurance (IPMI). IPMIAsia explains the areas you will see in Asia, what regional cover does and does not do, and how to pick the right one.

What area of cover means

Area of cover is the list of countries in which your plan pays for treatment. Inside the area, both planned and emergency treatment are covered, subject to the benefits you chose. Outside the area, most plans cover emergencies only, for a limited number of days per trip, and some cover nothing at all. The area is chosen when you buy and can usually be changed at renewal, sometimes with new underwriting for the added countries.

The area affects the premium because insurers price on the cost of treatment in the countries it contains. An area that includes Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan costs more than one limited to Southeast Asia, and an area that includes the USA costs considerably more than anything else, because US treatment is the most expensive in the world.

The areas you will see in Asia

Names differ between insurers, and the same name can contain a different list of countries. Always read the definition. These are the common shapes.

What regional cover does and does not do

Regional cover works well when every country where you would want planned treatment is inside it. For an expat in Chiang Mai who would be treated in Bangkok, or in Kuala Lumpur who might go to Singapore, a regional area that includes both can be the right choice at a lower premium.

It fails when the list is wrong. Three gaps catch people out. First, some regional areas exclude the most expensive country in the region, which can be the one you would be treated in; APRIL Thailand's regional option, for instance, is described as Europe and ASEAN excluding Singapore. Second, regional cover does not include your home country unless it happens to be in the region, so a planned procedure at home is not covered. Third, mainland China, Japan and Hong Kong are placed differently by different insurers, so a person based in Hong Kong who works across the border needs to read the definition, not the name.

Out-of-area emergency cover

Most international plans include emergency cover for trips outside your area, limited to a set number of days per trip and often with a separate limit. APRIL Thailand, for example, publishes a short period of sudden-illness and injury cover outside the selected area, subject to an out-of-area benefit. This is useful. It means a regional plan does not leave you uncovered on a holiday in Europe or a business trip to the USA.

It is also widely misunderstood. Emergency cover pays for a genuine emergency until you are stable enough to be moved; it does not pay for planned treatment, follow-up or anything you could reasonably have had done at home. If you think you might want a specialist in London or a surgeon in New York, that is planned treatment and it needs the area to include the country. Check the number of days, the limit, and whether the benefit covers the USA at all, because some out-of-area benefits exclude it.

Who should choose regional cover

• Expats settled in one Southeast Asian country whose treatment hub is in the region and who rarely leave it.
• Retirees in Thailand, Malaysia or the Philippines who go home occasionally for family rather than for treatment, and are happy with emergency cover there.
• Families on a budget who would rather spend on a higher inpatient limit and outpatient cover than on countries they will not use.
• People whose employer plan already covers worldwide travel and who want a personal plan as a regional foundation.

In every case the test is the same: write down the countries where you would want planned treatment, including your residence, your hub and your home, and check that the regional definition contains all of them.

Who should choose worldwide cover

• Regional roles based in Singapore, Hong Kong or Tokyo that involve travel beyond Asia, where an emergency benefit is not enough.
• People who go home for treatment to Europe, Australia or elsewhere, which needs the home country inside the area.
• Families whose children study abroad, if the plan covers dependants outside the area of residence.
• Anyone who may relocate out of Asia during the policy year and wants continuity without changing area mid-term.

For almost all of these people the right choice is worldwide excluding the USA. Full worldwide is for people who live part of the year in the United States or would want planned US treatment; for everyone else it is an expensive way to cover a country they will not use. Our cost guide explains why the USA moves the premium so much.

Examples from plans sold in Asia

The plans on IPMIAsia show the range. APRIL Thailand offers worldwide excluding the USA and a regional area described as Europe and ASEAN excluding Singapore. APRIL Singapore offers worldwide and worldwide excluding the USA. Among local Hong Kong plans, Bupa VHIS publishes options covering Asia, Australia and New Zealand with corresponding versions that extend to worldwide excluding the USA. Global insurers such as Cigna Global, Allianz Care and Bupa Global typically offer worldwide and worldwide excluding the USA, with some offering regional areas as well.

Read each insurer's definition for the countries you care about. The same person comparing plans may find that one insurer's regional area contains Singapore and another's does not, and that difference can matter more than the premium.

How to decide

1. List your country of residence, your treatment hub for serious conditions, your home country and anywhere else you would want planned treatment.
2. Decide honestly whether the USA is on that list.
3. Choose the smallest area that contains every country on the list, reading the insurer's definition rather than the name.
4. Check the out-of-area emergency benefit for the countries you will visit but not be treated in: days per trip, limit, and whether the USA is included.
5. Ask how the area can be changed at renewal if you relocate, and whether added countries are underwritten.

Nomi lets you compare the same brief across regional and worldwide areas so you can see what each step costs with 20+ insurers. Country pages such as Vietnam and Indonesia show why a treatment hub outside your country of residence changes the answer.

Frequently asked questions

This page is general information, not personal or medical advice. Prices are indicative and confirmed by the insurer at underwriting. For advice on your situation, speak to an experienced broker.