HCI NIMBL Health insurance for expats in Asia

NIMBL Health is a modular expatriate international private medical insurance (IPMI) plan administered by HealthCare International and underwritten by MGEN. IPMIAsia explains the core caps and deductibles, the optional modules, the zone-based area of cover, and how to build the plan for life in Asia.

How NIMBL is built: a core and four modules

NIMBL takes the modular idea further than most international plans. Rather than picking a tier, you pick a core annual cap and a core deductible, then decide module by module what to add. The core covers inpatient treatment, cancer and emergency dental; everything else is optional.

The core cap comes in four sizes, from US$250,000 to US$3m, and the core deductible in five, from nil to US$10,000. Together they set the shape of the plan before any module is added.

Reading the core cap and deductible together

Because NIMBL separates the cap from the deductible, it helps to decide them in order.

1. Cap first. The core cap is the most the core will pay in a year. US$250,000 is a low ceiling by international standards and suits someone who wants a safety net for a defined budget; US$3m is in line with mainstream international plans. A serious admission in a private hospital in Singapore or Hong Kong is the test case to think about.
2. Deductible second. The deductible is what you pay before the core pays. The wider the gap between nil and US$10,000, the bigger the premium difference, but a high deductible only works if you could absorb it in a bad year.
3. Then the modules. Outpatient has its own caps and its own deductible choice, so an outpatient-heavy user can keep the core deductible high and the outpatient deductible low. Dental carries a six-month wait. The assistance and evacuation module is subject to the core cap you chose.

Areas, benefits and limitations

NIMBL uses geographic zones rather than a simple worldwide or worldwide-excluding-USA choice, and it includes up to 60 days of emergency treatment outside the selected area. Core benefits include day-patient care, organ transplant up to a US$500,000 lifetime limit, hospice and terminal care up to US$200,000 lifetime, and emergency dental up to US$10,000.

The plan is subject to full medical underwriting, which means you declare your medical history and HCI confirms what is covered, excluded or loaded before you buy. Published eligibility is for people living outside their country of nationality, with a maximum entry age of 64. The exact country zone, exclusions and pre-authorisation rules must be checked in the policy wording. Our pre-existing conditions guide explains what full medical underwriting means in practice.

Claims and who stands behind the plan

The public product page establishes the benefit structure but does not publish an end-to-end claims workflow or an observed average approval time, so none is claimed here. Ask for the claims and pre-authorisation process with your quote.

HealthCare International is the MGA that administers the plan. Policies are underwritten by Mutuelle Générale de l'Éducation Nationale (MGEN). HealthCare International Europe GmbH, UK Branch, is an appointed representative of FCA-authorised HealthCare International Global Network Ltd.

NIMBL for expats in Asia

The zone-based area is the first thing to pin down. Ask which zone your country of residence falls in, whether the regional hubs you might use for serious treatment (Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok) sit in the same zone, and what it costs to widen the zone if they do not. The 60 days of emergency treatment outside the selected area is a useful backstop for travel, but it is emergency cover, not planned treatment. Our guide to regional versus worldwide cover in Asia explains how zone-based plans compare with worldwide ones.

All caps, deductibles and limits are in US dollars, so NIMBL lines up directly with most of the Asian IPMI market. The eligibility rule is worth noting for the region: the plan is for people living outside their country of nationality, so a Thai or Singaporean national living at home should look at a local product such as APRIL Thailand or APRIL Singapore instead. The maximum entry age of 64 rules out older applicants. IPMIAsia includes NIMBL in its whole-market comparison through Nomi so that the module-by-module build can be set against price.

Relevant country pages: Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.

Who NIMBL suits

A strong fit if you want to build the plan yourself, choosing a core cap and deductible and then adding only the modules you will use, and you are under 65 and living outside your country of nationality.

Worth comparing alternatives if you need maternity as an individual, you are over 64, you want a published worldwide area rather than zones, or you prefer a ready-made tier. Browse all insurers to see the alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

This page is general information, not personal or medical advice, and is based on HCI Group's published NIMBL Health product page, module tables and brochure; exact country zone, exclusions, pre-authorisation rules and underwriting are in the policy wording and are confirmed by the insurer at quote. Prices are indicative. HCI, NIMBL and MGEN names and logos are the property of their respective owners. No network total, named hospital partnership or average approval time is asserted.