Optimum Global health insurance for expats in Asia
Optimum Global sells the Gem-plan international private medical insurance (IPMI) product for individuals, families and groups living or working overseas. IPMIAsia explains how the plan is structured, which documents hold the limits, how claims work, and what to check before comparing it from Asia.
- Numeric limits come from the currency-specific Gem benefit guide supplied with your quote; no universal limit table is published.
- Deductible, coinsurance and copayment are all defined on the schedule, so the combination decides what a year of claims costs.
- Planned inpatient or day-case treatment requires contact in advance; in an emergency, contact Optimum ideally within 24 hours of admission.
- Published underwriting documents are a medical questionnaire, a CPME form and a moratorium guide, so all three main routes are represented.
- Optimum says it aims to assess claims within 14 working days, a stated target rather than an observed average.
What the Gem plan is
Optimum Global's international product is sold as the Gem plan, and the first thing to get clear is that it is not VUMI's similarly named Optimum VIP. The two come from different insurers and are built differently; VUMI's page covers the other one.
The Gem plan is aimed at individuals, families and groups living or working overseas. Optimum Global publishes its specification as a set of benefit guides rather than a single marketing table, so the honest way to summarise it is by feature:
| Feature | Published position |
|---|---|
| Hospital cover | Inpatient and outpatient options; planned inpatient or day-case treatment requires contact in advance |
| Cancer | Available within the selected benefit table |
| Evacuation and repatriation | Available within the selected benefit table |
| Cost sharing | Deductible, coinsurance and copayment are defined on the schedule or benefit table |
| Currency | Separate Gem benefit guides published in USD, GBP and EUR |
The current download library does not expose one universal limit table in page text. Numeric limits therefore have to be taken from the currency-specific guide supplied with your quote, and that is the document to read before comparing Optimum Global with any other insurer.
How to read a benefit-guide product
Many international insurers publish a tier ladder with a headline annual maximum per tier. Optimum Global's approach is different: you choose a benefit table in your currency, and the schedule issued with the policy defines the limits and the cost sharing that apply to you. Three practical consequences follow.
- Ask for the guide in your currency first. The USD, GBP and EUR guides are separate documents, and the one that matches your quote is the one with your numbers.
- Check the three cost-sharing terms together. A deductible is what you pay before the plan pays; coinsurance is a percentage you share after that; a copayment is a fixed amount per visit or item. All three are defined on the schedule, so the combination determines what a year of claims actually costs you.
- Confirm whether outpatient is in your table. Inpatient and outpatient are separate options, so the choice shapes both the premium and how useful the plan is for everyday care. Our guide to inpatient versus outpatient cover walks through that decision.
Claims and pre-authorisation
- Members must contact Optimum Global before planned inpatient or day-case treatment.
- In an emergency, the membership guide asks for contact as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours of admission.
- A Guarantee of Payment can allow settlement directly with the provider. Other eligible claims require satisfactory proof.
- Optimum says it aims to assess claims within 14 working days. That is a stated target, not an observed average and not a guarantee.
Compare the Gem plan with the market
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Underwriting documents and who issues the cover
Optimum Global publishes an individual medical questionnaire, a CPME form and a moratorium guide among its underwriting documents. In plain terms that means the market's main routes are all represented: full medical underwriting through the questionnaire, continued personal medical exclusions when switching from another insurer, and a moratorium basis where recent conditions are excluded until a symptom-free period has passed. Which route you are offered, and on what terms, depends on the current schedule. Our pre-existing conditions guide explains the differences.
On the entities involved: the policy documentation identifies Optimum Global Insurance Company Limited, a Guernsey insurer, as the issuer, and describes AXA PPP healthcare reinsurance. Optimum Global Limited is FCA-regulated for insurance mediation. Exact eligibility, area, limits, exclusions and underwriting depend on the current schedule and the chosen Gem guide.
Optimum Global for expats in Asia
The published material IPMIAsia works from does not set out a fixed area-of-cover menu, so the area that applies to you is a matter for the schedule issued with your quote. When you ask for one, ask two questions that matter for life in Asia: whether the USA can be excluded to reduce the premium, and whether the area covers the countries you actually travel between, for example a home in Vietnam and regular trips to Singapore or Hong Kong. Our guide to regional versus worldwide cover in Asia explains why the area is usually the biggest lever after the cover level.
Currency is a genuine choice here. Most expats in Asia will find the USD guide the easiest to compare against the rest of the market, but a British family paid in sterling or a European family paid in euros can hold the plan in their own currency and avoid exchange friction on claims. IPMIAsia includes Optimum Global in its whole-market comparison through Nomi, so the Gem plan's terms can be set against price alongside 20+ other insurers.
Relevant country pages: Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.
Who Optimum Global suits
A strong fit if you want a plan in sterling or euros rather than US dollars, you are comfortable reading a benefit guide rather than a tier ladder, and you want the full range of underwriting routes (questionnaire, CPME and moratorium) available in principle.
Worth comparing alternatives if you prefer a published tier table with headline limits you can compare at a glance, or you want a published regional area for Asia. Browse all insurers to see the alternatives side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Optimum Global Gem plan?
Where do I find the plan's limits?
Is Optimum Global the same as VUMI's Optimum VIP?
Do I need to pre-authorise treatment?
How does Optimum Global underwrite?
Who issues and regulates the cover?
Optimum Global against the whole market
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This page is general information, not personal or medical advice, and is based on Optimum Global's official document library and membership guide dated 1 December 2024; exact eligibility, area, limits, exclusions and underwriting depend on the current schedule and chosen Gem guide and are confirmed by the insurer at quote. Prices are indicative. Optimum Global and the Optimum Global logo are trademarks of their respective owners. No network total, named hospital partnership or average approval time is asserted.