Global Health Insurance: Compare & Buy Best Plans

How Does Global Health Insurance Work?

A global healthcare plan has been designed to seamlessly cover planned and unplanned medical treatments obtained worldwide. This worldwide coverage health insurance plan will pay for your medical treatments no matter where you are. Whether you fall sick, or meet with an accident during an overseas vacation or go abroad for a planned medical treatment, your insurance company will take care of your medical expenses if you have a global health insurance policy.

Global Health Insurance at a Glance

Categories	Specifications
Eligible Citizens	Indian
Cashless Treatment	Available
Annual Preventive Health Check-up	Covered within India
Pre-policy Health Check-up	May be required
Restore Benefit	Mostly available
Cumulative Bonus	Available
Pre-existing Diseases Waiting Period	2 years, 3 years
Coverage Type	Individual/ Family floater
Renewability	Lifelong
Tax Benefits	Available

List of Ideal Global Health Insurance Plans

Check out the list of global healthcare insurance plans in India:

Global Health Insurance Plans	Countries Covered	Entry Age	Overseas Coverage Benefits	Mandatory Deductible/ Co-payment
Aditya Birla Global Health Secure Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 5 years to 65 years Child – 91 days to 5 years	In-patient treatment for 16 major illnesses Post-hospitalization expenses Accommodation expenses International second e-opinion for major illnesses Repatriation of mortal remains	NA
Bajaj Allianz Global Health Care Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 91 days to 30 years	Hospitalization expenses Palliative care Rehabilitation Medical evacuation OPD treatment	20% co-payment on all dental treatments
Care Health Insurance Plan	Worldwide, excluding the USA (Option to extend the coverage)	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days to 24 years	In-patient hospitalization expenses Day care treatments Maternity cover Coverage for 12 critical illnesses	10% co-payment
Cholamandalam Flexi Health Supreme Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 75 years Child – 3 months to 26 years	In-patient hospitalization expenses Day care expenses Personal accident cover	NA
Digit Health Insurance Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days onwards	In-patient hospitalization Day care procedures Organ donor expenses	NA
Future Generali Health Elite Plan	Worldwide excluding the USA & Canada (Option to extend the coverage)	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 91 days onwards	Emergency hospitalization expenses Treatment of 20 listed critical illnesses Emergency ambulance expenses Return airfare if treatment availed for listed critical illnesses Repatriation of mortal remains	20% co-payment on all claims (Option to waive co-payment)
Galaxy Promise Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 16 days to 25 years	Accidental death and permanent total disablement	NA
HDFC ERGO Optima Secure Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days to 25 years	Hospitalization expenses Emergency air ambulance Consumables cover E-opinion for critical illness Overseas travel secure	A deductible of ₹10,000 on all claims, except for e-opinion on critical illness
ICICI Lombard Elevate Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 91 days to 30 years	In-patient hospitalization expenses Day care procedures In-patient AYUSH hospitalization	NA
Liberty Health Connect Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 91 days to 25 years	In-patient hospitalization expenses	NA
Magma HDI OneHealth Insurance Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days to 26 years	Worldwide emergency hospitalization expenses Planned In-patient medical treatment Day care hospitalization Personal accident cover	20% of co-payment on all claims for people above 60 years
ManipalCigna LifeTime Health Insurance Plan	Worldwide/ worldwide excluding the USA and Canada	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 91 days to 25 years	Coverage for 27 major illnesses Medical emergency hospitalization Global ambulance cover Medical evacuation and repatriation Global travel vaccination	NA
New India Assurance Criti Protect Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 65 years	Coverage for 41 critical illnesses	NA
Niva Bupa Health Premia Plan	Worldwide, excluding the USA and Canada (Option to extend the coverage)	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 91 days to 30 years	Treatment of 9 critical illnesses Emergency hospitalization expenses Maternity expenses OPD cover Medical repatriation	20% co-payment on OPD claims
Oriental Happy Family Floater Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 1 day to 25 years	Medical second opinion for 11 critical illnesses	20% co-payment for people above 65 years
Reliance Health Infinity Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 91 days to 25 years	Emergency and planned in-patient hospitalization expenses Outpatient treatment Emergency road transport expenses Emergency air ambulance Day care procedures	Deductible of USD 100 on all OPD claims
Royal Sundaram Lifeline Health Insurance Plan	Worldwide excluding the USA & Canada (Option to extend the coverage)	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days to 25 years	Emergency in-patient hospitalization expenses Treatment for 11 critical illnesses	20% co-payment on the treatment of listed critical illnesses, Deductible of USD 100 on all in-patient claims
SBI Super Health Insurance Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days to 30 years	Planned treatment of 16 major illnesses	NA
Star Super Star Insurance Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days to 25 years	Personal accident cover E-international second opinion	NA
Tata AIG MediCare Premier Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days to 25 years	Planned in-patient hospitalization expenses Day care procedures Compassionate travel Medical visa expenses	NA
Universal Sompo A Plus Health Insurance Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 75 years Child – 91 days to 25 years	In-patient hospitalization expenses	10% deductible on every claim
Zuno Health Plus Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 years onwards Child – 91 days to 25 years	Hospitalization expenses Day care procedures AYUSH treatment	NA
Zurich Kotak Health Premier Plan	Worldwide	Adult – 18 to 65 years Child – 91 days to 25 years	Treatment of 18 critical illnesses Personal accident cover	NA

See more plans

What is Covered by Global Health Insurance Plans?

Global health insurance plans offer coverage for the following:

In-patient hospitalization
Day care procedures
Emergency treatment outside the area of cover
Medical evacuation
Medical repatriation
OPD cover
Post-hospitalization expenses
International second e-opinion
Critical illness cover
Accommodation expenses
Rehabilitation expenses
Personal accident cover
Ambulance expenses

What is Not Covered by Global Health Insurance Plans?

The following expenses are not covered by global health insurance plans:

Cosmetic surgery
Congenital external diseases
Intentional self-injury
Treatments for abuse of alcohol, drugs or other intoxicating substances
External appliances
War and related perils

Why Should You Buy a Global Health Insurance Plan?

Here are some of the top reasons why you should buy a global health insurance plan:

Coverage for Overseas Medical Expenses

Most health insurance plans in India usually do not cover medical expenses incurred outside the country. This means that if you want to go abroad for treatment, you will have to pay the medical bills on your own, which could easily exhaust your life’s savings. By buying a mediclaim policy with global coverage, you can obtain treatment in any part of the world without worrying about paying expensive bills.
Suitable for Planned Medical Treatments Abroad

Most global health insurance plans offer coverage for planned overseas medical treatments in addition to medical emergencies faced abroad. Hence, buying a health policy with worldwide coverage is better than buying a travel insurance policy that only takes care of your emergency medical expenses.
Access to Quality Medical Treatments Outside India

Most regular health insurance plans do not offer coverage for medical treatments taken abroad. This prevents people from obtaining the best medical treatment that may be available outside India. With global health care insurance, you can get financial access to the best medical treatments, even if it is outside India, without burdening yourself with paying those hefty bills.

How to Choose a Global Health Insurance Plan?

Here are a few things to keep in mind while choosing a global health insurance plan:

Opt for Cashless Cover – Make sure to choose a plan that offers cashless treatment facilities outside India. Do check if the health insurance company has a tie-up with an overseas TPA (Third Party Administrator) to take care of your cashless claims and offer hassle-free settlements.
Check the Area of Cover – Not all global medical insurance plans offer worldwide coverage. Some exclude treatments taken in the USA & Canada. Make sure to check the area of cover in different plans and choose the one that covers countries where you may prefer to go for medical treatments.
Choose Adequate Coverage Amount – Make sure to choose a coverage amount or sum insured, which is sufficient to cover your overseas medical treatment costs. If you choose a lower sum insured, your out-of-pocket expenses will increase. Similarly, if you select a very high sum insured amount, your premium will be very expensive.
Select the Right Coverage – Overseas medical bills mostly comprise of in-patient hospitalization costs and day care expenses. Make sure to opt for a plan that covers in-patient treatment and day care procedures up to the sum insured limit to ensure maximum coverage. Additionally, you can opt for other covers like OPD cover, accommodation expenses, etc., as per your needs.
Go for Plans with Renewal Benefits – Make sure to choose a global healthcare plan that offers renewal benefits, such as the cumulative bonus and annual health check-ups, on every renewal.
Choose Plans with Restore Benefits – Several international health insurance plans offer the restoration benefit that restores your sum insured after a claim is raised. Make sure to pick a plan that comes with the restoration benefit for the same and unrelated illnesses.

Global Health Insurance: FAQs

Q1. What is global cover in health insurance?

Ans: With global cover, health insurance companies cover the medical expenses incurred anywhere across the world.
Q2. Is global health insurance expensive?

Ans: As compared to domestic health insurance, global health insurance coverage can be expensive because it offers coverage for a wider geographical area than a regular health plan.
Q3. Is global health insurance for a few countries more expensive than others?

Ans: Yes. Healthcare is costly in countries like the USA & Canada and thus, buying a global healthcare plan that covers these countries are expensive. This happens because the geographical coverage area also impacts the premium of a health plan.
Q4. Are pre-existing diseases covered by global health insurance?

Ans: Yes. All global medical insurance plans cover pre-existing diseases but after a waiting period of up to 3 years, depending on the plan.
Q5. Is it possible to buy global health insurance in a foreign country?

Ans: Buying a health insurance policy in a foreign country can be extremely expensive as you may not find the plans available in India and have to pay the premium in a foreign currency. Therefore, it is advisable to buy a global coverage health insurance policy before you leave for a foreign country.
Q6. Does global health insurance cover medical expenses incurred in India?

Ans: Yes. All global health insurance plans cover medical expenses incurred within India and abroad.
Q7. Where can I check global health insurance cost?

Ans: You can find the cost of a global health insurance plan by checking its premium chart or contacting the customer assistance team of the insurer. You can also use a health insurance premium calculator online on Policybazaar to check the policy cost.

Confused which plan to buy?

Get expert advice at your home

Book at your convenience

No obligation to buy

Trusted and reliable advice

Book a FREE home visit ›

Health insurance companies

View more insurers

Disclaimer: The list mentioned is according to the alphabetical order of the insurance companies. Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by any insurer. For complete list of insurers in India refer to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India website www.irdai.gov.in