Moving abroad is an exciting adventure, but one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the right health insurance. While travel insurance is ideal for short vacations, expats, retirees, digital nomads, and long-term travelers often need comprehensive global health insurance that covers routine care, specialist visits, hospitalization, and medical emergencies. In this guide, I’ve researched five of the best global health insurance providers, comparing their coverage, benefits, and who each plan is best suited for so you can confidently choose the right policy before starting your new life abroad.
Digital Nomad Health Plans
🌍 Best Global Health Insurance for Expats
Global health insurance is designed for people who are living abroad, not just visiting. Unlike traditional travel insurance, which focuses on emergencies during short trips, international health insurance provides ongoing medical coverage for doctor visits, specialist care, hospitalization, prescriptions, preventive care, and other healthcare needs while you’re overseas.
Whether you’re retiring in Thailand, working remotely from Bali, or starting a new chapter in Portugal, the right health insurance can protect you from unexpected medical costs and ensure you have access to quality healthcare wherever you choose to live. The providers below are among the most respected international insurers, offering plans tailored to different budgets, lifestyles, and coverage needs.
✈️ Travel Insurance vs. Global Health Insurance
Many travelers confuse travel insurance with global health insurance, but they serve very different purposes.
Travel insurance is designed for short-term trips and vacations. It typically covers unexpected emergencies such as medical treatment, trip cancellations, flight delays, lost luggage, and emergency medical evacuation. If you’re traveling for a few weeks or a couple of months, travel insurance is usually the right choice. (For more information, read my guide to the Best International Travel Insurance.)
Global health insurance is designed for people living abroad long-term. It works much like a domestic health insurance plan, providing ongoing coverage for doctor visits, specialist appointments, hospitalization, surgeries, prescriptions, preventive care, and, depending on the policy, maternity care and treatment for chronic conditions. If you’re an expat, retiree, digital nomad, or planning to live overseas for an extended period, global health insurance is generally the better option.
In short: Travel insurance protects your trip, while global health insurance protects your health while living abroad.
🥇 Genki Native — Best Overall
Genki Native is my top choice for expats and long-term travelers looking for comprehensive international health insurance. It covers both inpatient and outpatient care worldwide, including doctor visits, diagnostic tests, prescriptions, hospitalization, rehabilitation, emergency transportation, and treatment for injuries from sports and activities.
Genki offers Basic and Premium plans. Basic includes up to €1 million in coverage per insurance year, while Premium adds preventive, dental, vision, mental-health, and maternity benefits with no overall coverage limit.
My quote: €306/month with no deductible, or €255/month with a €1,000 deductible. That’s roughly $350 or $292 per month, respectively, using an EUR/USD rate around 1.15; your actual price will depend on age, options, and the exchange rate.
Best for: Expats, retirees, and long-term travelers who want comprehensive worldwide medical coverage.
🔗 Get a Genki Complete quote here
🌐 Cigna Global Health Insurance (Silver Plan)
Cigna Global is a strong option for expats who want a traditional international health insurance plan with a large global network and the ability to customize coverage.
For my quote, the Silver plan costs $274.66/month with worldwide coverage excluding the USA and a $750 deductible. Adding U.S. coverage increases the price substantially, so if you plan to live primarily outside the United States, I don’t see much reason to pay for it.
The Silver plan includes up to $1 million in annual coverage, cancer and hospital care, mental and behavioral health coverage, unlimited global telehealth appointments, and access to a dedicated account manager. Maternity and family-planning benefits are also available.
Best for: Expats who want comprehensive international medical coverage and don’t need routine coverage in the United States.
🔗 Explore Cigna Global Health Plans
🥉 SafetyWing Complete — Worldwide Coverage
SafetyWing Complete is a strong option for expats and long-term travelers who want ongoing international health insurance with travel benefits included. Coverage includes routine and emergency medical care, hospitalization, mental health support, cancer treatment, wellness care, and medical evacuation. It also includes extras such as travel delays, lost luggage, trip interruption, and protection for stolen belongings.
My quote: $253/month. The Complete plan has a $1.5 million overall medical coverage limit and can be renewed indefinitely.
Best for: Long-term travelers and expats who want health insurance combined with travel-related protections.
🔗 Get a SafetyWing Complete quote here
🩺 IMG Global Medical — Best Value
IMG Global Medical Bronze is worth considering if you want comprehensive international medical coverage at a lower monthly price. The plan provides up to $1 million in medical coverage per person, $50,000 for medical evacuation, dental coverage, urgent care, and worldwide coverage.
My quote was $220.40/month with a $1,000 deductible, compared with $343.50/month with a $250 deductible. I’d personally lean toward the $1,000 deductible because the monthly savings are significant if you’re comfortable covering more of the initial medical costs yourself.
Best for: Expats looking for broad worldwide coverage at a competitive monthly price.
🔗 Explore IMG Global Medical Insurance
⚕️ Allianz Care — Best for High Coverage Limits
Allianz Care is another established option for expats looking for comprehensive international health insurance. Its plans offer high annual coverage limits, private-room benefits, medical evacuation and repatriation, and emergency treatment outside your normal area of coverage.
My quote: $276/month for the Care plan I priced. Coverage limits vary by plan, with higher-tier options providing substantially more annual coverage.
Best for: Expats who want a traditional international health insurer with high coverage limits and worldwide medical support.
🔗 Allianz Care – International Healthcare Plans
Final Thoughts: Choosing the Best Global Health Insurance for Expats
Choosing global health insurance is one of the most important decisions you’ll make before moving abroad. There isn’t one plan that’s perfect for everyone, so focus on your coverage needs, deductible, monthly cost, geographic coverage, and exclusions rather than simply choosing the cheapest option.
For me, Genki Native stands out as the strongest overall option because of its broad international medical coverage and flexibility. SafetyWing is worth considering if you want a more flexible plan with travel protections included, while Cigna, IMG, and Allianz are established alternatives worth comparing.
Before purchasing, get a personalized quote and read the policy details carefully. Prices can vary significantly based on your age, deductible, coverage area, and options such as U.S. coverage. What looks like the cheapest plan may not provide the coverage you actually need.
My advice: Don’t wait until you’re already overseas to figure out your health insurance. Compare your options before you move, understand what is and isn’t covered, and choose a policy that fits the way you actually plan to live abroad.
What is global health insurance for expats?
Global health insurance provides ongoing medical coverage for people living abroad. Depending on the plan, it can cover doctor visits, hospitalization, prescriptions, specialist care, emergency treatment, and preventive care.
Is global health insurance different from travel insurance?
Yes. Travel insurance protects your trip, covering things like cancellations, lost luggage, delays, and emergency medical treatment. Global health insurance is designed for long-term living abroad and provides ongoing healthcare coverage.
Should I include coverage in the United States?
If you’re living overseas and rarely return to the U.S., you may not need worldwide coverage including the United States. U.S. coverage can significantly increase your premium, so compare the cost against how often you’ll actually need care there.
Is a high deductible worth it?
A higher deductible can substantially reduce your monthly premium, but you’ll pay more out of pocket when you need care. If you rarely visit doctors and have enough savings to handle unexpected medical expenses, a higher deductible may make sense.
How much does global health insurance cost?
The price depends on your age, location, coverage area, deductible, and benefits. In my comparisons, quotes ranged from about $220 to $306 per month for my circumstances. Your price may be very different.
