What Are Some Great International Cover Health Plans in China?

As an expatriate living in China, you may travel to other countries or back home often during the year, and that means you need to have adequate coverage to insure you during those travels.

Not all employers in China provide international health insurance packages for the employees; most of the time the package you are offered may only cover China, meaning if you travel abroad you will be covered by your employer’s insurance schemes and will need to look on your own.

There are individual international health insurance plans on the market in China where they are suitable for expats, although they are generally more expensive compared to a China cover only plan, so you will need to make sure if you have enough budget to get one. If you think you have enough budget for an international cover plan, keep reading.

Below are some great international cover health plans in China eligible for expats as of November 2024:

MSH China Expat Individual Health Plan - International Plus

As most health insurance companies have raised their premiums in the recent years due to higher claim rate and medical inflation in general, more people are looking for a more affordable option. 

Then look no further than MSH China’s China Expat Individual Health Plan series, where they offer International Plus plan that covers worldwide excluding US. You are also given the option to include the high-cost providers as well. 

You will also be able to access MSH International’s global network when visiting a doctor overseas, where it is relatively extensive across Asia and Europe.

To further adjust your insurance premium, you could also choose to add a co-pay or deductible to make it more affordable for you.

Medilink Fami Hicare Individual Health Plan - Star Plan

If you happen to have some pre-existing conditions, or looking for a higher outpatient annual benefit limit, you may want to look at Medilink’s Fami Hicare Individual Health Plan’s Star Plan. It is on the slightly more expensive side compared to MSH’s China Expat Health Plan, but its pre-existing condition coverage and higher outpatient limit makes it stand out.

Medilink also has an extensive network mainly in Asia, and some parts in Europe as well, via their Medilink-Global network.

MSH New Generation Individual Health Plan - Plan C (Asia Cover)

This plan offered by MSH is special as this is a child-only plan dedicated for children to apply alone. If you are looking for an international cover plan (that covers Asia) for your children only, then look no further than this plan.

Plan C offered by this plan can cover most Asian countries (including South East Asia), therefore your children can go to a hospital at any of the covered regions and be covered by the insurance. MSH China has a very extensive network in Asia, therefore many hospitals across Asia can have direct-billing with the plan.

There are many other international cover plan options as well in the market, and I have only discussed some of the most cost-effective ones currently on the market. It would always be best to talk to a broker about what you need and how much you can afford a year to get yourself the most suitable plan.

About the author

I'm an insurance broker at Mingya Insurance Brokers based in Beijing, and my company works with multiple insurance companies in China providing insurance plans eligible for expatriates in China. Our insurance partners include AXA, Allianz, AIG, Bupa, Cigna, GBG, MSH, Medilink, Ping An etc.

I specialise on insurance solution planning for expatriates in China, particularly health insurance. I have been assisting expatriates in China with their insurance solution planning since 2018, as well as group insurance planning for corporates and institutions' foreign employees. Currently our clientele includes international schools, foreign enterprises, embassies and so on.

I was born in Beijing, and am able to communicate in fluent English and Mandarin. I held a financial advisor's license issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for 2 years, and I am currently holding an insurance broker's license issued by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) since 2018.