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Understanding insurance for expats
About Health Insurance
How does international health insurance work?
Unsure of how international health insurance works or need help selecting a plan that's right for you? Our step by step guide will help you choose, buy and use international health insurance.
I’m new to health insurance. Where can I find explanations for all the jargon?
We speak in plain English, but sometimes insurance terms are inevitable. We’ve put together a quick glossary of the most important insurance terms.
Do I need international health insurance in countries that provide free healthcare?
Countries like the UK, New Zealand, and Italy have public healthcare systems funded by national insurance contributions from taxpayers. However, these services may not be fully available to people who aren’t citizens of the country, so having international health insurance may still be necessary. It can also offer other benefits, including access to doctors who speak your language and medical evacuation or repatriation if urgent treatment isn’t available where you are.
What’s the main difference between inpatient and outpatient care?
Generally speaking, inpatient care requires you to stay in a hospital and outpatient care does not. So the big difference is whether you need to be hospitalised or not.
What is a medical evacuation?
Medical evacuation is when you are transported to an appropriate hospital or medical facility. This could be by road, sea or air with life-saving medical equipment in the vehicle. If you become seriously ill or injured while working on a remote island, for example, you may be flown by air ambulance or private plane to a hospital in the nearest city on the mainland.
What are pre-existing medical conditions?
Pre-existing medical conditions are conditions that exist before the proposed start date of your plan. Like most health insurance providers, our plans do not cover pre-existing medical conditions.
How do I choose an excess?
The right excess for you depends on your needs. We see the excess as a partnership between you and us. A higher excess helps insurers reduce spend on medical treatment, and with William Russell we pass the savings on to you. So—as a rule of thumb, a higher excess means a lower premium.
What is the difference between international health insurance and travel insurance?
International health insurance and travel insurance are designed for different purposes. Travel insurance protects you and your possessions while you’re travelling abroad, and there may be some limited cover for emergency medical treatment. International health insurance covers you for medical treatment you receive while you’re at home and abroad, and not just for emergency treatment.
What is direct billing?
Direct billing is an arrangement with hospitals and clinics where we pay for medical treatment directly. This means you won’t be out of pocket for your treatment costs.
What types of global health insurance are there?
There are three main types of international health insurance with William Russell. You can choose between individual health insurance, family or business health insurance plans.
How our plans work
Do I have to renew my cover each year with William Russell?
If you want to keep your international health insurance cover, you must renew your plan each year. Renewing your plan is straightforward, and it usually happens automatically.
Do I need to fill out a medical questionnaire each year?
Once your plan has started, we won’t ask you to answer medical questions each year—even if your health deteriorates.
How long can I keep my global cover?
While you must be age 75 or under when your plan starts, you can renew your plan for as long as you need it. Once your plan has started, we won’t ask you to answer medical questions each year—even if your health deteriorates.
Am I eligible for a health plan with William Russell?
We can provide plans to people of all nationalities in most countries around the world. You must be age 75 or under when your plan starts, and you must be living or working in a country different from your country of nationality.
How long does an application for international health insurance take?
It takes less than 3 minutes to fill in our online quote for international health insurance with us. Once we have your completed digital application form, it usually takes 2 days to get your plan started. Our dedicated onboarding team is on hand to help you choose the right plan and guide you through the medical questionnaire.
Do your health plans cover dental treatment?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
Am I too old for an international health insurance policy?
We can only accept applications for international health insurance if you’re under the age of 76. However, once you’re a member with William Russell, you can renew your health plan for as long as you need—even if your state of health deteriorates.
About William Russell
Is William Russell an insurance company?
No, William Russell provides insurance on behalf of the Allianz group. We design the insurance plans in partnership with the Allianz group, but our team are solely responsible for your member experience and the tech that powers it, helping you access doctors and hospitals, paying your claims.
Who is William Russell?
William Russell is not a person; it’s a team of people. When Inez Cooper founded William Russell in 1992, she gave the company a man’s name because, at the time, insurance was a man’s world. Things are changing, but William Russell remains a special case. We’re proud to say we’re a female-powered organisation.
Where can I find reviews about William Russell?
We work with one of the leading independent review collectors, Feefo, to collect honest member reviews. You can see what our members are saying about here.
Claims
How can I make a claim?
Making a claim with us is really easy. You simply need to fill out a claims form and provide any supporting documents. Some benefits may require pre-authorisation for treatment. Find out more about claiming and pre-authorisation here.
Is there a no-claims discount or bonus with William Russell?
Our international health policies don’t include a no-claim bonus, since we don’t want to discourage members from having medical treatment. On the flipside, we do not penalise members at their plan renewal if they claim for treatment. Things are slightly different if you live in Hong Kong. We do offer a low claims discount to our members living in Hong Kong.
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About Life Insurance
How do you calculate life insurance premiums?
How much you pay depends on how much you wish to insure your life for and your age. The higher your life benefit, the more you’ll pay in insurance premiums. Equally, the older you get, the higher your premiums get.
How much does International Life Insurance cost?
How much you’ll pay for your plan depends on your age, how much you cover you require, and your medical history... read more here.
Why do new parents buy life insurance?
Raising children can be expensive. Last December, the Child Poverty Action Group in the UK reported that the cost of bringing up a child is at least £190,000. Expat parents can expect that figure to be much higher, with private school fees, regular international travel, and all the perks that come with the expat lifestyle. Often, your income (or your partner’s) is the only way to pay for these costs of raising your child.
How much life insurance do I need?
When you purchase life insurance, you choose the amount of money that we pay to your beneficiary in the event of your death. This amount is called the ‘life benefit’. When choosing your life benefit, you should consider your circumstances. People generally think about how much their family would need to meet existing financial commitments such as debts or mortgages. Thinking about these commitments may be a useful guide to how much you should insure. Read more here.
Do you provide term life insurance?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
How our plans work
What happens to my international life insurance plan if I miss a payment?
We automatically cancel your plan if you fail to pay your premium by its due date. We usually allow your plan to continue if you pay the outstanding premium within 30 days of its due date.
Can I purchase international life insurance if I have pre-existing medical conditions?
Our international life insurance does not cover you for death due to medical conditions or related conditions that existed prior to the start date of your plan. This doesn’t mean you cannot apply for life insurance if you have pre-existing medical conditions. We may agree to cover you for those conditions, or we may issue a formal exclusion for those conditions.
How do I know you’ll pay my life benefit if I die?
Subject to the terms and conditions of the plan, we’ll pay your life benefit upon your death to your nominated beneficiary or beneficiaries. The insurer of your life insurance plan is AWP Health & Life SA, a French insurer in the Allianz group of companies. Allianz is one of the largest and most robust financial services groups in the world.
Does my life insurance pay out if I die in an accident?
Yes. You can also increase your cover for death by accident if you purchase the optional accident benefit. The accident benefit will also payout if you survive the accident but it causes you a severe disability.
Can I renew my life insurance, even if I’m in poor health?
Yes. You can renew your plan for as long as you need, even if your health deteriorates. We’ll only ask you more medical questions if you want to increase your life benefit.
Why are your life insurance plans annually renewable?
We think that annually renewable plans are more suitable for people living and working abroad. It means our members aren’t tied into long-term contracts if they decide to move countries, return home, or if their circumstances change. Even though your plan is annually renewable, we don’t ask you more medical questions. You can renew your plan for as long as you need, even if your health deteriorates.
Is there a maximum age for international life insurance?
You must be 69 or younger when you purchase your international life insurance. Our plans are annually renewable, and you can renew your plan until you reach the age of 70.
Can I have more than one life insurance plan?
You can have more than one life insurance plan with William Russell as long as you don’t exceed the 20x salary or monetary maximums across the William Russell policies. For example, you can have one policy for your mortgage and one for your family; you might want your own life insurance plan in addition to the one provided by your employer.
Are there any restrictions on how much cover I can have?
There is a maximum life benefit of US$2,000,000 or £1,500,000 or €1,700,000. You can apply for Life benefit of 20x your gross annual earnings at the time you applied for your plan.
Is the life benefit with William Russell tax free?
It depends on where you die and where your beneficiaries live. Before purchasing life insurance, you should check your inheritance tax obligations. You can write your international life insurance in trust to help your beneficiaries avoid paying inheritance tax or any other taxes.
What’s not covered in my life insurance policy with William Russell?
Life insurance plans are usually quite straightforward. In short, if you die, your plan pays. But there are some things you won’t have cover for...
What does international life insurance with William Russell cover?
There are different types of expat life insurance, for example, you may have heard of level term life insurance, decreasing term life insurance, and joint life insurance. We provide annually-renewable expat life insurance: you renew your policy each year without the need for medical questions or examinations, and your life benefit stays the same.
What do I need to get a quote from William Russell?
To give you a quick online quote, we only need to know your age, where you’re living and working, and how much cover you need. We need to know your age because our premiums are age-related. They increase as you get older. We provide international life insurance, but we need to know where you live because there are some countries where we cannot provide cover (Iran, North Korea, Libya, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen or Switzerland).
Can I use your life insurance when getting a mortgage?
Yes, you can use international life insurance from William Russell to cover a mortgage – we have numerous members around the world who have nominated their banks as the beneficiary of their policy with any residual benefit going to family members.
What makes William Russell’s life insurance “international”?
Domestic life insurance plans typically cover you only while you’re permanently resident in the country where you purchased the plan. That’s usually your country of nationality or another country where you’re living permanently...
About William Russell
Is William Russell an insurance company?
No, William Russell provides insurance on behalf of the Allianz group. We design the insurance plans in partnership with the Allianz group, but our team are solely responsible for your member experience and the tech that powers it, helping you access doctors and hospitals, paying your claims.
Who is William Russell?
William Russell is not a person; it’s a team of people. When Inez Cooper founded William Russell in 1992, she gave the company a man’s name because, at the time, insurance was a man’s world. Things are changing, but William Russell remains a special case. We’re proud to say we’re a female-powered organisation.
Where can I find reviews about William Russell?
We work with one of the leading independent review collectors, Feefo, to collect honest member reviews. You can see what our members are saying about here.
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About Income Protection
What is Income Protection Insurance?
International income protection insurance is a form of insurance that will cover you if you become ill or injured and unable to earn money while living overseas...
About William Russell
Is William Russell an insurance company?
No, William Russell provides insurance on behalf of the Allianz group. We design the insurance plans in partnership with the Allianz group, but our team are solely responsible for your member experience and the tech that powers it, helping you access doctors and hospitals, paying your claims.
Who is William Russell?
William Russell is not a person; it’s a team of people. When Inez Cooper founded William Russell in 1992, she gave the company a man’s name because, at the time, insurance was a man’s world. Things are changing, but William Russell remains a special case. We’re proud to say we’re a female-powered organisation.
Where can I find reviews about William Russell?
We work with one of the leading independent review collectors, Feefo, to collect honest member reviews. You can see what our members are saying about here.
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About William Russell
Is William Russell an insurance company?
No, William Russell provides insurance on behalf of the Allianz group. We design the insurance plans in partnership with the Allianz group, but our team are solely responsible for your member experience and the tech that powers it, helping you access doctors and hospitals, paying your claims.
Who is William Russell?
William Russell is not a person; it’s a team of people. When Inez Cooper founded William Russell in 1992, she gave the company a man’s name because, at the time, insurance was a man’s world. Things are changing, but William Russell remains a special case. We’re proud to say we’re a female-powered organisation.
Where can I find reviews about William Russell?
We work with one of the leading independent review collectors, Feefo, to collect honest member reviews. You can see what our members are saying about here.
Brokers
Where do you have direct billing?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
How do I pay my premiums?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
What are the maximum benefits limits for the plans?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
Do the plans have age limits?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
Are there excluded countries?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
How do I register as a broker?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
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About William Russell
Is William Russell an insurance company?
No, William Russell provides insurance on behalf of the Allianz group. We design the insurance plans in partnership with the Allianz group, but our team are solely responsible for your member experience and the tech that powers it, helping you access doctors and hospitals, paying your claims.
Who is William Russell?
William Russell is not a person; it’s a team of people. When Inez Cooper founded William Russell in 1992, she gave the company a man’s name because, at the time, insurance was a man’s world. Things are changing, but William Russell remains a special case. We’re proud to say we’re a female-powered organisation.
Where can I find reviews about William Russell?
We work with one of the leading independent review collectors, Feefo, to collect honest member reviews. You can see what our members are saying about here.
How our plans work
Do your health plans cover dental treatment?
All our plans include cover for emergency in-patient dental treatment. We have options for routine dental care on our SilverLite plan, and we have options both for routine and complex dental care on our Silver plan. The Gold plan comes with routine dental care as standard, with the option for complex dental care.
