
Your healthcare partner
For international medical insurance that puts you first, choose William Russell. Since 1992, we have supported expats like you around the world. With our global plans, you can get cover for the latest medical treatments and access private healthcare internationally. Plus, you'll have help and support from a team of real people with our trademark personalised service.
- No call centres
- 24/7 emergency assistance
- 15% off for new members until 31st Dec
Who needs international health insurance?
If you’re an expat living and working abroad, or you need cover for private healthcare in multiple countries, then you may be best suited to an international health insurance policy. We provide global health insurance cover for expat families and individuals, international citizens, remote workers, frequent travellers, start-up companies, global businesses, governmental organisations, and non-governmental organisations. Whether you’re planning your future travelling abroad or you’re already out on an assignment, it only takes two minutes to get a quote online. Read more on who we cover.
Key benefits of our international health insurance

Access to top hospitals & doctors
With over 40,000 hospitals in our worldwide network, you can rest assured you’re getting the best medical care. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you’ll have access to the best hospitals & doctors wherever in the world you are.

Tough on cancer, strong on support
Our plans cover the latest cancer care and treatments,
including genome testing. But we know cancer affects life in so many other ways too. That’s why we provide benefits for wigs following chemotherapy, counselling with a psychologist, and consultations with a dietitian. We’re here for you when it matters most.

Cover for mental health
Living and working away from your support network can be tough. That’s why our plans cover your
mental health consultations and treatment.
What do our health plans cover?
Bronze plan
SilverLite plan
Silver plan
Gold plan
How much does hospital treatment cost abroad?
To give you an idea on costs, here are some ballpark figures for common treatments carried out privately. Here is how much you can expect to pay for medical treatment abroad:
Country | Sum Paid | Treatment Type |
---|---|---|
South Africa | US$13,470 | Medical evacuation |
Hong Kong | US$11,453 | Pregnancy & maternity care |
Singapore | US$8,457 | Cancer care |
Indonesia | US$8,336 | Dental |
Thailand | US$6,541 | Diabetes |
UAE | US$4,822 | Genome tests |
UK | US$3,275 | Private GP consultations |
Based on our own data from 2021. See our tool to find more about costs of medical claims abroad if you are not insured
How does international health insurance work?
Needing medical treatment at home can be stressful—let alone when you need it in a foreign country, with unfamiliar hospitals and doctors. International health insurance helps to minimise any worry or complications by covering the financial costs of your medical care. But not all plans are born equal. With our plans, you’ll generally have access to private hospitals and clinics, with doctors who speak good English. You'll also have emergency medical assistance and the option to add on dentistry among other popular benefits.
Value Plans
Health insurance for people who simply want cover for serious conditions and major healthcare costs, around the world.
Comprehensive Plans
Medical insurance for people who want cover for a wider range of healthcare, including routine childbirth, mental health treatment, and chronic conditions.
Plans for Individuals
Plans designed for professionals, remote workers, students, frequent travellers and people on work assignments.
Plans for Families
Plans for families with children aged under 18, and those who want peace of mind when planning a family in the future.
Plans for Businesses
Plans for start-ups and businesses with remote workers or expat employees.
How much does international health insurance with us cost?
In 2021, our average premium for an individual for a single year of cover was US$3,650. How much you pay depends on your circumstances: read more about the average cost of expat health insurance here.
At William Russell, the most important factors when we calculate your insurance premium are your age and where you live. Premiums tend to increase as you get older, and will be higher in countries or regions where the cost of private healthcare is higher. However, your claims history won’t affect your insurance premium, and we don’t take your credit score into account. Read how we calculate your premiums here.
To give you an idea on cost, the table below shows examples based on different circumstances across our range of plans:
Bronze
SilverLite
Silver
Gold
- Semi-private room & post hospital treatment
- Cancer treatment
- Medevac
- Mental health
- Semi-private room & treatment
- Cancer treatment
- Medevac
- Standard out-patient up to US$5,000
- Physiotherapy
- Private hospital care
- Cancer treatment
- Medevac
- Outpatient treatment
- Mental health treatment up to US$75,000 per lifetime
- Wellness & vaccinations
- Complementary therapies
- Private hospital care
- Cancer treatment
- Medevac
- Outpatient treatment
- Mental health treatment up to US$100,000 per lifetime
- Wellness & vaccinations
- Routine dental
- Maternity
- Accidental death benefit
- Cancer critical illness benefit
- Personal accident cover
- Private room upgrade
- Enhanced Medevac
- Temporary US cover
- Personal accident cover
- Private room upgrade
- Increased out-patient limit
- Enhanced Medevac
- Routine dental
- Personal accident cover
- Temporary US cover
- Enhanced Medevac
- Increased wellbeing cover
- Routine & complex dental
- Personal accident cover
- Temporary US cover
- Enhanced Medevac
- Increased wellbeing cover
- Complex dental
Frequently asked questions
Most international health plans include similar cover for the basics of your healthcare needs. To make our plans as transparent as possible and help you choose the right one for you – we’ve outlined our most commonly asked questions here. But you can follow the link below to see more FAQs or call our friendly team on +44 1276 486 477.
What is international health insurance?
Global health insurance (also known as international private medical insurance) gives you access to private healthcare around the world.
International health insurance policies are designed to cover you for medical treatment when you’re admitted to a hospital, plus cover for serious issues such as cancer and mental health around the world. The exact nature of cover depends on the policy you buy and the insurance provider you buy it from. Some policies include cover for everyday visits to your doctor or pharmacy.
Generally speaking, plans with higher levels of cover will come at a higher cost. Most private health plans don’t cover pre-existing medical conditions (i.e., conditions you had before you took out the plan) as standard.
To make sure your William Russell plan suits your needs, you can customise it with a range of optional extras, such as cover for dental treatment.
What can I be covered for?Why is global health insurance more expensive than domestic or travel?
Whilst international health insurance prices vary a lot, they are generally more expensive than local domestic or travel policies. Local health insurance only gives you cover in a single country.
While most domestic health plans only cover you in one country, international health plans cover you in multiple (or even all) countries. They’re great for people who live and work abroad, or who spend lots of time travelling. Some international medical plans also include emergency medical evacuation cover so you can access urgent treatment even if it’s not available in your location.
What’s the difference between domestic, international & travel insurance?What are my premiums payment options?
The premium you see is the amount that you’ll pay each month for your health plan. Once you’ve selected a health plan to personalise, you can choose a different payment frequency.
You can choose to pay your premiums annually, half-yearly, quarterly or monthly by direct debit or credit card. You can also pay by cheque or bank transfer, but monthly payments won’t be available if you choose one these payment methods.
Paying annually is the cheapest option overall.
Payments are subject to the following administration surcharges: 3% surcharge if you pay half-yearly and a 5% surcharge if you pay monthly or quarterly.
How do we calculate health insurance premiums?Where can I have cover?
It depends on the area of cover you choose. The area of cover is the geographic or territorial limits of your plan. It specifies in which countries you’re covered and which countries you’re not.
With Zone 2, you’ll have full cover in Vietnam and most other countries, with freedom to access the best hospitals and doctors.
In certain countries where the cost of private healthcare is high (eg China, Singapore), your cover will be limited to accident & emergency treatment up to US$100,000. There is no cover at all in the USA.
Once you’ve selected a health plan to personalise, you can choose Zone 1, which gives you full cover worldwide.
Find out more on where you can have coverDo you only provide plans to expats?
In most cases, we can only provide insurance to expats. By expat, we mean people living and working outside of their country of nationality (e.g., a Dutch national living in Taiwan or a Canadian national living in India).
Typically, our members reside permanently in a foreign country. But we can sometimes provide cover to people expecting to spend at least 6 months of the year living or travelling abroad. In certain countries, we can cover people living in the same country that issues their passport. These countries are Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius, Estonia and Malawi.
We can provide plans to people of all nationalities in most countries around the world. You must be under age 70 when your plan starts, and you must be living or working in a country different from your country of nationality.
What is an expat or expatriate?Do you cover pre-existing conditions?
A pre-existing condition is an illness or injury you’ve already have received medications, advice or treatment, or for which you have experienced symptoms of – or tests, medication, treatment or advice for – before taking out your health insurance policy.
Having a pre-existing condition doesn’t mean you can’t take out international insurance – it just means you won’t be covered for that condition unless it has been agreed.
Choose the best medical underwriting option for youDo your plans cover COVID-19?
If you have a global health plan from William Russell, you’re covered for the treatment of COVID-19 as you would be for any other viral infection. This is provided that the plan you have selected covers the treatment and you don’t have personal medical exclusions on your certificate of insurance that would apply.
More about COVID-19 and our insurance plansWhat our members say

With a family of 5 living in Sri Lanka, over the years I have had to make a few claims and in every instance William Russell have made it exceptionally easy. Recently, Fanny for example, has been extremely clear with her instructions and quick with her actioning. This is very reassuring, for us, whenever someone in the family needs medical attention. Over the years we have been brilliantly looked after by Wendy and Tarren and we could not be happier with the service.
Chhimi Tenduf-La William Russell Member, Sri Lanka
I liked that I could speak to a human being at the end of the phone. Complex terms were discussed in a very simple way which made the whole process very seamless. The excellent service I received blew me away.
E.L. William Russell Member, Mauritius
Perks of being a
William Russell Member

Transparency matters to us
Insurance is about trust, so we believe in being fair and open. This belief informs our idea of healthcare as a partnership between our members and us. That’s why we’re completely upfront with our health plans, and we want you to understand precisely what you’re buying.

We’re committed to fairness
Healthcare is expensive, and – sadly – costs are on the up. We do everything possible to spread this inflation fairly. We calculate premiums with a long- term, sustainable pricing model. And you can tailor your plan to help reduce your premium without compromising your cover.

We believe in people
Some insurers rely on AI and Big Data to do their work for them. We think differently. Healthcare is a highly personal experience, so it deserves a personal service. We’re a team of real people, at the end of a phone call when you really need us.