Benefits Summary
CIGNA International’s Global Health Advantage plan (GHA) is designed for small expatriate groups of 2 to 20 eligible employees. The plan has a comprehensive level of medical benefits, four different deductible and co-insurance options and a selection of optional benefits. Your expatriate employees can choose between seeking care in the country of assignment or anywhere in the world including the United States. Dependents of expatriate employees residing in the U.S. can also be covered under Global Health Advantage.
Global Benefits can create an appropriate solution to meet your organization's expatriate benefit needs. In some cases, Global Benefits and CIGNA International have worked together to create a custom plan for a client's unique requirements. We would be happy to discuss your specific needs with you.
Contact Global Benefits.
Unique Plan Features
Global Coverage
Coverage is available worldwide including the United States.
COBRA / HIPAA Compliant
The Global Health Advantage plan meets these two important Federal laws concerning continuing coverage, post-employment coverage and healthcare portability. While the Global Health Advantage plan is COBRA compliant, CIGNA Int’l does not provide COBRA administration. Consistent with HIPAA guidelines, CIGNA International will recognize Certificates of Credible coverage for employees joining the plan.
The
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) was passed into law to allow former employees the ability to continue their previous employer’s health insurance coverage for a specific amount of time. For more information about COBRA, please go to the link below:
https://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.HTML
The
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was created in part to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual market. For more information about HIPAA, please go to the link below:
https://www.dol.gov.ebsa/newsroom/fshipaa.html
Complete Expatriate Employee Benefits
Many international expatriate insurance plans offer limited choice of benefits – typically medical and dental only. The Global Health Advantage plan has a complement of optional benefits including: Life/AD&D, Evacuation/Repatriation and Long Term Disability insurance.
No Medical Underwriting
Qualifying expatriate groups will not have to submit to medical underwriting. This ensures that your organization can move forward with the employees you want overseas. Note that there are other underwriting standards that apply, such as country of assignment and nature of work.
Benefits
All four versions of the Global Health Advantage plan share these common benefits.
Customization – If your company requires coverage not found with the GHA, please contact us. We can assist you with designing a plan under CIGNA International’s “CORE” program. CORE plans offer the employer the flexibility to change certain plan benefits to meet its expatriate employees' needs.
Plan Design Options
The GHA is available in four different plan choices – Platinum Preferred, Platinum, Gold and Silver. The main difference between these plans is the deductible and co-insurance levels.
The Platinum Preferred plan works slightly differently in that it has different out of pocket levels in the U.S. depending upon if the member is in or out of CIGNA’s network. Prescription drug coverage is handled on a co-pay basis.
Optional Coverage
GHA offers one of the widest selections of optional benefits available to small expatriate groups. For a summary of these optional benefits, please read the
Brochure. Optional Benefits include:
Dental Insurance
GHA offers three levels of dental coverage. All levels include coverage for Preventative Services, Basic Services and Major Services with no waiting periods. Orthodontia is also included for children in the two highest benefit level plans.
Evacuation/Repatriation Coverage
CIGNA International will pay 100% of the cost of a medical evacuation or repatriation. Medical expenses associated with an evacuation are also covered. This benefit is not subject to a deductible but does require CIGNA’s assistance team to coordinate the medical evacuation or repatriation.
Long-Term Disability Insurance
The Global Health Advantage offers a simple way of buying LTD coverage for international groups. CIGNA International will cover up to 60% of base monthly salary to a maximum monthly benefit of $5,000. Employers can choose between a 90-day and a 180-day elimination period. For those employees that require a higher benefit limit, Global Benefits can provide “Top Up” coverage solutions.
Life/AD&D Insurance
International life insurance is one of the most difficult types of coverage to find for groups fewer than 10 lives. The problem is compounded for expatriate employees working in higher risk countries. All GHA plans come with a standard life insurance and AD&D benefit of $25,000. Coverage can be increased up to two times earnings with a maximum benefit of $200,000.
Global Benefits can arrange for additional life and AD&D coverage if necessary. With our experience and contact in these specialized markets, we have been successful in obtaining coverage for our clients with highly compensated expatriate employees or with employees in high risk areas of conflict.