Global Benefits USA - International Insurance

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CIGNA International

Overview

Carrier Information

CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits (CIEB) is the world’s largest provider of employer sponsored healthcare benefits and services. With over 30 years experience and many global locations, CIGNA International has the experience and local healthcare knowledge to ensure your expatriates receive the highest standard of care and service.

Why does my organization need Expatriate Group Benefits?

If your company or organization has expatriate employees (employees physically residing outside their country of nationality for more than 6 months out of the year), we encourage you to review your current health insurance policy. There are key contractual clauses that limit the amount of time an employee can reside abroad and still receive appropriate levels of care. For expatriates and long-term travelers, these clauses, and other problems unique to expatriates, create serious coverage problems.

Residency Clause - The primary function of a residency clause is to ensure people live in the state where the policy was purchased. For groups, this clause will stipulate that the member reside within the U.S. at least 6 months out of the year. If the residency clause is violated, then coverage is automatically void for that employee and dependents.

Coverage Outside the U.S. – The majority of U.S. health plans offer emergency care only when outside the U.S. Also, most U.S. health carriers are not able to assist with claims or services when the employee is outside the U.S. The employee is responsible to arrange for care, pay claims, handle emergencies and then submit claims back to the U.S. carrier for reimbursement later.

Self Insured Coverage - In the case of self-insured plans the Residency and Out-of-U.S. coverage may not apply. However, there are other considerations that you may want to consider. For example:
- Can international claims be effectively managed from the U.S.?
- What sort of medical evacuation and assistance are in place?
- How will expatriate employees find and access quality medical care?

Many self-insured groups utilize an international health plan to protect and manage their global employees. When in the U.S. the employee reverts back to the self-insured plan. This provides a tremendous premium savings yet gives the employees the proper insurance, services and support they require while overseas.

The purpose of purchasing an expatriate medical plan is to avoid placing the burden of care on the member. It provides parity of coverage for those who take overseas assignments and the services and support needed to ensure their well being.

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.

Services

CIGNA International offers a number of unique tools and services to provide expatriate members the resources they need to be successful. By using these tools and services, members can locate quality healthcare quickly and CIGNA International can arrange to pay providers directly. This allows expatriate employees and their dependents to focus on their overseas assignment.

Web Portal – CIGNAenvoy.com

Both expatriate members and their employers can use this powerful web based tool.

Expatriate Employees – Instant access to vital claims information, print new ID cards, download forms, search for doctors and hospitals anywhere in the world.

Employers – Identify covered employees, online enrollment service to monitor or update information, optional CIGNA Envoy Billing Management System, which enables an online retrieval of premium notices through a secure mailbox.

For a tour of the CIGNAenvoy site, please visit:
https://www.cignaexpats.com/envoytour

CIGNAlinks

CIGNA International has partnered with major health insurance carriers in more than 12 countries (including U.K., Australia, Singapore, Spain and across the Middle East) to simplify the healthcare experience of your expatriates. Members receive two ID cards – one from CIGNA Int’l and one from the local health insurance carrier. Here’s how it works;

For expatriates working in a CIGNAlinks country – By teaming up with a local health insurance carrier, your expatriate employee simply presents that ID card to local providers. In many cases, the transaction is cashless and no forms need to be completed.

For expatriates coming from a CIGNAlinks country – Dependents still residing in home country use the local carrier ID card. For the expatriate, having a “link” back to his/her home country can assist in receiving favorable tax treatment while on assignment.

Customer Service Contact Center

Global Health Advantage members can access CIGNA International 24 hours a day 365 days a year. CIGNA International operates two assistance centers – one in the U.S. and one in the U.K. Employing a highly trained multilingual staff means that CIGNA International can assist your expatriate employee anywhere in the world under a wide variety of circumstances.

Phone Services

Members can contact CIGNA International anytime for services such as:

Arrangement of emergency medical evacuation
Assistance to gain admission to a hospital
Guarantees of payment to providers (nearly a 100% acceptance rate)
Referrals to prescreened doctors, dentists and hospitals
Telephonic access to medical advice and consultations
Verification of benefits and eligibility

Concierge and Travel Assistance Services

Global Health Advantage members receive a number of emergency travel resources as part of their plan.

Assistance on replacing passports and credit cards.
Arrangement of emergency travel for family members to join a hospitalized family member.
Referrals to overseas embassies and attorneys.
Assistance with lost luggage.

Medical Services & Clinical Resources

CIGNA International provides a number of services and resources that exceed simply providing medical care. CIEB headquarters provide coordination of care, outreach to providers around the world and intervention to ensure members receive the best care possible.

Second Opinion Program

CIGNA International has partnered with the world-renown Cleveland Clinic. Expatriate employees can receive an unbiased second opinion when making critical medical decisions. This can be especially helpful when being diagnosed in a country with a low standard of healthcare.

myCareAllies.com

myCareAllies.com is a unique website designed to optimize your expatriate employees' health. Members can gain access to information and tools designed to promote a healthy lifestyle. The site is interactive, which allows for immediate feedback on a member's health status.

International Employee Assistance Program (IEAP)

Transitioning to a new country and culture can be difficult on expatriate employees. CIGNA International has established global telephonic psychological counseling service for members. Members are allowed up to three calls to an experienced behavioral professional. These counseling services are provided by CIGNA Behavioral Health and ICAS.

Claims and Providers

CIGNA International offers Global Health Advantage members a wide range of options and tools to assist with the claims process. Many of these tools are available through a special member website. We highly recommend that members log on to the CIGNAenvoy site in order to access these tools.

Filing Claims

Global Health Advantage members can submit claims to CIGNA International in virtually any language and receive reimbursement in a wide range of currencies. CIGNA’s multilingual assistance team can help you with hospital admissions; their on-staff physicians can provide medical advice and verify benefits 24/7. Ninety percent of claims are processed within 10 business days.

Emergency Assistance

We recommend that you contact CIGNA International immediately if you have an emergency, require medical transportation, have an upcoming surgery or need to be hospitalized. CIGNA International’s multilingual assistance staff is ready to assist you 24/7. Some services require CIGNA International’s coordination in order to be covered.

Online - CIGNAenvoy

CIGNA International has created one of the strongest web tools available to assist members with a wide variety of needs while residing overseas or seeking care back home. With CIGNAenvoy, you can research providers that can bill CIGNA directly, download claim forms, track claim history and print ID cards.

Please click on the link below to visit the CIGNAenvoy website.

https://cignaexpats.com/envoy.com

Paper

Claims may also be filed using a traditional paper claims form. Please download the claims form below and follow the filing instructions.

CIGNA International Claim Form (PDF)

Providers

Working with providers that bill CIGNA International directly can save you time and energy collecting a reimbursement. There are two programs that Global Health Advantage members should be aware of:

International and U.S. Providers

Global Health Advantage members have access to hundreds of thousands of providers worldwide that will submit claims directly to CIGNA International. Please see our Providers and Services page to access these providers.

CIGNAlinks program

In several countries around the world, CIGNA International has partnered with local insurance carriers and their providers to give GHA members seamless access to care. These countries include: UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain and across the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar). For more information about the CIGNAlinks program, please access the CIGNAenvoy site at:

https://cignaexpats.com/envoy.com

Contact Information

CIGNA International
P.O. Box 15050
Wilmington, DE 19850
U.S.A.

Toll Free in the U.S.: 800 441 2668
Collect calls from outside the U.S.: 302 797 3100

Fax: 302 797 3150

Website: https://www.cigna.com/expatriates

Eligibility

The Global Health Advantage plan is designed for groups of 2 to 20 expatriate employees. (If your organization has one expatriate or more than 20, please refer to our individual international health insurance page, or for groups larger than 20, visit our section on CIGNA’s International CORE plan).

Company Eligibility

To be eligible for the Global Health Advantage group plan, the following requirements must be met:

An employer must have a minimum of fifty or more employees worldwide.
Of the 50 or more employees, a minimum of two expatriate employees must be enrolled in the plan.
All expatriate employees covered must have the same benefits, and medical coverage is mandatory.
The policy must be delivered to a U.S. address.

Coverage can be terminated by CIGNA International if the group falls below two employees. Other eligibility factors such as the employees' ages, their location and nature of work, as well as the local insurance laws may be taken into consideration.

Employee Eligibility

Full-time employees must reside outside their country of citizenship. Residency is generally determined as physically spending at least six months a year abroad.

Currently, medical history is not a factor in determining employee eligibility.

Dependent Eligibility

Eligible dependents include the employee’s lawful spouse and unmarried children under age 19. Unmarried children ages 19 through 25 years are also eligible with proof of being a full-time student. Dependents who reside in the U.S. are eligible, provided that the expatriate employee resides outside the U.S.

Next Steps

If you have a group who may qualify for the Global Health Advantage plan, please click on the Quote tab and download and Request for Quote form to be forwarded to Global Benefits, or contact us directly. We will work with you to determine whether the Global Health Advantage program is the right fit for your international employees.