Questions and Answers Regarding the IMG Global Medical Plan
Global Medical FAQs address the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the IMG Global Medical Insurance plan from the International Medical Group. If your question isn’t answered here, please contact us for an answer from one of our experienced agents.
For who is IMG Global Medical Plan designed?
The plan is designed for any international living and working abroad outside of his or her home country. We typically cover expatriates, global nomads, retirees, missionaries, and students. The plan will also cover local nationals (outside of the USA) needing coverage in their home country and abroad.
- Coverage for professionals, individuals or families living or working abroad
- Contract employees living and working abroad
- Seniors who reside six months or longer outside the U.S. per year
- Digital nomads who travel the globe and need coverage worldwide
What are other eligibility criteria?
This plan is available to individuals and families of all nationalities. U.S. citizens must plan to leave the U.S. on or before their effective date (or renewal date) and reside outside the U.S. for at least 6 out of the next 12 months. Coverage for non-U.S. citizens is worldwide, although certain eligibility restrictions may apply to non-U.S. citizens residing in the U.S. Persons from the ages of 14 days to 74 years old may apply for coverage.
Persons 75 years of age and older are not eligible, and coverage ends at age 75. Certain other restrictions may also apply. Please ask your independent insurance agent or broker for further details.
For clients older than 65 years of age, we recommend the Cigna Global Medical Plan as it will provide lifetime coverage without a change or loss of benefits.
For families, when both parents are covered under this plan, the first two eligible dependent children from the ages of 14 days to 9 years are covered at no additional cost.
Children under the age of 19 applying individually should use the male 19-24 age bracket when applying for coverage. Each person requesting coverage must complete the information required in the application.
What should I expect during the underwriting process?
The IMG Global Medical is a medically underwritten plan, which means that your family’s medical status and history will be used to determine your eligibility for coverage. Once you have submitted your application it will be reviewed within 5 business days by an underwriter. Within that period you will hear back from the underwriters and they will either:
- Issue coverage and complete your application
- Request further documentation regarding your past medical history
- Apply a rider to your coverage that limits or excludes certain medical conditions
- Apply a premium increase due to your medical and/or family history
- Deny coverage
You will be notified of the status of your application once complete or if further information is needed. If a rider or premium increase is added to your plan you will be notified. If you are issued a rider you will be provided with a 30 day ‘free look’ period. If you do not like the proposed coverage terms, you can simply cancel coverage within the 30-day free look and you will receive a full refund of your premium.
Can I renew the IMG Global Medical Insurance coverage each year?
Subject to the terms of the plan, this plan is annually renewable, and coverage is continuous when renewed. Before the end of each period of coverage (12 months), you will receive renewal information. You must continue to meet the eligibility requirements outlined above to renew. You have the option to renew online, or you may complete a paper application. There are no additional medical questions at renewal, and we can work with you to provide flexible renewal options. Please select your deductible and plan option carefully, as you will be unable to select a lower deductible or increase your plan option when you renew your coverage.
What are my payment options?
The IMG Global Medical plan can be purchased online using a credit card or debit card. When applying for the plan, you will be able to choose your frequency of payment from paying annually, semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly. Keep in mind that there are higher administrative costs the more frequent the payment – or discounts if you pay in full in advance. While your payment details are required to be included on your online application, your card will not be charged until the underwriting review process has been completed. You can cancel at any time prior to your coverage beginning and up to 15 days after the policy has been approved (see refund policy below)
What about coverage for those over the age of 75?
Lifetime medical coverage is available only if you are enrolled in the plan by your 65th birthday and maintain continuous coverage to age 75. Before your 75th birthday, you will receive a summary of benefits for a new plan, Global Senior Plan®, and an enrollment form for coverage. There is no additional medical underwriting. You simply need to review the benefits, and complete and return the enrollment form with your premium.
For clients older than 65 years of age, we recommend the Cigna Global Medical Plan as it will provide lifetime coverage without a change or loss of benefits.
What is the refund policy or quality guarantee?
We are confident that you will be pleased with the full terms of coverage. To ensure your satisfaction, once you are accepted into the plan we provide a 15 day period to review the fulfillment kit contents. If during that 15 day period you find that you are not satisfied with the plan for any reason, you may submit a written request for cancellation and full refund of your premium. See the Certificate of Insurance for full details.
Cancellation requests received after this 15 day period will be granted at the sole discretion of IMG as the plan administrator. Any refund you may receive will be based on an established refund schedule, not a pro-rated basis. See the Certificate of Insurance for full details.
What does Usual Reasonable and Customary (URC) mean?
Usual Reasonable and Customary, or URC, is a term that insurance companies use to describe a limitation on their responsibility to pay for eligible medical expenses. Basically, URC refers to the fee typically (usually) charged by a provider for a specific procedure in a specific geographic area. So if a particular procedure typically costs $5,000 in the New York City area, and most providers customarily charge about $5,000 for that procedure, the insurance company will not pay your provider in New York City $10,000 for the same exact procedure. Instead, they will limit their payment amount to “Usual Reasonable and Customary” – in this example, $5,000.
How do I find a doctor or healthcare facility that works with IMG?
Whenever or wherever you travel within the U.S., it’s comforting to know that the extensive Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Network is there to serve you. The independent PPO includes hundreds of thousands of established, highly qualified physicians and facilities, including some of the most well-recognized university medical centers and transplant facilities in the U.S.
Of course, you have the freedom to choose any physician or healthcare facility you wish. However, selecting a provider in the PPO network can significantly reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.
If you require treatment outside the U.S., we provide you access to our International Provider AccessSM (IPA), a database that includes more than 17,000 highly qualified physicians and facilities that encompass a comprehensive array of specialties to handle any health care emergency. Our direct billing arrangements can also ease the time and upfront expense at select providers.
You can instantly access a list of providers and facilities within the IMG’s PPO and International Doctor Network online. The directories allow you to search by location, physician or facility name, or specialty.
