If there’s one thing we digital nomads love most, it’s flexible and adventurous living. Designing graphics in the ruins of Machu Picchu or writing a novel in the Grand Canyon isn’t a dream for us – it’s our everyday!
Though we fly by the seat of our pants, traveling worldwide isn’t without risks. A well-planned trip can fall apart in minutes due to a medical emergency - think food poisoning from shady street food, a broken arm while skiing, or full-body injuries from a car accident.
This is why health insurance should never take a backseat. Not sure which health plan to go with? Allow me. Read on for the best health insurance for digital nomads and remote workers!
What Types of Health Insurance Are Available for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers?
Health insurance isn’t the most glamorous thing to think about. But having a policy pays much-needed dividends if you find yourself in a bad spot. Now, let’s get to your options! There are two types of health insurance for digital nomads and remote workers:
Travel Medical Insurance
Travel medical insurance is a policy that covers emergency medical expenses, evacuation, transportation, and more while you’re away from your home country. It’s short-term, meaning it only covers you for a specific term or trip.
You can learn more about the best travel medical insurance below:
Andrea Reyes
International Health Insurance
International health insurance is very different from travel medical insurance. It’s a long-term insurance coverage option specifically for those currently living outside their home country. U.S. citizens are the most frequent users of international health insurance.
Because the coverage is tailored to people who spend most of their time abroad, the benefit mix is different. You get comprehensive health benefits. In addition to unexpected illnesses and accidents, you also get coverage for routine medical expenses, like checkups, dental exams, and more.
In this guide, we will focus specifically on the second type, international health insurance. So, let's now get straight to it and let's compare the choices you have.
Best Health Insurance Providers for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers
Since health insurance companies run the gamut from “bottom of the barrel” to “cream of the crop,” learning about your options is essential. To get you off on the right foot, we’ll cover the best insurance providers in the digital nomad insurance space. Let’s go!
- Safetywing Nomad Health
- Genki Resident
- Cigna Global Health Insurance
- GeoBlue Health Insurance
- World Nomads
- Allianz Care Global Health Insurance
1. SafetyWing
Best Health Insurance for Digital Nomads Overall
SafetyWing health insurance is the best overall option for those looking for jam-packed policies at a reasonable monthly rate. The company offers multiple insurance plans, but the one tailored to digital nomads and remote workers is called Nomad Health, a global health insurance plan.
This worldwide plan covers you wherever you are, whether you’re chilling out in your home country or mid-trek halfway around the world. You’re covered in over 175 countries.
Not only do your benefits apply everywhere, but you also get to see any licensed provider you want. Sounds too good to be true, right? Trust me, it isn’t. Plus, you get easy 24/7 support with a measly 1-minute wait time.
What’s Covered and What Does It Cost?
I can hear you through the screen - What does it cost? What’s covered? Nomad Health comes in three tiers - Standard, Premium, and Premium Plus. These 12-month plans cover a wide variety of care, including:
- Outpatient treatments and procedures (doctor visits, physical therapy, medications, therapies, E.R. care, diagnostic tests, allergy treatments)
- Screenings and vaccines
- Medical equipment
- Maternity coverage
- Surgeries
- Dental and Vision (on the higher-tiered plans)
- And much more!
These are the SafetyWing health insurance plan costs and benefits for travelers ages 18-39:
Notice that you get over $1.5 million worldwide coverage on the lowest-tiered plan. This is enormous.
Or read our dedicated Nomad Health review below:
Andrea Reyes
2. Genki Resident
Runner-Up for Best Digital Nomad Health Insurance
Snagging the number two spot on the list is Genki Resident. Their plans boast a full laundry list of benefits available anywhere with unlimited benefit payouts and no maximum age. And you get it all at a fair price.
Genki Resident delivers undeniable value to their customers in various areas. Here’s a condensed list to help you visualize what you’d get when you go with Genki:
- No limit on benefit payouts.
- Worldwide coverage.
- No maximum age.
- Affordable pricing on virtually any budget.
- You get to choose your own doctor and hospital.
- If you are admitted to the hospital, Genki health insurance will handle the payments so you can focus on getting better. They do this on a 24/7 basis.
- Telemedicine and virtual prescriptions are covered for your convenience, which is rare.
- You can make your plan more affordable by reducing your U.S. and Canada benefits.
- Get up to 180 days of coverage in your home country per year.
- Reasonable pricing that won’t break the bank.
- Great reviews on TrustPilot and other review sites.
- Very inclusive adventure and sports activity coverage.
What’s Covered and What Does It Cost?
All of this sounds good, but if your chosen plan doesn’t have the benefits that matter, you could be on the hook for some steep bills. You get two international health insurance options through Genki health insurance - Genki Resident and Genki Resident Premium. Below, you’ll find the benefit breakdown for each of the plans:
As you can see, this plan offers substantial coverage, from medical treatments to therapy to dental and more. Just know that it does not cover:
- Preventive care (regular check-ups, immunizations, lab tests, medical exams)
- Certain hospital and home care benefits (single room accommodations, treatment by a chief physician, hospital daily allowance)
- Most eye care benefits (preventive check-ups, eyesight correction, or glasses, contacts, sunglasses with corrective lenses)
The Genki Resident Premium Plan offers everything you get in Genki Resident plus more complete preventive care, hospital and home care, dental, eye, mental health, and pregnancy care benefits.
For a side-by-side comparison of each plan’s benefits, look at Genki’s table of benefits here.
As for the pricing, things are very easy to decipher through the price calculator on the Genki site.
Here’s the form filled out with dummy information and selections. The price for your plan is clearly displayed at the top. The only thing about the site is that prices are shown in Euros.
Or read our dedicated Genki Resident review below:
Andrea Reyes
3. Cigna Global Health Insurance
Best for Plan Flexibility
Cigna is one of the most well-known insurance companies in the U.S., offering plans for virtually everyone in every scenario. But did you know they offer one of the best international health insurance policies? Cigna Global is the name, and its bread and butter lies in its flexibility. Think of a modular computer where you can add or remove components to build the perfect machine; Cigna Global is similar. You start with a base plan and build it according to your needs and budget.
On top of its flexibility, you get coverage that follows you wherever you go - both local and global. In addition, the plan’s core benefit mix is super comprehensive (more on that later), and you also get extras like telehealth and a convenient app to manage your health anywhere. And I’d be remiss not to mention the plan’s focus on health and wellbeing benefits.
What’s Covered and What Does It Cost?
As for Cigna, there are two different plans you can choose from: Cigna Global Health and Cigna Close Care. Both have some great benefits but are tailored to different traveler types. Learn more below:
Cigna Global Health
Cigna Global Health covers everything from inpatient and mental health care to pandemic and cancer-related care. Daypatient and emergency cover are also included.
This plan is very flexible, with three levels of coverage (Silver, Gold, and Platinum) and potential add-ons like international outpatient and international health and wellbeing. Choose from worldwide or worldwide without the U.S. To learn more about coverage options, read this brochure.
Cigna Close Care
Cigna Close Care is for those who are living in a foreign country and will be visiting their home country here and there. You get coverage for both your home country and the foreign country where you have residence. If you decide to take a trip outside those areas, you get emergency medical coverage - this coverage is worldwide.
The plan includes the following benefits and more:
- $500,000 benefit max
- Inpatient, daypatient, and outpatient care
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
- Mental health care
- Unlimited global telehealth
- Wellness care
- And much more!
To learn more about the benefits and stipulations of this plan, read this brochure.
How Much Cigna Plans Cost
To learn how much your plan costs, you’ll need to get a quote.
The Global Health coverage Silver Plan (base option) costs around $150/month for someone who’s 31 years old, will be spending the bulk of their time in India, and is of U.S. nationality. The Gold and Platinum plans, which have better benefits/higher benefit maximums, cost $209/month and $276/month, respectively. Note that you can choose to pay a percentage of your care or choose a certain max out-of-pocket amount to bring the plan cost down. Any extra benefits you add will add to your monthly payment as well.
The other plan - Close Care - is the most affordable, given that it only covers two areas - $117/month.
4. GeoBlue
Best For Coverage Variety
Don’t want to personalize your own plan but still looking for one that’ll give you peace of mind? You might want to give a try to GeoBlue, a suite of international insurance plans by Blue Cross Blue Shield. They are another great choice for digital nomads and frequent travelers who have their own specific needs.
What makes this coverage stand out from the competition is the fact that they have a huge network of English-speaking doctors in more than 190 countries! On top of that, if you don't feel like physically visiting a doctor abroad, they offer super handy 24/7 telemedicine services with English-speaking doctors.
What’s Covered and What Does It Cost?
Your coverage benefits depend on the plan you choose. GeoBlue has several:
As you can see, there are 8 plans total, and each is targeted towards a specific traveler or scenario. US digital nomads/frequent travelers may be most interested in one of the General Plans above:
- Voyager - This plan gives you medical and travel health coverage for a single trip (up to 182 days).
- Trekker - Trekker is a plan you’ll purchase once that covers all the trips you plan on taking over the course of a year.
- XPlorer - This plan is the longer-term option that covers you for longer work trips or even situations where you live abroad.
The Voyager and Trekker plans include an up to $1,000,000 benefit maximum, surgery and anesthesia, hospital services, prescription drugs, physical and occupational therapy, and more. The XPlorer plan has unlimited maximums, freedom to choose your own provider (when not in the U.S.), and benefits like preventive care, office visits, and hospital visits.
Before we get into the pricing, let me say how easy it is to get a quote on GeoBlue - just fill out this short form below:
After clicking Get a Quote, you’ll get this:
The plan costs from $46.19 to $79.36, depending on the plan coverage choices you make.
Here’s the Multi-trip coverage price:
Now, for the long-term option:
5. World Nomads
Best for Comprehensive Benefits
When it comes to international health insurance, it’s all about the benefits. What’s covered and what’s not? With World Nomads, just about everything is covered, and that’s why they’ve made it onto our list of the best.
What’s Included?
With World Nomads, you get to choose from two plans - the Standard plan and the Explorer plan. Here’s how the coverage mix breaks down:
- Standard - This base plan covers necessities like emergency sickness and accident coverage and emergency evacuation, travel-related benefits like trip cancellation and interruption, and extras like certain adventure sports, among others.
- Explorer - This premium plan covers everything in the standard plan with much higher payout limits for trip cancellation, baggage and personal effects, trip delays, evacuation, and more. You also get rental car damage coverage (not included in the standard plan). You also get more adventure sports coverage on this plan.
How Much Does It Cost?
We know that travel insurance quotes depend heavily on your traveling situation. Consider a scenario where a 31-year-old wants to visit Japan for a month (their home country is the U.S.).
Here are the two plans and how much each plan would cost. These are one-time payments:
These prices are competitive, especially the Standard plan.
6. Allianz Care
Best for Multiple Plan Coverage Choices (Runner Up)
You never want to purchase more health coverage than you need. Allianz Care makes that possible. This company has an easy-to-navigate website, serious plan coverage, and multiple coverage term choices.
What’s Covered and What Does It Cost?
Allianz Care’s Flexicare plan gives you worldwide coverage on a 3-month, 6-month, 9-month or 12+ month basis, including the following benefits:
- Doctor visits
- Hospital visits
- Surgeries
- Vaccinations
- Prescription drugs
- And more
As for the cost, things are very transparent with Allianz. Here are the costs for a 31-year-old American who will be spending some time in Japan.
The Top Factors to Consider When Buying Digital Nomad Health Insurance
Clearly, I’ve just dumped a lot of information on you. If you’re not sure which coverage you should choose, I’ll help a bit here. The only way to know is to get educated on what you should be considering. Here are a few lifelines.
Destinations and Length of Stay
Where are you going, and how long will you be staying there? If you’re going on a one-off trip, you don’t need a 12-month plan - you need something more short-term. Conversely, if you plan on spending a lot of time abroad, you need a long-term plan that caters to that.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Some plans cover pre-existing conditions, which are medical conditions you knew about before your plan became active. But in most cases, you’ll need to declare the condition to the insurer beforehand to get it approved. Others don’t cover them at all, whether you declare them or not. If you’re someone who has one or more pre-existing conditions, it may be worth it to seek out a plan that has inclusive pre-existing condition coverage.
Benefit Maximums and Coverage Details
How much will your plan pay out over a term? Is it capped at $50,000, $100,000, or $1,000,000+? This makes a big difference. Should you get ill or injured, the bills can really add up.
And then there are coverage details. At a minimum, you can expect hospital/emergency costs to be covered on short-term plans. You may also get some travel-related benefits. But when you get into the longer-term options, it’s crucial to look for preventative benefits and other coverage that protects you from day to day - not just in emergencies.
The Bottom Line
The importance of investing in quality digital nomad health insurance cannot be overstated. As dramatic as it sounds, danger and risk are all around you, and you need a way to compensate for that.
Insurance protects your wallet and can even grant you access to care you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford. Adequate coverage ensures peace of mind when exploring the world, knowing reliable medical care is accessible in case of unforeseen events. With this guide, you should have the full spectrum of choices to pick from. Make sure you pick the best for your own needs.
Ready To Get Health Insurance Coverage Globally?
If you want more digital nomad guides like these, sign up for our free newsletter and get upcoming articles straight to your inbox!
You can also follow us on Instagram and join our Facebook Group if you want to get in touch with other members of our growing digital nomad community!
We'll see you there, Freaking Nomads!
Disclosure: Hey, just a heads up that some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means that, if you buy through our links, we may earn a small commission that helps us create helpful content for the community. We only recommend products if we think they will add value, so thanks for supporting us!
