CCW Global

A Hong Kong broker, not an insurer

CCW Global is an insurance broker, not an insurer. Its services page says so directly: "CCW Global is an insurance broker, not an agent or a single provider, and is able to work with an extremely high number of international insurance providers." The site footer names the licensed entity: "O/B CCW Global Limited, Insurance Broker Company License No.: FB1643." The about page adds that "CCW Global Limited, a member of the Hong Kong Professional Insurance Brokers Association (Membership No. 0533), was incorporated by its two founders, Sam Cooper and Christopher Claridge-Ware," first "under the name Cooper, Claridge-Ware Limited in May of 2012," and "rebranded during January 2014 to CCW Global Limited." It calls itself "a truly independent intermediary" and says, "we do not accept awards from the insurance companies, and do not mass produce plans from any single insurer."

The homepage says CCW provides health and life plans "from a number of leading International Insurance Companies" and that "We choose the insurance companies we work with." Beside that statement it shows the names AXA PPP International, ALC Health Insurance, Allianz Worldwide Care, AIG General Insurance, Bupa, IHI Global Health, RSA, Pallas Global Health and Integra Global Health. The travel menu lists IHI-Bupa and Seven Corners, and a news headline on the site reads "CCW Global Deploys Online Purchasing for Cigna Global Health Insurance Products." The insurer on a client's policy is whichever of these the client chooses; CCW places the plan and supports it.

The team

The about page says "The 3 members of our Senior Management team have a combined experience of over 50 years in the global insurance market." The team page gives individual histories. Sam Cooper, founder and chief executive, "After working in the insurance industry for 9 years," took "the step in 2012 to found CCW Global." Barney Beaumont, sales director, "started his Insurance journey in Hong Kong 18 years ago," joined CCW "in 2012 at the company's inception," and "is a fully licensed insurance intermediary and holds IIQAS papers 1, 2 and 3." Sophie Le Grys, operations director, "became a fully licensed insurance intermediary with PIBA in Hong Kong through the IIQAS in 2009" and joined in 2013. Michael Lamb is listed as marketing director, having joined in 2013; a news headline on the homepage announces his appointment "as CEO to Drive Digital Growth."

Plans it arranges

The plans page groups CCW's health business into "Individual Plans," "Family Plans," "Global Group Plans" and "Global Travel Plans." Of the plans it places, it says: "Plans we work with are normally Guaranteed Renewable for Life, will often provide Worldwide Coverage, and will usually enable you to receive medical treatment with your choice of doctor or hospital." That describes the market CCW brokers, not one CCW policy.

For families, the page mentions "coverage for Maternity treatments, preventative healthcare and vaccinations" and "the possibility of a discount on your premium with each child you add to the plan," without giving the size of the discount. Group plans can offer different levels of cover to staff of different seniority, supported by what the page calls "advanced corporate benchmarking methods." Travel plans are "Designed to provide protection for travelers who will be taking trips of 1 day to 1 year in duration," with benefits the page lists as including "deductible free treatment," baggage cover and, on some plans, maternity treatment.

The maternity page is the most specific. It says the plans CCW works with usually offer maternity "as an addition to an inpatient health insurance policy," cites "the costs of a routine delivery easily ranging from US$ 15,000 to US$ 20,000," and states: "With maternity specific limits ranging from US$ 10,000 to as high as US$ 20,000 we can give you the assurance your pregnancy has the protection you deserve." It explains waiting periods as "the specific length of time you must have been enrolled on a policy before you are able to receive coverage for a certain benefit," commonly attached to dental and maternity. It adds a caveat: "due to changes in the plans provided by some of the international health insurance companies we work with," CCW "may not currently be able to offer some of the more extensive benefits" listed there.

The homepage product list also includes golf insurance, event insurance, travel insurance and global life insurance. A country coverage page gives dedicated pages for China, the UAE, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and the homepage says CCW provides "all-embracing knowledge and support in Asia and the Middle East." For companies, it calls itself "an expert provider of corporate risk management solutions in the Asia-Pacific Region."

How buying and service work

CCW's pricing claim is on the services page: "your premiums will be exactly the same as if you had gone to the insurer directly. You will never pay more for our assistance." Advice is free: "all of the advice and support which we provide to our clients is completely free of charge," and the quotes page says CCW will "never charge you for receiving a quotation or advice." A quote starts with a short form on the homepage that asks for age, the coverage type (hospital, outpatient, dental, maternity) and the area of cover; the site says a reply "may take us 1-2 working days." The quotes page says CCW will "thoroughly study your request" and send a personalized comparison of plans suited to the client.

After purchase, clients get "a single point of contact for all your interactions with our company." CCW says it helps with claims, drawing on "years of experience of working with the claims departments at the world's leading international insurance companies," and "will ensure that all your claims document is complete." It handles address changes with the insurer and says it "will also keep you updated on renewing your expatriate health insurance plan," including changes in cover or premiums. The site names no single underwriter and prints no premium for any plan; both come with the quote.

Who this fits

CCW Global fits an expatriate, family or employer, especially in Hong Kong, the wider Asia-Pacific or the Middle East, who wants a licensed Hong Kong broker to compare international health plans from several insurers and to stay involved through claims and renewals. Families planning a child get a clear account of how maternity add-ons and waiting periods work in the plans it brokers. Its license number, association membership and named, individually licensed staff are all published on the site.