Now Health International

What Now Health International is

Now Health International is a plan brand: it designs, sells and administers its own WorldCare and SimpleCare international health plans while separate underwriters carry the risk region by region. Its underwriting page names its "underwriting partners" directly. In the UK, cover is placed with "Starr International (Europe) Limited," a company the page traces back to 1919: "Cornelius Vander Starr established his first insurance company in Shanghai, China in 1919," now "capable of writing in 128 countries on 6 continents." In the page's "Rest of World territories," the underwriter is Best Doctors Insurance: "For those members with membership numbers starting with 'BN', plans are insured by Best Doctors Insurance Limited," described as "a non-resident Class 3B insurer in Bermuda" that meets "the ongoing solvency requirements the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) place on us." In the UAE, the underwriter is "Arabia Insurance Company S.A.L.," "Established in 1944 and present across nine Arab territories," and in China it is "Asia-Pacific Property & Casualty Insurance Co., Ltd." The compliance page adds a fifth: "Plans issued in Indonesia are insured by PT Sompo Insurance Indonesia and are managed by Now Health International Indonesia."

The legal page sets out the regulated entities. "Now Health International (UK) Limited is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority." "Plans issued by Now Health International Limited, which is regulated by Dubai Financial Services Authority, register number F001448," sit alongside Best Doctors Insurance Limited, "regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, register number 42307." For the UAE plans, which the compliance page says "are administered by Now Health International Gulf Third Party Administrators LLC," the page states: "Our activities are ultimately regulated by the Central Bank of UAE." The about page describes "a global business with its headquarters in Hong Kong and regional service centres in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai, Singapore, Jakarta, Malta, the United Kingdom and Spain."

What it covers

The expat page describes a ladder of packages, from "a more affordable package covering emergency and urgent care only" up to "packages that include out-patient, dental, and maternity care." Its FAQ says that "For as little as USD 29 per month, we can offer cover for in-patient and day-patient treatment in 194 countries and territories," and that members can add "cover for wellness check-ups and vaccinations" to a plan. It names SimpleCare CORE and WorldCare Essential as its "in-patient only plans" and WorldCare Apex as the plan that "includes dental treatment and maternity care."

The Philippines country page is the one place where the site prints plan-by-plan prices and maximums, for that country only:

• "WorldCare Essential Starts at USD 26/mo," "Annual Max Plan Limit USD 3M."
• "WorldCare Advance Starts at USD 93/mo," limit "USD 3.5M."
• "WorldCare Excel Starts at USD 109/mo," limit "USD 4M."
• "WorldCare Apex Starts at USD 175/mo," limit "USD 4.5M."
• "SimpleCare CORE Starts at USD 21/mo," limit "USD 1M."
• "SimpleCare 100 Starts at USD 27/mo," limit "USD 1.5M," with "Out-Patient care limited to USD 1,000."
• "SimpleCare 250 Starts at USD 33/mo," limit "USD 1.5M," with "Out-Patient care limited to USD 2,500."

On that page the WorldCare tiers each list "In-patient and day-patient care," "Out-patient care," "Routine dental treatment" and "Routine maternity care." The prices are starting figures, not a buyer's own premium, and the page gives no deductible or excess for any plan.

The expat page repeats the WorldCare Essential figure, "Our WorldCare Essential package starts at USD 26 per month," and states that "This package also covers treatment for pre-existing conditions subject to underwriting," pitching it at someone "living with a condition that requires on-going management and care." The site also says its plans give access to "a network of over 1 million medical facilities and physicians worldwide."

Who can buy it and how it works

Individual cover is medically underwritten. The underwriting page says "Every individual plan we issue is based on a full medical underwriting approach," and "We ask detailed questions about each person's medical history before issuing a plan," adding "We take the same approach for company plans with under 10 employees." For larger employers, "For companies that want to cover 10 or more employees, we may be able to offer a plan on a 'medical history disregarded' basis." A buyer switching from another insurer may get continuous transfer terms, under which Now Health says "we may be able to carry across any underwriting terms or exclusions (given by your existing insurer) to a Now Health plan."

Claims go online: "Submit your claims online or via our mobile app." The site advertises "24/7 multilingual customer care and support" from "in-house service teams located all around the world." The compliance page says the full terms, including "the claim handling process and complaints process," sit in the members handbook for each plan, which "shall form part of the contract" and is published in the site's Document Library. The expat FAQ also describes expat plans as "often portable, so you can take your plan with you should you return to your home country or decide to move elsewhere."

The legal page sets a limit on the company's own role: "We do not recommend specific products and we can only offer you the products of the insurer we represent." It also records an older product line, "international private medical health insurance products on behalf of AXA PPP healthcare (plans issued until October 31, 2020) to those residing in Europe."

The about page describes the business as serving "over 125,000 members in 200+ territories worldwide," and, after an acquisition, "16 sales/service offices, 125,000+ members, 407+ staff and 5,000+ distribution partners." That acquisition is dated: "In July 2015, Now Health's investor acquired Best Doctors Insurance, a major medical insurance provider with distribution throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada." The pages give no buyer age limit, nationality rule, waiting period or exclusion list.

Who it suits

Now Health suits a reader living abroad long term who wants to know exactly which company carries the risk, since the underwriting and compliance pages name a different insurer for the UK, the UAE, China, Indonesia and the rest of the world rather than leaving that open. It suits a buyer in the Philippines who wants real starting prices and annual maximums before requesting a quote, from the in-patient SimpleCare CORE at "USD 21/mo" to WorldCare Apex at "USD 175/mo." Someone managing an existing condition will note that the expat page says WorldCare Essential covers pre-existing conditions "subject to underwriting," and an employer with 10 or more staff may qualify for the medical-history-disregarded option.

It suits a reader less well if they are shopping from another country and want figures up front, since only the Philippines page prints plan prices, or if they want a deductible or excess stated before they apply. Individual plans are issued only after full medical underwriting, per the underwriting page.