Assur Travel vs MSH in Hong Kong (2026): Benefits & premium comparisons
Choose MSH International if you prefer multi-currency reimbursements, full private room coverage on top plans, and higher childbirth allowances.
Reviewed by a licensed advisor
This head-to-head review examines Assur Travel (Expatriés Santé Équité) alongside MSH International (First'Expat+) for expatriate individuals, couples, and families based in Hong Kong. Assur Travel structures its Euro-denominated policy around four sequential modules, spanning Basic, Access, and complete Starterthrough Summum tiers. MSH International organizes First'Expat+ around a mandatory hospitalisation core paired with optional riders across four progressive levels: Quartz, Pearl, Sapphire, and Diamond. Below, we break down their coverage limits, geographical pricing brackets, waiting periods, and cost-sharing mechanisms to help you secure the right expatriate health policy in Hong Kong for 2026.
Assur Travel vs MSH
Selecting between Assur Travel and MSH International comes down to how you want to balance annual maximums, hospital accommodation, and family pricing perks. Assur Travel categorizes Hong Kong within Zone C while insuring a third child at no extra cost. However, Assur Travel restricts enrollment to applicants under age 65 who can work full-time, caps outpatient doctor fees between €40 and €170 per visit, and halves dental payouts during the first year. By contrast, MSH International accepts applicants up to age 75 (under 71 for Zone 5), places Hong Kong in Zone 4 with annual limits reaching €5,000,000 ($6,250,000), and covers private hospital rooms at 100% on its flagship Diamond tier. MSH also waives dental and vision waiting periods for applicants transferring from equivalent prior insurance and lets you reduce premiums through four annual deductible tiers.
Assur Travel vs MSH Comparisons
Feature | Assur Travel (Expatriés Santé Équité 2.0) | MSH International (First'Expat+) |
Insurer | Assur Travel (administered by GAPI; available as 1st Euro, CFE, or National Insurance top-up) | MSH International (assistance coordinated with Chubb) |
Plans | Basic (Mod. 1); Access (Mod. 1+2: Premium/Comfort/Summum); Full (Mod. 1–3 + opt. Mod. 4: Starter, Premium, Comfort, Summum) | Quartz, Pearl, Sapphire, Diamond (built on Hospitalization core + optional HEALTH, HEALTH+, HEALTH+CHILD modules) |
Annual limits | €750,000 (Basic/Starter) to Unlimited (Summum & Summum Access) | €500,000 (625,000)to€5,000,000(6,250,000) per year |
Area of cover | 4 zones; Hong Kong is Zone C (accesses Zones A, B, and C; excludes USA, Japan, Switzerland unless Zone D selected) | 5 pricing zones; Hong Kong is Zone 4 (accesses Zone 4 plus Zones 1–3; Diamond recommended) |
Hospital room type | 100% twin room; Private room supplement capped at €70 to €190/day (excluded on Starter) | Private room capped at €100–€250/day (Quartz–Sapphire); up to 100% on Diamond |
Deductibles | No medical deductible (€150 excess applies to optional Private Civil Liability) | Optional annual deductibles of €350, €750, €2,000, or €4,000 (available in $) per member |
Cost share / Coinsurance | Optional 90% or 80% reimbursement scale (cuts premiums up to 50% when paired with Access plans) | Fixed per-visit monetary caps on Quartz–Sapphire; 100% on Diamond |
Outpatient | Module 2 (included on Access and Starter–Summum; omitted on Basic) | Optional HEALTH module (no baseline waiting period) |
Maternity | Optional Module 4 on Premium, Comfort, and Summum (barred on Basic & Starter) | Optional HEALTH+CHILD module across all four levels; 10-month waiting period |
Dental | Module 3 on Starter–Summum (omitted on Basic & Access); capped at 50% in year 1 | Optional HEALTH+ module across all four levels; 3- to 12-month waiting periods |
Evacuation | Built into compulsory Module 1 across all tiers | Built into core Hospitalization & Standard Assistance across all tiers |
Pre-existing conditions | Subject to medical underwriting | Subject to medical underwriting |
Outpatient cover: Euro consultation caps on both plans, higher drug limits with Assur Travel
Day-to-day clinic appointments, diagnostic scans, and prescribed medications account for a substantial portion of annual healthcare spending in Hong Kong. Both insurers place outpatient treatment inside a dedicated module, Module 2 for Assur Travel and the HEALTH option for MSH, and both rely on fixed per-visit caps for doctor consultations on their entry and mid-tier plans.
Plan Tier | Outpatient Limit | Doctor & Specialist Visits | Prescribed Drugs |
Assur Travel Plans (Module 2) | |||
Basic | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered |
Starter | Subject to €750,000 annual limit | GP: €40/visit; Specialist: €60/visit | 100% up to €3,000/year |
Premium / Premium Access | Subject to €1,500,000 annual limit | GP: €40/visit; Specialist: €60/visit | 100% of actual costs |
Comfort / Comfort Access | Subject to €2,000,000 annual limit | GP: €100/visit; Specialist: €130/visit | 100% of actual costs |
Summum / Summum Access | Unlimited | GP: €150/visit; Specialist: €170/session | 100% of actual costs |
MSH Plans (HEALTH Module) | |||
Quartz | Subject to €500,000 ($625,000) annual limit | €80 / $100 per consultation | €3,000 / $3,800 per year |
Pearl | Subject to €1,000,000 ($1,250,000) annual limit | €130 / $160 per consultation | €9,000 / $11,200 per year |
Sapphire | Subject to €1,600,000 ($2,000,000) annual limit | €180 / $225 per consultation | €15,000 / $18,800 per year |
Diamond | Subject to €5,000,000 ($6,250,000) annual limit | 100% | 100% |
François's Expert Review: Outpatient Coverage in Assur Travel vs. MSH
Assur Travel advantages: Prescribed medications (from Premium upward), clinical biology tests, MRI/radiology scans, and vaccinations are paid at 100% of actual costs without separate annual caps.
Assur Travel disadvantages: Even on the top Summum tier, specialist consultations max out at €170 per session, leaving a noticeable out-of-pocket gap at private specialists in Hong Kong.
MSH advantages: MSH Diamond eliminates per-visit caps completely by reimbursing doctor consultations, diagnostic scans, and prescriptions at 100%, and routine outpatient care begins on day one.
MSH disadvantages: Quartz through Sapphire impose fixed consultation ceilings (€80 to €180) alongside annual sub-limits on laboratory tests (€2,000 to €7,500) and prescription drugs (€3,000 to €15,000).
Maternity waiting periods: Zone-based C-section caps with Assur Travel, doubled complication limits with MSH
Obstetric care in Hong Kong's private hospitals carries high delivery fees, making qualifying timelines and complication allowances vital points of comparison.
Benefit Feature | Assur Travel (Expatriés Santé Équité 2.0) | MSH International (First'Expat+) |
Eligible plans | Premium, Comfort, Summum (via optional Module 4) | Quartz, Pearl, Sapphire, Diamond (via optional HEALTH+CHILD) |
Waiting period | Not explicitly specified as a fixed month count in the brochure | 10 months (12 months for fertility treatment; not waivable) |
Routine delivery limit | Zone C (Hong Kong) , Premium: €2,500/yr; Comfort: €5,000/yr; Summum: €7,500/yr | Quartz: €3,500 (4,400);Pearl:€5,000(6,250); Sapphire: €8,000 (10,000);Diamond:€11,000(13,800) |
Complications / C-section | Caesarean section (Zone C) , Premium: €5,000/yr; Comfort: €10,000/yr; Summum: €15,000/yr | Routine delivery limit doubles across all four tiers (up to €22,000 / $27,600 on Diamond) |
Fertility & Extras | Antenatal classes up to €125–€300; prenatal/postnatal visits covered under Module 2; direct billing available | Pearl–Diamond: €900 to €1,500 per fertility attempt (up to €6,000 lifetime); newborn added without medical questionnaire |
Assur Travel arranges direct hospital settlement (Direct Cover) for childbirth and caesarean deliveries once prior authorisation is completed, while MSH provides dedicated pregnancy support from its medical team and allows newborns to join without medical underwriting.
François's Expert Review: Assur Travel vs. MSH Maternity Cover
Assur Travel advantages: Families can attach Module 4 as a standalone option starting from the mid-tier Premium plan, and Zone C (Hong Kong) unlocks higher childbirth limits than Zone A.
Assur Travel disadvantages: Maternity is unavailable on Basic and Starter plans, fertility treatments are excluded, and routine delivery caps at €7,500 even on Summum.
MSH advantages: MSH covers childbirth complications at double the routine delivery ceiling (up to €22,000 / $27,600 on Diamond), includes assisted fertility benefits from Pearl upward, and adds newborns without a medical questionnaire.
MSH disadvantages: To purchase the HEALTH+CHILD maternity rider, you must first buy both the HEALTH outpatient module and the HEALTH+ dental and vision module.
Dental and vision cover: 50% first-year rule with Assur Travel, fast routine dental with MSH
Routine dental cleanings, restorative implants, and prescription eyewear add up rapidly in Hong Kong, and both providers use distinct waiting periods and annual limits.
Benefit Feature | Assur Travel (Expatriés Santé Équité 2.0) | MSH International (First'Expat+) |
Plan structure | Module 3 on Starter, Premium, Comfort, and Summum (excluded on Basic & Access) | Optional HEALTH+ module across all four tiers (requires HEALTH cover) |
Annual dental limit | Starter: €600/yr; Premium: €1,000/yr; Comfort: €2,000/yr; Summum: €3,000/yr | Excl. orthodontics: Quartz €1,000 (1,250);Pearl€1,500(1,900); Sapphire €2,000 ($2,500); Diamond Covered (excl. periodontics) |
Waiting period / Year-1 rule | Dental reimbursements capped at 50% during the first policy year | 3 months routine dental/periodontics; 6 months dentures/implants/surgery & optical; 12 months orthodontics |
Orthodontics | Premium: €600/yr; Comfort: €1,000/yr; Summum: €1,200/yr (ages 3–16, max 3 years; excluded on Starter) | Quartz: €400/yr; Pearl: €800/yr; Sapphire: €1,200/yr; Diamond: €1,500/yr (up to age 16, max 3 years) |
Optical limit | Frames/lenses every 2 years: Starter €200, Premium €300, Comfort €500, Summum €700 (plus €100–€400/yr contact lenses) | Frames/lenses every 2 years (€100 to €600) plus annual contact lens budget (€100 to €400) and laser vision surgery |
MSH waives its dental and vision waiting periods if you previously held an equivalent insurance policy with matching benefit limits and reimbursement rates.
François's Expert Review: Assur Travel vs. MSH Dental Cover
Assur Travel advantages: Optical allowances are strong, reaching €700 every two years for frames and lenses plus €400 annually for contact lenses on Summum, and Access plans let you strip out Module 3 to cut premiums.
Assur Travel disadvantages: All dental benefits are capped at 50% during your first year of membership, and implants or prostheses face per-tooth caps (€150 to €600).
MSH advantages: Routine dental care unlocks after just 3 months (or immediately if waived), and MSH Diamond covers routine dental care, dentures, implants, and dental surgery without an annual monetary cap (excluding periodontics).
MSH disadvantages: Quartz through Sapphire enforce per-tooth caps (€250 to €500), and child orthodontics requires a 12-month waiting period.
Which one to choose between Assur Travel and MSH?
Choose Assur Travel Summum if you are a family with three or more children looking for an unlimited annual maximum in Hong Kong (Zone C), free coverage for your third child, and 48-hour claim processing via GAPI.
Choose MSH Diamond if you want a €5,000,000 ($6,250,000) annual ceiling in Hong Kong, 100% reimbursement for private hospital rooms and specialist consultations, and uncapped routine dental care.
Choose MSH Pearl if you want a customizable €1,000,000 ($1,250,000) policy with zero baseline waiting periods for hospitalisation and routine care, plus the option to lower premiums using an annual deductible.
Questions to ask before you buy
Do you have three or more dependent children who could benefit from Assur Travel's free third-child pricing incentive?
Do you prefer reducing premiums through coinsurance and omitting dental/optical modules (Assur Travel), or by selecting an annual deductible between €350 and €4,000 (MSH)?
Do you require reimbursement in a specific non-Euro currency, which MSH supports across legal currencies worldwide?
Do you travel frequently to Japan or Switzerland, countries included in Hong Kong's Zone 4 on MSH, but requiring a Zone D upgrade on Assur Travel?
How we compared them
We compared these products using official plan rules and benefit schedules.
Alea is a licensed insurance broker in Hong Kong and compares more than 50 insurers, including Bupa Global and Cigna Global. We are paid by commission from insurers, and your premium is the same whether you buy through us or directly.
Why Choose Alea: We simplify health insurance. We have helped thousands of locals, expats, and families find the perfect coverage. Beyond securing your policy, our dedicated customer care team advocates for you year-round, ensuring you have expert support whenever you need it most.
Written by
François Bossé
Insurance Advisor
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