Assurance Santé Internationale et Collective pour les Entreprises depuis Hong Kong

When a Hong Kong-based company employs staff abroad, whether it is a small team in another Asian country or French expatriates, Hong Kong local health insurance generally does not cover these employees. International Private Medical Insurance, or IPMI, is designed specifically for this situation. This guide explains when it is necessary, how it works, and how to integrate it with the French Caisse des Français de l'Étranger (CFE) system for the companies and employees concerned.

Who needs international health insurance

• A Hong Kong company with a small team abroad, for example a few employees in a neighboring country who need real access to private healthcare where they live.

• Internationally mobile employees who move between several countries as part of their role and need coverage that follows them.

• French human resources departments looking for health insurance for staff sent abroad from France, or managed from a headquarters in Hong Kong.

The difference with Hong Kong local health insurance

A classic Hong Kong plan, on the other hand, is designed around the Hong Kong private hospital network and generally only offers limited coverage for care received abroad, sufficient for an occasional business trip but not for an employee actually living in another country.

What an IPMI plan typically covers

• Inpatient and outpatient care in the employee's country of residence and, depending on the contract, internationally

• Access to a global network of hospitals and clinics, often with direct billing in major cities

• Emergency medical evacuation when appropriate local care is not available

• Maternity, dental care, and other benefits depending on the level of cover chosen

The CFE and the international top-up

For French companies and employees, the Caisse des Français de l'Étranger offers voluntary affiliation to the French social security system for expatriates, but it generally reimburses based on French tariffs, which leaves a significant out-of-pocket expense in most countries abroad, including Hong Kong. Corporate international health insurance can act as a top-up to the CFE in the same way that an individual top-up does for a private person, covering the gap between the CFE reimbursement and the actual cost of local care, a gap that can represent a very substantial part of the final bill in a private healthcare system like Hong Kong's, where hospital rates have virtually no relation to French reimbursement scales.

A small team abroad: a common scenario

A common case is that of a Hong Kong company that has recruited a few employees in a neighboring market, without sufficient headcount to justify setting up a local group plan in that country. IPMI solves this simply: the company sets up a single international plan covering these specific employees, rather than attempting to establish a local insurance relationship in a market where it otherwise has little presence.

How international health insurance is priced

• The specific countries where the covered employees reside, as the cost of care varies enormously depending on the market

• The number of employees covered

• The level of benefits and network access chosen

• The age profile of the covered group, a factor that also influences the pricing of classic Hong Kong plans

Organizing IPMI with the rest of your coverage

Most companies that set up IPMI already have group health insurance in Hong Kong for their Hong Kong-based employees, and IPMI is added as a separate plan for the employees who need it, rather than replacing the Hong Kong scheme. A broker managing both can ensure their coordination, particularly to prevent an employee from falling into a coverage gap when their place of work changes, which is precisely the kind of detail that easily escapes a company managing these two contracts separately without an overall view.

To get started

If your company has employees based abroad, or is about to second one, contact an advisor to set up suitable IPMI coverage.

What to prepare before requesting a quote

• The countries where the employees concerned are, or will be, based

• The number of employees to cover in each country

• Whether some of them already benefit from a local plan that should be transitioned to the new contract

• The benefits that matter most to your team, for example maternity or a specific level of hospital access

Continuity of benefits when changing countries

A common practical question concerns what happens when an employee's assignment changes, for example when moving from one overseas post to another, or returning to Hong Kong after a period abroad. Well managed, coverage should transition without interruption from one plan to another, without new medical underwriting each time, provided that the change is anticipated and communicated to the insurer or broker sufficiently in advance rather than discovered only once the move has already taken place.

The cost of international coverage compared to local coverage

International health insurance is generally priced above a comparable local group plan in Hong Kong, reflecting the cost of maintaining access to an international network and the greater administrative complexity of covering employees spread across several different healthcare systems. It is therefore advisable to budget for this difference realistically, rather than assuming that a plan covering employees abroad will cost roughly the same as a simple extension of the existing Hong Kong plan, as the two products actually respond to very different needs and networks.

Choosing between a global insurer and a regional specialist

For IPMI in particular, there is a real choice between large international health insurers with extensive global networks, and regional specialists focused more on Asia or a specific group of countries. Global players generally suit a company whose employees are spread across many very different regions, while a regional specialist can sometimes offer better networks and better value for money in a smaller but equally relevant group of countries. The most appropriate choice depends entirely on the actual location of your covered employees, a question that is best discussed with a broker rather than systematically turning to the most recognized name on the market.

The pricing context

International cover is priced according to healthcare systems with very different costs. Research by Pacific Prime consistently ranks Hong Kong among the top two most expensive markets in the world for international health insurance, with an average individual international plan costing around USD 8,000 per year, and family plans significantly higher. A plan covering employees in multiple countries reflects the cost profile of each of those markets, which explains why IPMI pricing varies more by geography than a local plan.