Cigna Global Insurance Review

There are a lot of awesome things about being a digital nomad, like working from an amazing island destination or being one of the first to explore a lesser-visited country like Albania. Then there are the less awesome things, like getting hit by one of the insane number of motorbike in Ho Chi Minh or catching a nasty bug while on an extended road trip through Argentina.

Finding an insurance policy to cover you on your travels around the world can be a tricky business, which is why we’ve taken the time to deep dive into several different insurers. Cigna is one of the largest on the market, arguably offering the best digital nomad insurance who want a comprehensive package that covers emergency healthcare for a broad range of scenarios.

They’re maybe not the best guys to go for if you want an affordable plan or one that’s’ going to cover you for ski breaks, but they do have policies that can cover everything from broken ribs to cancer scares.

What Is Cigna Global Insurance?

Cigna Healthcare is a subsidiary of the Cigna Corporation, a multibillion-dollar insurance company that ranks within the top 100 of the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world’s most valuable publicly-traded companies.

As you would expect from such a huge business, they have a slick, easy-to-navigate website for exploring your insurance options, replete with useful added info. For example, you can download guides to many countries across the world, so you can prep your knowledge of not just the kind of healthcare that’s available, but also local customs, the climate, visa requirements and the cost of living.

In terms of their international health insurance for individuals, Cigna offers two main plans: Cigna Global Health and Cigna Close Care. One covers you for health emergencies and treatment all over the world, while the other protects you in one specific country as well as for visits home.

Key Features & Coverage

All Cigna Global travel insurance plans come with a good amount of maximum annual coverage, whether you opt for the Silver, Gold or Platinum tier. These are the options that are probably going to be more useful for digital nomads, since they provide insurance worldwide.

By comparison, Cigna Close is a more focused, more affordable option. It’s particularly well suited to expats who are going to be living and working in one country long term.

You can take advantage of direct billing for quite a few treatments, especially if you use one of Cigna’s pre-approved operators throughout the world. Otherwise, they have a robust reimbursement program where you can claim for any out-of-pocket costs you’ve incurred.

Below, we’ve highlighted exactly what the different packages include, as well as the different limits depending on the tier you select.

Cigna Global Health

✅ Medical Coverage

• Under the Global Health plan, hospital charges related to inpatient and daypatient care are covered up to $1,000,000 (Silver), $2,000,000 (Gold) or unlimited (Platinum). This includes things like operations, prescribed medicines, intensive care, surgery fees, doctor consultation fees and accommodation in a private room. Unusually, there’s no limit on emergency inpatient dental either.
• Advanced diagnostic tests like MRIs, CTs and PETs are covered up to $10,000 (Silver), $15,000 (Gold) or unlimited (Platinum).
• Accident and emergency treatment is covered up to $500 (Silver), $1,000 (Gold) or $2,000 (Platinum).
• Inpatient rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy are covered up to $5,000 for 30 days (Silver), $10,000 for 60 days (Gold) or unlimited for 90 days (Platinum).
• Cancer care is included up to the policy maximum, although there are limits for cancer preventative surgery ($10,000 to $20,000) and cancer-related aids ($125 to $500)
• Cigna will usually cover all pre-existing conditions as standard, but make sure to check your terms before purchasing.
• Adventure sports aren’t covered by Cigna’s policies.
• Unlimited consultations with a doctor by video or phone call are available as a complimentary extra.
• Reimbursement for outpatient services are available as an add-on, covering you for things like consultations with practitioners and specialists, prescriptions and rehabilitation. There’s also limited coverage for hormone therapy, acupuncture and adult vaccinations. The maximum you can claim goes up to $15,000 for Silver, $35,000 for Gold and unlimited for Platinum.
• Reimbursement for vision and dental are available as a combined optional module. On the vision side, this means you can get reimbursements for eye tests (up to $100 for Silver, $200 for gold and unlimited for Platinum), as well as expenses related to spectacle and contact lenses ($155 for Silver and Gold, $310 for Platinum). On the dental side, you can claim for preventative, routine, restorative and orthodontic treatments. Each of these has different limits, but the overall maximum is $1,250 for silver, $2,500 for Gold and $5,500 for Platinum.
• Finally, the international health and wellbeing add-on covers mental health support (up to 20 sessions) and wellness coaching (up to plan limit), plus routine physicals and cancer screenings (up to $325 per screening for Silver, $650 for Gold and unlimited for Platinum).

✅ Emergency & Evacuation Coverage

• Medical evacuation and repatriation are only available as an add-on, which will cover you up to the maximum of your policy. This includes the travel costs for one accompanying person.
• The evacuation add-on also includes Crisis Assistance Plus, a response program designed to help insured people in the event of natural disasters and political crises.

✅ Travel-Related Benefits

• Cigna does not provide coverage for flight cancellations, lost luggage or other trip-related issues.
• There are no clauses in the policy related to personal liability.

✅ COVID-19 & Pandemic Coverage

• COVID-19 is treated like any other infectious disease under Cigna’s medical terms and conditions. In other words, medical treatment for COVID that is deemed necessary (rather than preventative) will be covered by your insurance.

Cigna Close Care

✅ Medical Coverage

• Cigna Close Care covers mostly the same inpatient and daypatient treatment as the Global Health policy, just up to the smaller maximum of $500,000. However, the plan limits the amount that can be used per condition to $250,000. In other words, if you are hospitalized for one issue, Cigna will only pay out for up to $250,000, but the remaining $250,000 can be used if you later have a separate medical emergency.
• Advanced diagnostic tests are covered up to $2,500.
• Inpatient rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy are covered up to $2,000.
• Cancer care is included up to the policy maximum.
• Cigna will usually cover all pre-existing conditions as standard, but make sure to check your terms before purchasing.
• Adventure sports aren’t covered.
• Unlimited consultations with a doctor by video or phone call are available as a complimentary extra.
• Reimbursement for outpatient and wellness care are available as a combined add-on, up to a maximum of $5,000.
• Reimbursement for dental care is available as an add-on, up to a maximum of $750.

✅ Emergency & Evacuation Coverage

• Medical evacuation and repatriation are included as standard, up to a maximum of $50,000 and $100,000 respectively.
• No provision for natural disasters and political crises is included with this policy.

✅ Travel-Related Benefits

• Like Global Health, Close Care does not provide coverage for flight cancellations, lost luggage or other trip-related issues.
• There are no clauses in the policy related to personal liability.

✅ COVID-19 & Pandemic Coverage

• COVID-19 is treated like any other infectious disease under Cigna’s medical terms and conditions. In other words, medical treatment for COVID that is deemed necessary (rather than preventative) will be covered by your insurance.

Pricing & Plans

There are a lot of factors that can influence the price of a Cigna policy. Aside from the usual things like age and destination, you can also get cheaper premiums by agreeing to pay a deductible of between $375 and $10,000.

Another way to bring down the insurance price is to sign up to Cigna’s cost share and out of pocket (OOP) maximum. What does all that jargon mean? We’ll try and explain.

The cost share is the amount of medical coverage you agree to pay, while the OOP maximum puts a limit on the total you could be liable for. For example, if your medical fees were $20,000 and you had signed up to a 20% cost share with an OOP maximum of $2,000, you would pay $2,000 of those fees and Cigna would pay $18,000. That’s because even though 20% of $20,000 is $4,000, you also stipulated that your OOP maximum was $2,000.

Playing with the amount of deductible and the cost sharing arrangement quickly muddies the waters of any price comparison. To help give you a clear idea of the estimated premiums based on age and type of policy, we’ve ignored these complications and just based our quotes on an individual who doesn’t want USA coverage, has opted not to pay any deductible and has chosen not to cost share.

However, bear in mind that you could get a cheaper price if you do opt for deductible and/or cost sharing, while conversely any USA coverage will more than double your premiums.

The quotes below also assume you’re paying monthly. However, it’s worth noting that there’s an automatic 3% discount for paying quarterly and a 10% discount for paying annually.

Global Care

• Age 33. Monthly premiums are $202.04 for Silver, $273.79 for Gold and $362.01 for Platinum. Tack on $127.37 for additional outpatient benefits, $83.02 for international evacuation, $25.92 for health and wellbeing, and $56.30 for vision and dental.
• Age 44. Monthly premiums are $266.62 for Silver, $361.31 for Gold and $477.72 for Platinum. Tack on $140.42 for additional outpatient benefits, $88.01 for international evacuation, $27.76 for health and wellbeing, and $70.97 for vision and dental.
• Age 53. Monthly premiums are $337.10 for Silver, $456.81 for Gold and $604.00 for Platinum. Tack on $179.17 for additional outpatient benefits, $118.56 for international evacuation, $31.83 for health and wellbeing, and $82.06 for vision and dental.
• Age 65. Monthly premiums are $548.18 for Silver, $742.85 for Gold and $982.20 for Platinum. Tack on $299.38 for additional outpatient benefits, $215.11 for international evacuation, $40.38 for health and wellbeing, and $85.84 for vision and dental.

Close Care

• Age 33. The basic premium is $156.10, with $144.92 for the outpatient and wellness add-on and $32.36 for dental.
• Age 44. The basic premium is $206.00, with $156.87 for the outpatient and wellness add-on and $40.78 for dental.
• Age 53. The basic premium is $260.45, with $192.89 for the outpatient and wellness add-on and $43.44 for dental.
• Age 65. The basic premium is $423.53, with $302.56 for the outpatient and wellness add-on and $43.44 for dental.

Cigna’s pricing is on the higher side, but the maximum coverage limits are also higher. Plus, they do offer the cheaper Close Care plan for people who don’t want the expense of worldwide coverage but still want to live the expat life.

Pros & Cons of Cigna Global

Pros

✅ Covers pre-existing claims
✅ No age limit
✅ Worldwide coverage as standard
✅ Lots of additional benefits and support available

Cons

❌ One of the pricier options
❌ Complex calculations for deductible and OOP
❌ Laborious sign-up process

How to Sign Up & Use Cigna Global

• Sign-up process:

1. At the top of the Cigna Healthcare homepage, click on “Get a Free Quote.”
2. Fill in your basic details, including your name, date of birth and nationality. Specify how long you need cover for, then fill in your contact details. Below this, you’ll also see a button that allows you to add any dependents. Once you’re done, click “See My Price.”
3. Select the start date for your policy, the currency for your quote, how often you want to pay (monthly, quarterly, annually), the amount of deductible and whether you want USA coverage included in your policy.
4. Scroll down to choose your level of plan, whether that’s worldwide (Silver, Gold or Platinum) or Close Care. Pick the amount of cost share and OOP maximum from the dropdown list, then click “Select.” You can also click “Save at the bottom of the page if you want to continue your quote later (this option appears throughout the sign-up process).
5. Select any add-ons, such as outpatient, international evacuation, health and wellbeing, or vision and dental, then click “Next.”
6. Once your quote has been processed, you can either continue by clicking “Next” or download the quote as a reference point while you shop around.
7. Enter your contact details, followed by details of your primary address during the insurance coverage period.
8. Create a password and choose a selection of security questions.
9. Select your height, weight and occupation from the dropdown menus, then indicate whether you have used any tobacco products in the last 12 months.
10. Complete the brief health questionnaire.
11. If your application is automatically approved, you will then be shown the payment page. Once you’ve filled in the details, click “Buy” – and you’re done!

• How to file a claim and get reimbursed:

1. Log into Cigna Envoy.
2. Click on “Submit a new claim” at the top right hand of the page.
3. Read through the items you’ll need to prepare before submitting a claim.
4. Enter a few basic details about your ailment along with the country where care was received, before toggling yes or no to a handful of questions related to the injury or sickness. At the bottom of the page, click “Upload Documents” to supply invoices, medical reports and so on.
5. Confirm your payment details.
6. Check over the details of your claim and your personal information, before ticking the box that agrees to the conditions of the legal disclaimer.
7. You’re done! Make a note of your claims reference number just in case, but you should be able to view the status of your claim online between 5 to 7 working days after you’ve submitted it.

• User experience:

Cigna’s sign-up process is one of the more laborious and time consuming we’ve experienced – it’s obvious why there are so many opportunities to save the form so you can come back later! Having said that, it’s also quite user-friendly and easy to navigate.

The way the price automatically updates after you change the deductible and the cost sharing is great, so you can play around with the different options easily without having to go backwards and forwards across different pages.

The claim submission process is similarly painless and easy to follow. Again, it’s not the quickest to complete compared to some of the competitors, but it’s also not a huge investment in time.

The fact that the claim site gives you a checklist before you begin means you can make sure you’re not desperately searching for documents while you’re making the claim.

Cigna Global vs. Competitors

*To provide a more direct comparison, we’ve scaled all prices to be equal to roughly 1 month of coverage. Quotes vary based on age, trip duration, destinations and several other factors, so only treat this as a rough estimate.

Customer Reviews & Ratings

The average Cigna Global insurance review is positive, although only 67% if its ratings were 5 stars, leaving it with a score of 3.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

There’s also a significant dark cloud hovering over the company, as they have recently been involved in a class action lawsuit in the United States that alleges they have improperly rejected claims.

What people like:

• The customer service agents. Several people have praised the level of care taken by the company representatives over the phone.
• The breadth of coverage. Customers like the additional features offered by Cigna along with the usual health benefits.

What people don’t like:

• The onboarding process. Some customers have complained about how long it takes to receive a welcome email and access to the web portal.
• The app. A lot of people find it clunky and unwieldy – not what you would expect from a multibillion-dollar company. In fact, in general the IT side of Cigna often triggers criticism.

Who Should & Shouldn’t Use Cigna Global?

• Recommended for → Nomads visiting multiple geographies, retirees living overseas
• Not ideal for → People on a budget, travelers looking for trip-related coverage

Final Verdict: Is Cigna Global Worth It?

Cigna offers one of the most inclusive policies on the market. It also provides a good level of flexibility, so you can choose whether you want to add more in-depth coverage or stick to the wallet-friendly base plan.

Even the cheapest tier isn’t cheap though, so if you want something more affordable, you might be better going with someone like SafetyWing or World Nomads. They also don’t do trip-related coverage like Faye or GeoBlue.

For retirees and those with pre-existing conditions though, Cigna is an excellent option to explore, as their coverage doesn’t have a maximum age.

Sign up for Cigna Global.