Cigna Global vs Allianz Care vs Bupa Global (2026): Plans, Limits and Who Each Suits

Cigna Global Health Options is a core plan, International Medical Insurance, sold in three tiers with four optional modules: International Outpatient, International Medical Evacuation, International Health and Wellbeing, and International Vision and Dental. Silver carries a US$1,000,000 annual maximum, Gold US$2,000,000 and Platinum is paid in full. All three give a private room, cover cancer care in full up to the annual maximum, and include an out-of-area emergency hospitalisation benefit of US$100,000, US$250,000 or paid in full for members who chose Worldwide excluding USA. Inpatient mental health is where the tiers separate sharply: US$5,000 for up to 30 days on Silver, US$10,000 for 60 days on Gold, paid in full for 90 days on Platinum.

Maternity is a tier decision. Silver has none. Gold pays US$7,000 for routine maternity and US$14,000 for complications; Platinum pays US$14,000 and US$28,000, with newborn care of US$75,000 and US$156,000 respectively. The waiting period is 12 months, or 24 months for treatment in Hong Kong or Singapore. The outpatient module adds US$15,000, US$35,000 or paid in full a year, and includes a 60+ Care allowance of US$500, US$1,000 or US$2,000 for members aged 60 and over with declared ongoing conditions.

Two features are distinctive. The deductible ladder runs from US$0 to US$10,000 in seven steps, combined with a cost share of 0%, 10%, 20% or 30% and an out-of-pocket maximum of US$2,000 or US$5,000, which gives the most ways to shape the premium of the three. And Cigna Global publishes no upper age limit for new applicants, with guaranteed renewability and premiums that are not based on claims history; the guide to expat health insurance over 60 sets that beside other insurers’ entry ages. Close Care, a separate plan limited to the country of residence and country of nationality, carries a US$500,000 maximum and a semi-private room.

Allianz Care sells three core plans, Care Base, Care Enhanced and Care Signature, with maximum plan benefits of US$1,350,000, US$2,700,000 and US$5,000,000 (£830,000, £1,660,000 and £3,100,000). Every core plan covers inpatient and day-care treatment with a private room, diagnostics, surgery, oncology across inpatient, day-care and outpatient settings, rehabilitation, nursing at home, emergency outpatient treatment, and medical evacuation and repatriation of mortal remains. Care Enhanced and Care Signature add maternity, preventive surgery, bariatric surgery and addiction treatment. Areas of cover are Worldwide, Worldwide excluding USA, Africa or Europe.

Everything outside the core is a separate plan. The published table of benefits, valid from November 2022 and the latest public version we found, lists three Out-patient Plans with annual limits of US$6,750 (Active), US$11,780 (Active Plus) and US$25,650 (Active Pro); two Maternity Plans paying US$6,750 or US$13,500 per pregnancy for routine maternity after a 16-month waiting period; two Dental Plans, one with a US$2,770 limit at 80% refund and one with no limit at 100%; and a Repatriation Plan that lets a member be treated in the home country when it is inside the area of cover. That table uses the previous core plan names, so confirm the current pairing of options with each core plan when you quote.

Pricing levers are a core deductible or an outpatient co-payment, not both. The published deductible ladder runs from US$610 to US$13,500 and buys a premium discount of 5% to 60%, halved when a Maternity Plan is included; the outpatient co-payment of 10%, 20% or 30% buys 12% to 35%. Allianz Care also offers a moratorium underwriting option with no medical questionnaire, under which pre-existing conditions are excluded until a continuous 24-month period has passed; the alternative is full medical underwriting with terms set at the start. The insurer’s own page does not state an entry age; a distributor states that individuals up to 69 can quote and apply online. Emergency treatment outside the area of cover is limited to trips of up to six weeks, with a maximum of 42 days.

Bupa Global’s plans for UK residents are Major Medical, Select, Premier and Elite. The annual limits do not rise in name order: Select carries £1,000,000, Premier £1,500,000, Major Medical £2,000,000 and Elite £3,000,000. Major Medical is the inpatient-led plan with the higher catastrophic limit; Select, Premier and Elite add outpatient consultations without referral, health checks (£750, £1,250 and £1,500), vaccinations (£200, £500 and £1,000) and, on Elite, assisted fertility treatment of up to £6,000 a policy year. All four include private hospital rooms, cancer planning and treatment, inpatient and day-patient mental health (with limitations on Select and Premier), 30 days of home nursing, rehabilitation of 45, 30, 30 and 60 days respectively, and evacuation and repatriation.

Two points separate Bupa Global from the other two. Pregnancy and childbirth, including complications and Caesarean sections, are covered after the mother has been on the plan for 18 months, the longest wait of the three, with limitations noted on Elite; check the brochure for which tiers include it. And Select, Premier and Elite offer a Europe-only area of cover alongside worldwide and worldwide without the US, which suits people who will not leave the continent.

Bupa Global states that pre-existing conditions “could be covered, subject to underwriting” and offers “a variety of deductibles”, but the comparison page does not publish the deductible amounts or an entry age; the brochure for your country of residence carries them. Its network exceeds 2 million practitioners with direct settlement inside the network, and the MembersWorld app handles pre-authorisation and claims. Because Bupa Global sells country-specific plan sets, the limits above apply to UK residents; residents of other countries see different plan names and limits.

Cigna Global vs Allianz Care

Both are modular, but Cigna Global bundles more into the core: its evacuation is a module, yet cancer, mental health and out-of-area emergency cover sit in every tier, and outpatient comes as one module with tier-linked limits. Allianz Care includes evacuation in the core and splits outpatient, maternity and dental into separately priced plans with their own limits. On maternity, Cigna Global’s wait is 12 months against Allianz Care’s 16, and Cigna Global publishes newborn cover of up to US$156,000. On underwriting, Allianz Care’s moratorium option lets a healthy applicant skip the questionnaire; Cigna Global’s route is a questionnaire, softened for older applicants by 60+ Care and no entry-age ceiling. On price shaping, Cigna Global’s seven-step deductible plus cost share is the more granular tool; Allianz Care’s deductible ladder is coarser but publishes the exact discount each step buys.

Bupa Global vs Cigna Global

Bupa Global’s limits are set per country of residence and topped by Elite at £3,000,000, while Cigna Global’s Platinum is paid in full. Cigna Global publishes its full benefit table, deductible ladder and age policy on its global site; Bupa Global’s UK comparison publishes tier limits and a handful of sub-limits but leaves deductibles and entry ages to the brochure. Maternity waits are 12 months against 18. Bupa Global’s Europe-only area has no Cigna Global equivalent except the residence-country Close Care plan. For someone who wants published numbers before speaking to anyone, Cigna Global is the easier read; for a European resident who values a large direct-settlement network and a Europe-only price, Bupa Global belongs on the shortlist.

Allianz Care vs Bupa Global

Both offer a Europe area of cover, which neither Cigna Global tier does. Allianz Care’s top limit of US$5,000,000 exceeds Bupa Global’s £3,000,000 Elite, and Allianz Care publishes its complete table of benefits and option limits; Bupa Global publishes less on its comparison page. Maternity waits are 16 months against 18. Allianz Care’s moratorium option is a clear advantage for a healthy applicant who wants cover quickly; Bupa Global states only that pre-existing conditions may be covered subject to underwriting. Both include evacuation in every plan.

• Families planning a pregnancy: compare Cigna Global Gold or Platinum (12-month wait, published routine and newborn limits) with an Allianz Care Enhanced or Signature plan plus a Maternity Plan (16-month wait). Bupa Global’s 18-month wait needs the earliest start. The expat family coverage guide covers how dependants are added and priced.
• Anyone who needs US treatment: all three sell a worldwide area that includes the USA at a much higher premium; the expat health insurance cost guide records the published multiples. Cigna Global’s out-of-area emergency benefit and the 180-day home-country allowance a distributor reports matter to Americans who choose Worldwide excluding USA; see health insurance for Americans living abroad.
• Residents of the Gulf and the wider region: all three plans are bought as top-ups above the mandatory local policy in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar; the GCC employer mandates guide explains what the local layer must contain. Employers comparing group terms should start from the group medical insurance for expat teams hub.
• Budget-led buyers: Cigna Global Silver with a high deductible and cost share, Allianz Care Care Base with a core deductible, or Bupa Global Major Medical as inpatient-led cover are the entry points. Do not cut the annual limit or evacuation to save money; cut outpatient extras first.
• Applicants over 60: Cigna Global publishes no upper age limit and a 60+ Care allowance; Allianz Care’s distributor-stated ceiling is 69; Bupa Global does not publish one. The over-60 guide sets these beside William Russell, APRIL International and Now Health.
• Europe-only residents: Allianz Care and Bupa Global both sell a Europe area of cover; Cigna Global does not, other than through the residence-country Close Care plan.

We took the same benefit heads for each insurer, read the figure from the insurer’s own document, recorded the tier and currency it applies to, and wrote “not published” where the document was silent rather than filling the gap from a third party. Where only a distributor publishes a figure, such as Allianz Care’s entry age or Cigna Global’s home-country days, the table says so. We did not rank the insurers or award scores; the right plan depends on your residence, your area of cover, your health history and the options you need.

Elev8 Insurance is an independent brokerage. The insurers available to you depend on your country of residence, and we confirm current terms with the insurer before any recommendation. When you request quotes, ask each insurer for the same tier equivalence, the same area of cover, the same deductible and the same modules, then record the answers in the international health insurance decision matrix. The expat health insurance comparison guide explains the method in full, and existing policyholders can have their current plan checked against these three through a policy review.