Vienna has the world’s best quality of living, according to the Mercer 2015 Quality of Living rankings. Overall, European cities dominate the top of the ranking along with major cities in Australia and New Zealand. Zurich, Auckland, and Munich are…

Executives based in the United Arab Emirates are responsible for bigger geographic territories than ever before, research for International SOS has found, showing that the UAE is strengthening its role as a global business hub. Some 46% of UAE-based executives…

Clients using the RightOpt® private insurance exchange from Buck Consultants at Xerox are seeing an average year-over-year decrease in claim cost per employee of 3.7 percenti -- a significant departure from the national average increase of 5-8 percentii. RightOpt’s unique…

Cigna (NYSE: CI) completed its acquisition of QualCare Alliance Networks, Inc. (“QANI”) on February 28. The acquisition, which was announced in January, combines Cigna's broad and integrated portfolio of health-related products, services and national scale with QANI’s expertise and capabilities…

Zurich CEO Martin Senn gives an overview of the annual results 2014, an update on the strategy and an outlook for 2015. Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) reported a business operating profit (BOP) of USD 4.6 billion and net income attributable…

Accenture has won a public tender and signed a four-year framework agreement with the Finnish State Treasury to develop and maintain a range of IT applications that support the State Treasury’s effort to digitalize its claims management system and enables…

Given the size of the Medicaid program and its importance to America's low-income population, HealthPocket examined government records on Medicaid acceptance for a broad cross-section of healthcare providers. HealthPocket's review of over one million records found that in 2015 only…

Revenues up 10.4 percent to 122.25 billion euros; Operating profit grows 3.3 percent to 10.40 billion euros; Net income attributable to shareholders rises 3.8 percent to 6.22 billion euros; New dividend policy leads to proposed dividend of 6.85 euros per…

WellAway, Ltd. is proud to announce the launch of its latest expatriate health program – The New American. The New American offers an ACA-Compliant (Obamacare) health plan coupled with innovative wellness and support tools for expatriates coming to the USA.…

As income levels in emerging markets rise, people spend more on healthcare services as a means to improve their quality of life. This is driving demand and expectations for better health services in the emerging markets, says Swiss Re's latest…

Claims and assistance provider CEGA reports that every member of its Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has achieved the Level 3 Award for Professional Investigators. "The awards demonstrate our commitment to deliver the very best investigative service to insurers," says Simon…

WellAway, Ltd. is proud to introduce the first ACA-compliant expatriate health program for French Nationals – La Vie a l’Etranger. La Vie a l’Etranger includes the only CFE Complementaire to be approved in the USA coupled with innovative wellness and…

AXA S.A. is further extending its footprint into the United States with the launch of its U.S. Employee Benefits business, through subsidiaries AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company and MONY Life Insurance Company of America. This market entry builds on AXA…

The nation’s approach to just how seriously we take our heart health has been revealed by new research. One in four people (25%) said it took someone they know to have a heart attack for them to take their heart…

UMI, one of the UAE's premier medical insurance advisors, has found that the inflation of international private medical insurance premiums fell for the second year in a row in 2014. An inflation rate of 7.0% in 2014 (a decrease of…

MetLife reported operating earnings* of $1.6 billion, up 2 percent over the fourth quarter of 2013. On a per share basis, operating earnings were $1.38, up 1 percent over the prior year quarter. Operating earnings in the Americas grew 4…

The economy in the United Arab Emirates is rather different to that experienced in the West. Most critically, the lack of income tax has an impact on what government services are offered for free. Of these, health care has long…

HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HCC) released results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2014. Net earnings were $113.0 million, or $1.16 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2014, compared to $115.0 million, or $1.14 per diluted…

Allianz Worldwide Care has announced the launch of international healthcare plans for individuals and their families living in China, developed in partnership with sister company, Allianz China General Insurance Company. The healthcare plans, which have been designed specifically for expatriates…

Egencia® the business travel company of Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) announces the beginning of a new phase in its relationship with a leading medical and travel security risk services company International SOS. The companies expanded their partnership agreement to better…

International Medical Group®, Inc. (IMG®) have launched its new GlobeHopperSM Senior product, which provides seniors who are 65 years of age and older, with international medical insurance and emergency services while travelling outside the United States. “GlobeHopper Senior is a…

Aon Hewitt announced that its global investment consulting business now holds $54 billion (USD) in assets under management for its delegated investment solutions clients around the world. Delegated investment or fiduciary management as it is also known, involves the delegation…

The cost of insurance premiums in Europe could rise if the EU doesn’t make important changes to a set of data protection rules which it is currently considering, according to Insurance Europe, the European insurance and reinsurance federation. The current…

International tourist arrivals reached 1,138 million in 2014, a 4.7% increase over the previous year, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. For 2015, UNWTO forecasts international tourism to grow by 3% to 4%, further contributing to the global…

Full-year air cargo data for 2014 shows 4.5% demand growth compared to 2013 measured by freight tonne kilometers (FTKs). That is a significant acceleration from the 1.4% recorded in 2013 over 2012. Air cargo market expansion gathered momentum as 2014…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released today a report outlining the impact of advanced premium tax credits on premiums in the Health Insurance Marketplaces. Almost 6.5 million individuals in the 37 states using the www.HealthCare.gov platform are…

Bupa and University College London (UCL) have announced their new collaborative project, the Global Institute for Digital Health Excellence (GLIDHE), which combines Bupa’s global health expertise with UCL’s research capabilities. With the intention of reducing global demands on healthcare and…

Bupa has announced the launch of a new national Dental Network to help dental insurance customers find high quality and trusted dental practices. The new Bupa Dental Plus Network will be formed of Bupa’s own dental centres, along with an…

Pacific Prime were recently asked to comment on the proposal from the Hong Kong Government that lays out a new 50 billion Hong Kong dollar scheme to help residents with the cost of health insurance in the city. The scheme…

Enstar Group Limited (Nasdaq:ESGR) announced that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries completed the previously announced acquisition of Companion Property and Casualty Insurance Company ("Companion") from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina. Companion is a South Carolina-based insurance…

87 percent who selected plans in states using HealthCare.gov are getting financial assistance to lower monthly premiums; 2.5 million young people have selected a plan or been reenrolled; consumers have until Feb. 15 to sign up for coverage. Nationwide, 9.5…

Chinese banks are expanding the range of insurance products that they offer although many still haven't embraced bancassurance at all. The value of China's insurance market has risen rapidly in recent years, from USD 239.2 billion in premium income in…

In an attempt to provide market leading advice for clients, Pacific Prime Singapore has developed a new interactive quotation tool that can be customised to find insurance quotes that suit the requirements of any customer. Introducing new features from the…

A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a-” of ERGO Insurance Pte Ltd (Ergo Insurance) (Singapore). The outlook for both ratings is stable. The ratings consider ERGO Insurance’s risk-adjusted capitalization,…

Pacific Prime Singapore is now offering AXA’s wide range of products after a new partnership with the industry leader. Pacific Prime Singapore has confirmed that the insurance intermediary is now able to offer AXA’s wide range of products. The partnership…

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) is hosting a free, health insurance enrollment and wellness event in Houston on January 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Chancellors Family Center. At the Countdown to Coverage: Health Care…

With the holiday season officially over, many individuals are looking to plan their first trip of the year during Wave Season 2015. The travel and cruise industry has officially launched “Wave Season”, which lasts from January to March and features…

Aon Hewitt Survey Finds Most Companies are Improving Automatic Features in 401(k) Plans to Help Workers Increase their Savings. To improve the long-term financial outlook for workers, a new survey from Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions…

International Assistance Group has significantly grown its network of independent assistance companies after they launched a Partnership Program in 2012. Companies from all over the world rely on International Assistance Group’s experience and expertise, this is why Skyservice Air Ambulance,…

Providing key insurance, assistance and service provider company information, the iPMI Magazine provider network directory is the definitive resource for global healthcare professionals seeking to keep up-to-speed on industry leading healthcare payors and providers. You may be an ambulance company,…

Follow International Private Medical Insurance Magazine On LinkedIn Company Pages All the news under-1-roof, the International Private Medical Insurance Magazine LinkedIn company page is the new simple way to access all the international healthcare industry news, minute-by-minute, as it breaks.…

Fully compliant cover in Dubai, Bahrain, Jordan and Netherlands now available to individual and corporate customers. The increasingly popular expat destinations of Bahrain and Jordan have been added to Aviva’s Gulf Solutions private medical insurance cover, providing the international market…

Envision Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EVHC) (Envision) announced that its EmCare, Inc. (EmCare) business has entered into two agreements to acquire Emergency Medical Associates (EMA) of Parsippany, N.J. and Scottsdale Emergency Associates, LTD (SEA) of Phoenix, Ariz. The physician groups…

Global passenger traffic results for November 2014 show a continuation of the healthy demand trend of recent months. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 6.0% compared to November 2013, which was ahead of the 5.7% year-over-year growth recorded in October…

Cigna’s new comprehensive travel insurance provides mature customers with peace of mind and sense of security when travelling away from home. Cigna announced today its entry into the travel insurance market, with the new Cigna 50+ Travel Insurance designed specifically…

A joint pulse survey between Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon (NYSE: AON), and Catalyst for Payment Reform, an independent, non-profit employer coalition pushing for better value in U.S. health care, shows that while…

Aon Risk Solutions has released its second Health Care Workers Compensation Barometer report. The report explores trends in frequency, severity and overall loss rates related to workers’ compensation for approximately 1,150 heath care facilities across the country. The 2014 report…

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) today announced the completion of its previously agreed acquisition of Ageas Protect Limited, a leading provider of term life, critical illness, and income protection coverage to over 350,000 consumers in the UK, Channel Islands and…

Globality Health Partners With UAE’s Leading Health Insurer Daman By partnering with the National Health Insurance Company - Daman, Globality Health is extending its full international health insurance offering, including 24/7 emergency medical assistance and medical evacuation and repatriation services,…