AXA Global Healthcare is expanding its health and wellbeing offer by introducing its new Mind Health service, which provides quick, convenient access to a fully qualified psychologist for members in need of mental health support.

Regardless of where in the world they are based, members can use the Mind Health service to seek advice on a variety of concerns, from missing friends to problems at work or home, or facing a difficult life challenge. During a pilot in 2020, the service supported members in many ways, from coping with distressing life events, managing emotions such as low mood, anxiety and anger, and handling the impact of physical health conditions on both the body and mind. These are all challenges that the psychologists are fully trained to address. 

A key feature of the service, available to all individual and small business members and their dependents, is that it can be accessed through the Virtual Doctor from AXA service, already familiar to members. After initially discussing their health concern with a doctor, any members who may need psychological support will be referred to the Mind Health team and a consultation with a psychologist will be arranged at a time that suits them. By integrating the Mind Health service with Virtual Doctor from AXA in this way, AXA Global Healthcare wants to make it as easy as possible for members to access expert help with their health – both physical and mental.

Andy Edwards Global Head of International Healthcare, AXA Global Healthcare, commented: “Something that we’re passionate about at AXA – and particularly hopeful that the Mind Health service will help our members to get to the heart of – is the link between mental and physical health. During last year’s pilot period, we saw a number of referrals for mental health support after members had initially called about a physical symptom. By providing the service through our Virtual Doctor service, we hope to help our members adopt a more holistic approach to their health, therefore taking the best possible care of themselves both physically and mentally.”

With the Mind Health service being well-received during this pilot period, its launch has been brought forward in order to provide support for those who are struggling with the ongoing impact of COVID-19. Last year, a major piece of AXA research*, in which 578 expats were surveyed, found that two-in-five (39%) feel as though their mental health has deteriorated as a result of the pandemic, with more than a quarter (28%) going so far as to say that they have never faced a situation that had been worse for their mental wellbeing.

Andy Edwards commented: “While the Mind Health service wasn’t developed specifically to provide mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re acutely aware that, for many organisations, this is currently top of the agenda. The potential that this service has to help people right now is very clear to us, and following an encouraging pilot, we are pleased to be able to offer it earlier than originally planned. We hope that our members find it delivers the help they need, while we continue to invest in further proactive health and wellbeing services for use in the future.”

Virtual Doctor from AXA is provided by Teladoc Health (which includes consumer brand Advance Medical) delivers, enables, and empowers virtual care services that span every state in a person's health journey – from wellness and prevention to acute care to complex healthcare needs. They also provide the Second Medical Opinion service. Teladoc Health provides healthcare services in over 175 countries, and has over 7,000 doctors within their network. As a result, Virtual Doctor from AXA’s GPs are available 24-hours per day, psychologists are available Monday to Friday, between 09:00 and 17:30 (excluding Bank Holidays).

Carlos Nueno, President at Teladoc Health International, commented: “The stress of the pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in people seeking mental health services. Virtual care is their avenue to receive this support at the right time, which we have seen has a significantly positive impact on their lives. Having the Mind Health service available to them, AXA members now have the comfort and convenience of accessing the virtual care support they need, whether that be for their physical or mental wellbeing.”

Insurance companies are keen on working only with those intermediaries who are fully compliant with the corresponding regulations.

The EU requirements (GDPR and IDD) act as a benchmark for such regulations. These companies are constantly looking for solutions which could facilitate and simplify the process of their increasingly demanding due diligence in terms of verifying the regulatory compliance of their partners.

In this context, the two innovative companies Think Insurtech and INSquary announce a partnership.

RELATED READING: iPMI Magazine Speaks With Olivier LE FAOUDER, CEO And Brian S. Piper, Co-Founder - Strategic Business Development, Think Insurtech

Think Insurtrech, through its SaaS platform, offers insurers, providers and brokers a platform to manage the compliance of the distribution of health insurance with the aforementioned regulations. This platform manages their commitment through a community, along with the digitization of the customer journey from the electronic signature to the online payment.

INSquary has developed an internet platform, accessible in SaaS mode on subscription. This allows distributors and outsourced services to assess the compliance of their practices with the regulations in effect. The process is as follows: 

• A questionnaire is followed by the submitting supporting documents in a secure “virtual binder”.
• The risk carriers (insurers) or wholesale brokers then learn about these “virtual binders”.

INSquary has a multilingual platform that presents several versions of questionnaires: a “global” version (based on European regulations) and “local” versions (based on national regulations).

The partnership between the two companies aims to use their complementing features and abilities to help their users, the professionals in the insurance sector, to comply with international compliance regulations in the best possible manner.

About INSquary:

INSquary is a "RegTech", awarded by Finance Innovation, which uses the potential of digital technology to facilitate and secure relations between insurers and their partners (intermediaries, outsourced services) concerning the dematerialized formalization of agreements and compliance of their regulatory obligations. INSquary aims to be the benchmark platform for "KYD" (know your distributor) at European level. Website: www.insquary.com.

Press contact: Rémi Villiers-Moriamé, CEO.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cellphone: +33 (0) 6 87 23 71 10

About Think Insurtech:

Think Insurtech (LF Finance SAS a part of AOC Insurance Broker group) is a software publisher specialized in PMI & IPMI with a SaaS Platform to manage A to Z the distribution of medical insurance (Individual/families module – Corporate module – Community platform module – Compliance module - Travel Insurance module API) in a global and connected environment. We offer a comprehensive approach and process in working with clients to place both international and domestic healthcare cover including group life and protection.income

Website: www.thinkinsurtech.com

Press contact: team@thinkinsurtech.com

Phone: + 33 (0) 1 49 97 8038

As part of its ongoing commitment to make it easy for expats to stay healthy and safe, WellAway Limited (www.wellaway.com) now offers health insurance products that meet US healthcare regulations and offer worldwide coverage.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that expats planning to spend more than 11 months in the US must be covered by an ACA compliant health insurance plan in order to avoid paying tax penalties. In response to newly implemented US regulations, WellAway® launched the New American plan to accommodate expats relocating to the United States of America.

“We saw a need for a product that would service our global citizens.” said Griselle Chernys, CEO for WellAway Limited. “While they may call the US home for an extended period of time, they do travel and need coverage elsewhere. Our goal was to make it easy with one plan.”

New American is an ACA compliant health insurance product that also offers worldwide coverage. Members receive comprehensive medical coverage including maternity benefits. All WellAway plans also include emergency evacuation and repatriation. Members can choose to expand their coverage beyond the US with ACA+ optional worldwide coverage and further enhance their policy with benefits that include: vision and dental, life and disability, kidnap and ransom, and terrorism.

WellAway® offers the most complete health coverage for expatriates worldwide paired with white-glove ConciergeCare service that delivers reliable member support and is available in more than 180 countries.

For more information, please contact WellAway Limited at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Bupa Arabia has announced launching a new International Health Plan for members to have access anywhere, anytime to a hospital or healthcare professionals, in Saudi Arabia or even when they are travelling abroad.  The 'International Health Plan' is Bupa Arabia's first international single card plan for members to cater to their global healthcare needs.

The 'International Health Plan' provides access to over 1.2 million healthcare providers in 190 countries when the Bupa insurance card is presented. It empowers its members to access elective or emergency treatments abroad whenever they need it.

The 'International Health Plan' is targeted to achieve many of the benefits to the beneficiaries wherever they go for business or leisure, with immediate coverage for preventative tests, maternity cases, dental and optical, cancer treatment, chronic diseases, and more with coverage reaching up to tens of millions of dollars.

"With the rise in the number of Saudis and Expats travelling abroad for business and pleasure, along with the increase in foreign investors and business representatives coming into the Saudi business field, the necessity of expanding our coverage internationally has become extremely apparent." said Tal Nazer, CEO of Bupa Arabia.

"People's lifestyles are constantly changing, especially in Saudi Arabia," CEO Nazer continued, "and we must be fast on our feet to meet the demands for new health coverage plans that these changes are generating. Whether a person is a frequent traveler for business or pleasure outside the Kingdom, a familiar and reliable international health insurance plan is indispensable, so making Bupa Arabia your insurance partner is a smart decision."

This innovative product is a result of the fruitful partnership between Bupa Arabia and Bupa Global, which possesses more than 70 years of experience in international healthcare across more than 190 countries around the globe.

An innovative travel risk management programme - INtrinsic - has been launched for insurers and organisations sending employees abroad, providing a full range of medical and security services via a single contact point. 

The INtrinsic programme aims to ensure that companies with employees overseas are able to prepare for the unexpected, to keep staff safe and to reduce travel risk in an emergency abroad. The product of a strategic partnership between CEGA, the global medical assistance and risk management providers, and Solace Global, the security specialists, it comprises comprehensive staff training, travel risk mitigation measures, usable technology, 24/7 response capabilities and post-event evaluation.

"INtrinsic gives organisations a single, on-going view of travel risk management, ensuring they can reduce exposure to risk before and during staff deployments overseas and manage medical and security emergencies centrally," says CEGA's Commercial Director, Jody Baker.

"By unifying the management of travel risk it aims to reduce the cost, trauma and delays often associated with a fragmented supply chain of medical and security providers."

Simon Griffith, Managing Director of Solace Global, adds, "In recent times the world's risk landscape has evolved, with threats on an unprecedented scale, including terror attacks across six continents, Ebola epidemics, and devastating natural disasters.

The reality of life on the ground means that, once an incident occurs, it can rapidly spiral out of control if the right advice is delayed or the wrong strategic decisions are made. By providing a single security and medical response service with the in-house skills to advise and react appropriately, INtrinsic presents one of the most exciting developments in responsible travel management."

Interest in the new service is reported to be strong amongst a variety of organisations, including the oil and gas, maritime and NGO sectors.

INtrinsic will be displayed at Olympia's Business Travel Show in London, on February 24^th and 25^th, at stand B251.

Congratulations to Globality Health, the most popular iPMI (international private medical insurance) provider of iPMI Magazine in 2015. 

Globality Health is the international health insurer with a special focus on expatriates. People who study, live or work abroad.

Special mentions also go to our runner ups including Cigna Global iPMI, Integra Global, Expatriate Group and ALC Health. 

Globality Health 

Cigna Global iPMI

Integra Global

Expatriate Group

ALC Health

2014 was dubbed "Year Of The Data Breach" and 2015 wasn't much better with numerous well-known brands reporting data breaches in 2015. At International Private Medical Insurance (iPMI) Magazine we received and published various cyber and IT security news articles under the new brand, CyberPolicy, with the help of our sister publication Healthcare Technology Magazine.

Read the most popular cyber and IT security and data breach news for the global insurance and healthcare industry, click the headlines below:

Aviva Launches Cyber Cover

The Evolution Of Cyber Risk

Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Joins Forces With Ibm To Offer Cyber Risk Protection

Head Of FBI's New York Cyber Branch To Join K2 Intelligence

Austin Berglas Speaks With The New York Times On Carefirst Data Breach

Increased Cyber Attacks On Shipping And Logistics Highlight The Need For Preventative Strategy

Fireeye And Ace Group Announce Strategic Alliance To Mitigate Cyber Risk

Insurers' Aggregation Risk On Cyber Claims In Check

AIG Expands Cyber Risk Management Offering With Leading Cybersecurity Experts

Worldwide Spending On Cyber Security Close To $70 Billion A Year

Reports of an explosion at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul at around 2am on 23 December 2015; the circumstances of the incident are currently under investigation; the airport remains open.

Over 2,500,000 British nationals visit Turkey every year. 

Visas

British nationals need a visa to travel to Turkey, except for cruise ship passengers with ‘British Citizen’ passports who arrive at sea ports for tourist visits to the port city or nearby cities, provided that the visit doesn’t exceed 72 hours.

If you’re visiting Turkey as a tourist or on business, get an e-Visa online before you travel. Only use the official Republic of Turkey e-Visa website. Avoid unauthorised websites as they may charge an additional fee. Some unauthorised websites have issued fake e-Visas.

If you don’t have an e-Visa you can still get a visa on arrival for £20 in cash, although the visa on arrival service is due to be phased out. Getting an e-Visa from the official website before you travel will avoid possible problems or delays at the Turkish border, or when boarding your flight in the UK.

International Private Medical Insurance For Turkey

Take out comprehensive international private medical insurance before you travel to Turkey, to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad or emergency repatriation and evacuation. Be sure to read the small print of all iPMI policies before you purchase. 

State of emergency has been extended for 2 months from 24 December until 21 February 2016. Further attacks remain highly likely, including against foreigners. Security forces are on a high state of alert in Tunis and other locations. You should be especially vigilant and avoid crowded places over the holiday period, including around Mouled (24 December), Christmas and New Year.

If you choose to travel to or remain in Tunisia then you should check that your insurance policy provides adequate cover. You should be especially vigilant and follow the advice of the Tunisian security authorities.

There are no direct flights between the UK and Monastir or Enfidah airports. There are daily Tunis Air flights from Tunis Carthage airport direct to London, and indirect daily departures with European carriers. Contact your airline or travel company directly if you have an enquiry about your travel plans.

If you need consular assistance (above and beyond travel information) you should contact the British Embassy in Tunis.

The Tunisian presidency announced on 22 December 2015 that the state of emergency imposed after a suicide attack on a police bus on 24 November would be extended for a further 2 months from 24 December until 21 February 2016.

The threat from terrorism in Tunisia is high. Further attacks remain highly likely, including against foreigners. Security forces are on a high state of alert in Tunis and other locations. You should be especially vigilant over the holiday period, including around Mouled (24 December), Christmas and New Year. Avoid crowded places and follow the advice of the Tunisian security authorities and your travel company, if you have one.

A terrorist attack took place at Port El Kantaoui near Sousse on 26 June. Thirty eight foreign tourists were killed, including 30 British nationals. Further terrorist attacks are highly likely, including in tourist resorts, and by individuals unknown to the authorities whose actions may be inspired by terrorist groups via social media. On 17 November the Tunisian authorities announced they had foiled a major plot to attack ‘hotels and vital installations’ in Sousse. On 24 November a number of security personnel were killed in a suicide attack on a police bus on Avenue Mohammed V in central Tunis. A state of emergency was declared for 30 days from 24 November 2015. 

Since the attack in Sousse, we have been working closely with the Tunisian authorities to investigate the attack and the wider threat from terrorist groups in Tunisia. Although we have had good co-operation from the Tunisian government, including putting in place additional security measures, the intelligence and threat picture has developed considerably, reinforcing our view that a further terrorist attack is highly likely. On balance, we do not believe the mitigation measures in place provide adequate protection for British tourists in Tunisia at the present time.

On 8 July, the Tunisian Prime Minister stated publicly that further attacks were likely. The Tunisian authorities have increased their security measures but have also acknowledged the limitations in their ability to counter the current terrorist threat.

International Private Medical Insurance (iPMI) For Tunisia

Take out comprehensive travel and international private medical insurance before travelling to Tunisia, to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad or emergency repatriation and evacuation. Be sure to read the small print of all iPMI policies before you purchase. 

In a recent International Private Medical Insurance Magazine executive round table business forum, we spoke with leading C-Level executives about the major differences between international private medical insurance plans and local insurance plans.

As expatriate hot spots around the world continue to mandate insurance cover for expatriate employees, under various visa and employment laws, questions from the business community continue to be raised. Issues focus around how new laws will help and assist expatriates and what levels of cover they may expect from local insurance plans.

GREGOR SCHULTE Globality Health: At their heart, international health insurance plans are designed to cover all costs of high quality medical care regardless of the location of the insured person and the standard of local health services. Whereas a local plan is designed to provide cover primarily in a single country, taking into account the insurance practice and requirements of that country, access to state healthcare provisions and treatment costs in local hospitals only.

Of course international plans offer cover that transcends borders and generally include benefits specifically applicable to expatriates, such as repatriation and evacuation cover, assistance services and benefits, portability and freedom to choose the healthcare provider. The result is that iPMI usually provides far higher levels of benefits than those available from ‘local’ schemes, although this is dependent on which country is considered.

ANDREW APPS ALC Health*: Superficially there are many similarities between a local and international private medical (iPMI) plan. The fundamental difference is the target audience for each of these two very different products.

An iPMI plan is designed to cover a policyholder, usually an expatriate, for practically any health-related matter they may encounter, a local scheme does not have the same mandate, being designed with the local population in mind and most often acting as a support to local, often staterun facilities. This means that the features of each of these plans are markedly different.

The most noticeable difference is that an international plan usually offers a wider, more comprehensive range of benefits and with much higher benefit limits. For example, with an iPMI plan there can be generous cover for items such as GP visits, full chronic conditions cover, routine pregnancy and childbirth cover, evacuation and repatriation cover, and usually overall sum insured amounts that can be ten or twenty times higher than those of a local scheme.

Typically, an iPMI plan will also be portable, and not restricted to their country of residence, allowing the geographically mobile policyholder full access to all of their benefits wherever they are, in their chosen area of cover. Some iPMI plans also do not require their insured members to seek treatment within a network. The policyholder has the freedom to choose where they wish to receive treatment.

Naturally local schemes are usually less expensive than international plans, but correspondingly, the benefits are far less comprehensive, with low benefit limits (sometimes the benefits are blatantly only a contribution towards the total cost of treatment), out-of-network penalties, co-pay benefits, none or very limited out-of-country coverage. Most local schemes also do not offer 24 hour support.

Similarly by their very nature, local schemes are very much tailored to the local population with policy documentation available only in the local language and the benefits tailored to the audience the plan is designed for. The unwary expatriate with local cover may well find that he either has to make do with low levels of cover, or more likely will have to self-pay at least part of his treatment.

PHIL AUSTIN Cigna: International Health Insurance plans by their nature are better suited to expatriate life than local plans. They usually provide cover worldwide, meaning that wherever the individual happens to be in the world, they will be able to receive treatment.

Local plans on the other hand will normally only provide cover in a single country. This means that when the expatriate is making a trip back home, or is spending time in another country, they are potentially ineligible for treatment.

Moving to a new country often brings about basic challenges like language barriers and cultural adjustments. An international health insurance plan helps the expatriate remove a lot of this uncertainty as they will be dealing with a provider with experience in working with expats and experience in global healthcare. This means that often a language barrier can be removed by speaking to the insurer who can communicate directly with the hospital, and the expat can seek advice about local customs and peculiarities.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, expatriates who are not permanent residents or citizens of the country they are moving to may be ineligible for a local plan.

SHIRLEY PUCCINO GeoBlue: Local plans are designed to deliver coverage and services inside the host county and tend to incorporate underlying government health programs, networks, and delivery systems reflecting local languages, customs, business practices and provider relationships. International health insurance plans strive to provide more comprehensive global cover and an optimal experience globally, while to the extent possible, allow for local nuances in plan administration, delivery and practices.

READ THE COMPLETE ROUND TABLE, CLICK HERE.

*At the time of round table publication Andrew was working at ALC Health.