Now Health's WorldCare International Health insurance can be a good match for consumers who need a wide scope coverage including coverage for chronic conditions and maternity care. However, its premiums are quite costly, pricing it out as a budget-friendly insurer.

Highlights of Now Health WorldCare Health Insurance

NowHealth WorldCare Health insurance may benefit affluent consumers who want a wide scope of benefits ranging from terminal illness to routine maternity care. There are four plans to choose from: the Essential, Advance, Excel and Apex. When purchasing WorldCare, you will be asked what country you'll be residing in, the extent of coverage desired and the frequency of payment (for the sake of comparison, we will be discussing WorldCare's annual premiums). We found WorldCare's premiums to range around 15% to 48% above the international health insurance average regardless of region, with the Essential plan being the only plan costing about 40% below average.

Those who are not restricted in cost and want a wide scope of coverage can benefit from Now Health's WorldCare insurance. Every plan has full coverage for serious conditions including hospitalisation, cancer, kidney dialysis, and pregnancy complications. Now Health also provides hard to find coverage such as ancillary charges, which includes items such as wheelchairs, canes and crutches—a helpful benefit for those who may need physical rehabilitation after surgeries or are at risk of mobility issues. This is in addition to the even rarer non-elective surgery coverage in the US, a benefit American expats may appreciate.

Now Health's pricing is above average for most plans; so unless you want only a basic plan, you may be priced out of WorldCare. Another potential drawback is the lack of clarity exhibited on its website. For instance, while some destinations like Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong have dedicated plans with benefits expressed in their local currency, WorldCare's premiums are only expressed in USD, EUR and HKD. Furthermore, it is difficult to see what the additional cost of some optional add-ons are, reducing your ability to actually know how much you'll end up paying. Instead, you have to wait to be contacted by a representative to get your final quote. Lastly, there's no flexibility when choosing your plan—for instance, you can't get an Essential plan with maternity benefits or purchase its highest tier plan without getting dental, maternity and outpatient automatically included. This lack of choice and transparency can dissuade consumers who value these things when deciding on an insurer.

Now Health WorldCare Essential Plan

With its premiums costing 15% below average, Now Health's WorldCare Essential plan may entice the average healthy consumer who is seeking a good value budget plan. While its scope of coverage isn't as exhaustive as Now Health's top-tier plans, the Essential plan's benefits can be sufficient for the average individual, with full coverage for cancer, organ transplants, emergency dental treatment, ambulance transportation, parent accommodation and pregnancy or childbirth conditions.

However, unlike the other 3 plans, it does not provide coverage for chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension. Thus, those who are suffering from these conditions may either fare better with another insurer or will have to pay a few hundred dollars more to get one of Now Health's higher tier plans. Furthermore, you will not be able to receive outpatient care, routine and complex dental treatment and non-emergency maternity care even as add-ons. To get these benefits, you will either have to upgrade to a more expensive plan or find an alternate insurer.

Now Health WorldCare Advance & Excel Plans

WorldCare Advance can be a good option for expats above 65 in Singapore, as it costs 20% below average for this age group. However, younger, cost conscious individuals may be priced out due to premiums that are around 15-40% above the Advance plan's peer average. Nonetheless, its annual limit is well above the industry average and there is full coverage for a variety of treatments including cancer, kidney dialysis, rehabilitation, and diagnostic procedures. Furthermore, it also provides outpatient coverage, including outpatient psychiatric, chiropractor and acupuncture treatment and nursing care. Thus, despite the high price, it can still be a good option for non-budget restricted consumers who want a plan that automatically includes both inpatient and outpatient coverage.

The Excel plan is similar to the Advance plan in terms of benefits offered, with the exception that it also provides routine dental treatment benefits and has higher limits for some miscellaneous benefits such as hospital cash and terminal illness coverage. It can be a good option for seniors who want dental coverage since its premiums cost around 5% below average for 65 and older consumers living in Singapore. However, similar to the Advance plan, cost-conscious younger individuals may be priced out as its premiums range from 35%-65% above the industry average. Thus, unless you need routine dental check ups included in your plan, we would recommend either considering the much cheaper Advance plan or finding a more affordable insurer such as FWD that lets you opt out of coverage you may not need.

Now Health Worldcare Apex Plan

The WorldCare Apex plan can be beneficial to consumers who are not restricted in cost and want coverage for everything. Not only will you get the standard hospitalisation coverage, but you will also automatically receive dental, outpatient, maternity and USA elective treatment coverage as well. Its annual limit is 80% higher than similar plans on the market. Not only that, you will also receive the rather rare benefit of chronic condition coverage in addition to full coverage for cancer, kidney dialysis, hospitalisation charges and ambulance transportation. Chronic condition coverage alone can be worth the premiums that are 36-50% above average for individuals who are having a hard time finding coverage for conditions like asthma, diabetes and hypertension. You will also receive coverage for alternative treatments like dieticians, chiropractors and acupuncture.

Because pregnancy and dental coverage is already included in this plan, you may actually end up paying less than you would for an insurer who charges extra for these benefits. For instance, FWD charges several thousand dollars extra for outpatient and pregnancy benefits, making the Apex plan relatively affordable in comparison. However, while all of this coverage can be beneficial to families and individuals who want a highly comprehensive plan, the Apex plan may provide too much coverage for too high of a cost for the average consumer who does not need these extra benefits. For those consumers, we recommend opting for an insurer that prioritises cheaper premiums over comprehensive coverage.

Now Health WorldCare Optional Benefits

Now Health offers a variety of individual optional add-ons. These include elective treatment in the US and wellness, vaccination and optical coverage (offered only for Advance to Apex plans), various levels of coinsurance and excess and an option to opt for a cashless medical provider network. However, if you are interested in finding out the extra cost of these benefits, you will have to go through the online quotation process and submit your quote in order to receive the updated price.

Policy Exclusions

Now Health's WorldCare exclusions are fairly standard and beyond excluding the conditions and treatments listed below, they will also exclude conditions arising from professional sports and hazardous activities, cosmetic treatment, infertility and reproductive treatment and illnesses arising from morbid obesity.

Claims & Contact Information

You can file your claims online, although in some cases you may receive pre-authorisation of your claim. To request information on the progress of a claim or submit your claim, you can log into your NowHealth's online portfolio. Your online portfolio will have designated forms for the types of claims you will be submitting and how you wish to submit it. You can also request your desired currency in which you wish to settle your claim. Claims must be submitted within six months of treatment and will be processed within five working days. Inpatient and Day Patient treatment claims will be attempted to be settled directly with the medical provider, as long as you report your treatment five working days before you are admitted.

Now Health WorldCare Health Insurance Cost and Features

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International health insurance can be a good option for expats and Singaporeans who need supplemental insurance when working abroad. To make sure you are getting the right coverage, it is imperative you compare your options carefully. Below, we have a summary of Now Health WorldCare's features and benefits. If you would like to compare it to other international health insurers on the market, you can read our guide to the best international health insurance.

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