Cigna Global Thailand Plans: Should I Get It in 2025?

Cigna Healthcare is one of the biggest insurance companies in the world. They have great insurance plans for expats worldwide.
This is what Cigna Healthcare is known for in Thailand:

A premium plan where you can visit any hospital and expect your medical costs to be covered in full (as long as it’s within your plan coverage, of course)
A convenient plan where, most of the time, you only need to show your hospital card and the insurance company will handle the rest
A flexible plan where you can customize coverage, deductible, and cost-sharing options to make a plan suitable for your situation
A plan with good support where you can contact their doctors for telemedicine any time of the day

In this review article, I will break down everything you need to know about Cigna Healthcare plans for expats in Thailand, including cost, coverage, claim procedures, and much more. At the end of the review, you should be able to make an informed decision on whether it is a suitable health insurance plan for you.

Key Takeaways

Cigna Healthcare is not the cheapest option out there, but their total coverage and cost are good for expats in Thailand.
With Cigna Healthcare, you can visit any hospital in Thailand and have it covered.
The annual coverage of the Cigna Healthcare plan starts at US$1,000,000, which should be sufficient for getting treatment here.
All plans come with full coverage on cancer care, intensive care, and transplants.
There are many ways to customize your coverage, from area coverage to OPD and medical evacuation.
The basic plan doesn’t cover outpatient treatment and medical evacuation.
There are plenty of deductible and cost-share options.
It’s easy to make a claim using their apps.
If you contact Cigna Healthcare first, they can pay directly to a hospital.
They have a Thailand phone number for emergency assistance.
Premiums can vary greatly based on your options. You should expect to pay US$1,890 to US$5,283 for ages 40–49.
It is visa-compliant for Thailand visas.
You can use this form and get your personal quote directly from Cigna Healthcare.

What is Cigna Healthcare?

If you are from the US, you’re likely already familiar with Cigna.

Cigna Healthcare is a part of the Cigna Group, one of the biggest insurance companies from the United States. They’ve been in the market since 1982.

Here’s what this means:

They are the ones providing the insurance. For smaller companies, many are more like “insurance resellers” selling a plan written by bigger insurers.
They won’t go bankrupt easily since they’re large and have good financial records.
They are experienced in this field and have a wide network to help you find suitable doctors and hospitals.

Why Cigna Healthcare for Expats in Thailand

We’ve promoted Cigna Healthcare to expats in Thailand (and also worldwide) on ExpatDen since 2018. Based on what we’ve gathered, here’s what our readers like and dislike about them.

Here’s what they like the most about Cigna Healthcare:

Cigna Healthcare is considered a “premium” insurance in Thailand. In fact, doctors from top-tier hospitals in Thailand feel relieved when they know you have Cigna Healthcare. They can offer the best possible treatment and know the insurance should cover everything in full.
Hospitals in Thailand are familiar with Cigna Healthcare, making the process very quick. Many people reported getting a “Guarantee of Payment” from Cigna within a few hours after showing their Cigna card to a hospital.
Cigna’s plan has a starting coverage limit of US$1,000,000. This amount is sufficient for visiting any hospital in Thailand including top private hospitals such as Bumrungrad, Bangkok Hospital, or Samitivej Hospital, even for weeks in the ICU.
You can schedule a call with Cigna’s doctors through their app, helping you get prescriptions online or setting you up with a suitable hospital and doctor in Thailand.
Cigna’s support is great. They’re available 24/7, speak good English, and are helpful.

On the other hand, Cigna Healthcare isn’t perfect. Here’s what people dislike:

They can be slightly more expensive than other insurers with similar coverage.
You need to buy directly from Cigna Healthcare or through an international health insurance broker. This means if you’re hospitalized, you won’t receive a gift set like what Thai brokers often provide.

Overall, in my opinion, if you don’t mind paying slightly more and want a smooth experience when using your insurance, Cigna Healthcare is an interesting option.

Plan and Coverage

Cigna Healthcare has three main plans to choose from:

Silver – comes with a THB35,000,000 annual limit
Gold – comes with a THB70,000,000 annual limit
Platinum – comes with a THB150,000,000 annual limit

As an expat in Thailand, you only need the Silver plan. While it’s the starting plan, it’s sufficient for almost all types of treatment even if you visit premium hospitals in Thailand such as Bumrungrad Hospital or Bangkok Hospital, which are known to be the best and most expensive.

The highest cost of treatment I’ve heard of so far in Thailand is cardiac surgery at Bumrungrad Hospital that involved weeks of hospitalization. The total bill was THB15,000,000, still less than Cigna’s annual limit.

Here’s a list of sample coverage that Cigna Healthcare fully provides, as long as it’s within the THB35,000,000 annual limit:

Hospitalization
Private recovery room
X-rays
Doctor’s fees
Medications
ICU
Transplant
Kidney dialysis
Cancer care
Pandemics
Local and air ambulance
Unlimited telemedical consultations

To put it simply, you should expect Cigna Healthcare to pay for your treatment in full when it comes to hospitalization.

There is additional coverage with specific limits, including:

Emergency room treatment – US$500
Advanced Medical Imaging (MRI, CT, PET scans) – US$10,000
Rehabilitation (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc.) – US$5,000 up to 30 days
Chinese Medicine – US$1,500
Palliative Care – US$35,000
Mental Care – US$5,000
Newborn Care – US$25,000

While these treatments have specific limits, in my opinion, they are sufficient for Thailand. For example, an MRI at Bangkok Hospital, one of the most expensive hospitals in Thailand, costs around THB50,000 (US$1,700), well below Cigna’s limit.

Cigna also pays up to US$1,000 for a parent or guardian’s hospital accommodation and provides a US$100 cash benefit per night (up to 30 days) for hospitalization.

There are two main scenarios where you might want to upgrade to a higher plan:

You plan to get treatment in a country with expensive healthcare, such as Switzerland or the United States
You need more maternity benefits, since the Silver plan only includes newborn care and doesn’t cover complications or routine maternity care

What’s Not Covered

There is some coverage that’s not included in the main plans, but they are available as optional add-ons, including:

Outpatient Coverage
International Medical Evacuation
Health and Wellbeing (such as health check-ups)
Vision and Dental

In my opinion, it’s quite normal to see that outpatient coverage, health check-ups, vision, and dental aren’t included in the main plan since the majority of international health insurance providers also don’t include them in their basic plans.

However, I’m quite surprised to see that medical evacuation isn’t included in Cigna’s basic plan, since this coverage is normally included by other providers.

Anyway, it’s not a big issue for expats in Thailand since local and air ambulances are already covered, and the quality of hospitals in Thailand is great.

Area of Coverage

Cigna Healthcare Thailand plans can be split into three categories by area, namely:

All of Asia (excluding China, Hong Kong, and Singapore)
Worldwide excluding the USA
Worldwide

Your area of coverage increases with each plan, with the Asia package being the cheapest and the Worldwide being (naturally) the most expensive.

If you’re not much of a traveler and plan to spend most of your time in Thailand, you can probably save some money by just purchasing the Asia-only plan.

But in case you travel regularly outside of Asia, you should probably consider spending more on the wider-ranging options.

Out of Area Emergency Coverage

One great thing is that each plan also provides emergency coverage in case you need to get treatment in a country that isn’t included in your plan’s area of coverage.

Please note that it comes with a cap of US$100,000 (for the Silver plan) and only covers inpatient and daypatient treatment.

Additional Coverage

As mentioned earlier, additional coverage is available, including:

Outpatient treatment
Medical evacuation and repatriation
Health and wellbeing
Vision and dental

The limits vary based on your chosen plan (e.g. Silver, Gold, or Platinum). If your main plan is the Silver plan, your additional coverage will also be at the Silver level.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of each one for the Silver plan.

Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient treatment comes with the following annual limits and coverage:

Annual limit: US$15,000
Consultation: US$2,500
X-Ray: US$2,500
Outpatient Rehabilitation: US$5,000

Should you get it?
In my opinion, it’s normally not worth it. It’s usually cheaper to just visit the hospital and pay for outpatient treatment yourself.

Medical Evacuation and Repatriation

Medical evacuation and repatriation coverage is the same across all plans.Under the plan’s annual limit, you get full coverage for medical evacuation, medical repatriation, repatriation of mortal remains, and travel costs for an accompanying person.

You are also covered for travel costs for compassionate visits at US$1,200 per trip, up to 5 trips per lifetime. In addition, you get a living allowance of US$155, up to 10 days per visit.

Should you get it?
In general, no, most people don’t need it since local ambulance and air ambulance services are already included in the main plan.

There are two main scenarios where you might want to have it:

You travel abroad regularly
You may need to send your mortal remains home

Health and Wellbeing

The Health and Wellbeing package covers health check-ups, with a US$325 limit for each check-up, including:

Routine physical examination
Footcare (up to 5 sessions)
Cervical cancer screening
Prostate cancer screening
Breast cancer screening

Another great benefit of this add-on is that it comes with mental health support, allowing you to have face-to-face counselling services up to 20 times, 24/7.

Should you get it?

It’s totally optional. In general, it’s more affordable to just pay for the health check-up yourself. But including it in your health insurance plan gives you more “motivation” to get a health check-up every year.

Also, mental health support is becoming more important nowadays. I’ve seen more expats who need it. Sometimes, it’s because they are away from home. For some people, they suddenly develop a major illness and experience mental health issues because of it.

Vision and Dental

You can pay extra to get vision and dental coverage. Under the Silver plan, you’re covered for:

US$100 for an eye test
US$155 for spectacles
US$1,250 for dental work

While the vision care package should cover most eventualities, the dental package is likely to fall short if you need any intensive procedures such as a root canal in Thailand.

If you have a lot of dental problems, you might want to consider upgrading to the Gold plan (which covers around US$2,500) or the Platinum plan (which covers around US$5,500).

Please note that dental coverage has a waiting period of 3 to 18 months, and Cigna Healthcare doesn’t refund you in full. Instead, they offer a 40% to 80% refund depending on the plan and treatment.

Should you get it?
In general, no, you don’t need it. I’ve never heard anyone choose this coverage at all, either from Cigna or from other insurance providers. Even though I wear glasses myself, it’s just more convenient and cheaper to pay for them on my own.

Which Optional Coverage Should I Get?

To summarize:

Outpatient treatment isn’t that necessary since healthcare is affordable in Thailand
It can be a good idea to get medical evacuation coverage if you travel regularly
Health and Wellbeing is optional; go for it if you may have mental health issues or don’t want to skip yearly check-ups
Vision and Dental aren’t necessary for expats in Thailand at all

Additional Benefits

In addition to all this, all Cigna’s Thailand plans also offer:

Global Telehealth to help you get an initial consultation with a general practitioner within 24 hours
Access to the Cigna Wellbeing app to help you schedule a Global Telehealth call and manage your health information
A local Thailand phone number for emergency assistance

This is a useful feature that might not be offered easily by other international insurance providers.

In fact, Cigna Healthcare is known for their support, which is easily accessible and helpful.

They can quickly recommend which hospital and doctor you should go to, provide health advice, and process claims fast.

Which Hospital Should I Visit with Cigna Healthcare?

If you have Cigna Healthcare, I recommend visiting the best hospitals in Thailand. For example, if you are in Bangkok, you can go to Bumrungrad Hospital, Bangkok Hospital, Samitivej Hospital, or MedPark Hospital.

While they are also the most expensive options, the annual limit of US$1,000,000 is sufficient. However, it’s still a good idea to contact Cigna Healthcare in advance and get prior approval to avoid any surprises.

Pre-Existing Conditions

This came as a surprise to me. While the majority of insurance plans I know don’t include pre-existing conditions at all or have very strict exclusions, Cigna Healthcare, on the other hand, covers the following conditions, even if you developed them before getting insured:

Hypertension
Type 2 diabetes
Glaucoma
Arthritis
Joint or back pain
Osteoporosis/osteopenia

If you have other pre-existing conditions, and they aren’t serious or you haven’t had symptoms within a year or two, it’s possible that Cigna may cover them. It’s a good idea to check with them in writing.

Exclusions

There are certain exclusions that Cigna Healthcare won’t cover, but these are standard for any health insurance plan, including:

Pre-existing conditions (except the conditions listed in the earlier section)
Self-inflicted injuries
Cosmetic surgeries
Supplements
Medications not prescribed by your doctor

Tip: One thing I always do when applying for health insurance is to list out all medical conditions I have during the application, including what I’ve had in the past few years in detail. This way, I can find out on the spot what’s not covered in my plan based on my current health conditions.

Plans for Retirees in Thailand

In addition to the standard plans, Cigna Healthcare also has a cheaper plan aimed at retirees. It’s called the Close Care plan. It’s more affordable than the main plans but still comes with good coverage, including:

US$500,000 coverage limit
Coverage in your current residing country (which is Thailand in this case)
Coverage in your home country in case of emergency

The Close Care plan basically covers all necessary medical treatment as you would expect from a simple health insurance plan. While the coverage limit is lower than their standard plans, it’s still sufficient for Thailand and better than many insurance plans for retirees out there.

There are some important notes:

It covers semi-private rooms only for hospitalization
Only road ambulance is covered
It doesn’t cover the pre-existing conditions listed earlier (e.g. hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and more)

Deductible and Cost Share Options

To reduce the cost of your health insurance plan, there is a wide range of deductibles (from US$375 to US$10,000) and cost-sharing options (10%, 20%, 30%) that you can choose from.

You can choose to have both a deductible and cost-share at the same time. It’s also possible to apply a deductible and cost share for core coverage but not for optional coverage.

Personally, I would recommend using this feature to decrease the cost of your insurance, especially if you plan to use it mainly for inpatient health benefits.

Waiting Period

There’s a 3- to 24-month waiting period for the following treatments:

Maternity (12 months)
Cancer preventative surgery (12 months)
Major dental restorative (12 months)
Obesity treatment (24 months)

This is a standard practice for the majority of insurance plans I’ve seen so far.

Is It Easy to Make a Claim?

Yes.

In most cases, after you show your Cigna Healthcare card to a hospital, the hospital will contact Cigna on your behalf and handle the direct billing. Sometimes, you might not even see the bill at all.

In case you need to make a claim yourself, you can do it easily by uploading your bill and medical certificate to the Cigna Healthcare online member area. After that, you should expect to be reimbursed within five working days.

If you know ahead of time that you’re going to spend time in the hospital, it’s a good idea to contact Cigna support first and get pre-authorization for any medical treatment. During this time, Cigna might even be able to recommend and schedule a hospital and doctor for you.

Disadvantages

Cigna Healthcare is not perfect. There are two main disadvantages:

It can be more expensive than other providers, except for those who need US coverage.
If you need international medical evacuation coverage, it will cost extra.

So, if you are on a budget, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you want reliable insurance that actually pays and doesn’t remove you from the plan, Cigna Healthcare is a good option.

Should I Get It?

Cigna Healthcare is a good choice for expats in Thailand. Even their basic package is already comprehensive and sufficient for getting treatment at a good private hospital in Thailand.

In addition, Cigna Healthcare’s support is also good, and the company has a strong reputation. It won’t easily go bankrupt or suddenly cancel your plan.

You can explore their deductible and cost-share options to reduce your premium.

Which Plan Should I Get?

Here’s a quick summary to help you choose the best Cigna Healthcare Thailand plan:

The Silver Health plan is usually sufficient for most expats in Thailand. With this plan, you should be fully covered for normal private hospitals in Thailand for most medical treatments, even at Bumrungrad Hospital and Bangkok Hospital.
The Gold and Platinum Health plans are not necessary unless you want to get treatment elsewhere (such as your home country).
When it comes to area of coverage, if you’re looking to be covered for your stay in Thailand, it’s probably sensible to save money and opt for the Asia-only plan.
You can go with Worldwide excluding the USA if you want to get treatment in your home country or if you plan to travel regularly.
It’s probably not worth getting Worldwide coverage unless you are a U.S. citizen who needs coverage at home.
However, if you do decide to opt for worldwide coverage, Cigna Healthcare is generally considered affordable for international health insurance with US coverage.

How Much Does It Cost?

Since Cigna Healthcare Health Thailand plans are highly customizable, determining how much you need to pay may not be straightforward.

Here’s a rough estimate for the Silver Health plan:

Age 30 to 39: US$1,481 to US$3,909
Age 40 to 49: US$1,890 to US$5,283
Age 50 to 59: US$2,518 to US$6,927

Please note there are many factors that affect the price, including age, health conditions, area of coverage, coverage options, optional coverage, cost sharing, deductible, and so on.

To get a precise quote, you can fill out this form on the Cigna Healthcare website directly. After that, you should expect to receive a quote within 24 hours.

More Affordable Plans

If Cigna Healthcare is still out of your budget, you can look into Luma Health. They have various plans for expats in Thailand that are more affordable but also less comprehensive.

For example, their plans may come with an annual limit of 5,000,000 baht instead of the 35,000,000 baht offered by Cigna Healthcare. And they only pay for treatment in Asia, excluding Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan.

Alternatively, you can check out our expat health insurance comparison page.

Disclaimer

*While we try our best to provide you with up-to-date and accurate information, the volatile nature of the health insurance business means some of the information above may be subject to change. Please use the following information only as a guideline, and if you have any doubts, it’s best to check directly with Cigna Healthcare or an insurance broker.

We are not an insurance broker and can’t offer individualized advice. We can only connect you with people who we would consult in your situation, and who we found to be professional, knowledgeable, and ethical in their dealings with clients.

This said, it’s important to note that these providers sometimes provide us with financial incentive to refer new clients to them. This happens at no cost to you and helps us cover some of the expenses of running this website.

Please be aware that while we do our best to select the most suitable providers, we’re unable to provide any guarantees or accept any liability resulting from your interactions and transactions with our partners.