How we review international health insurers

Method last updated: October 28, 2026

Our insurer reviews and the overview of international health insurance companies follow one written method. It exists because we earn money from one plan and write about its competitors. The rules below keep that conflict visible and limit what it can influence.

Where do our facts come from?

Every fact about an insurer comes from that insurer's own published documents: the policy wording or policy rules, the table of benefits, the product information document (IPID) where one exists, the application form, an official price list if one is published, and the legal notice that names the insuring company. For each fact we record the document title, its edition or version code, the date we read it and the page or clause. Those records sit in a fact sheet for each review, and the page names its documents in plain text under "Where these facts come from".

We do not use brokers, blogs, forums, review platforms or quote engines as sources. If a document does not answer a question, the page says "not stated" and names the document, rather than filling the gap. If an insurer does not publish its policy wording at all, we do not write that review.

Which criteria do we use?

Every review uses the same 16 rows, in the same order, and the plan we are paid for appears in the same table with its own limits written at the same level of detail.

Long-term plans for people living abroad are compared only with other long-term plans. Nomad and travel-medical products are a different product type and get a separate table that opens by saying so. Every limit or exclusion is written as a neutral fact with its document and clause, and each review lists at least as many limits of Care Expat World as of the insurer under review.

In what order are insurers listed?

Alphabetically, from A to Z, in every list and every multi-insurer table. Above each such table we print: "Listed alphabetically. Order does not reflect quality or commission." Care Expat World is not pinned to the top. If we ever used a different order, we would publish its parameters and weights next to the list.

Why are there no scores, stars or customer reviews?

We cannot defend a points system, and a publisher with one paying partner cannot rank neutrally. So our pages contain no scores, stars, verdicts, award labels, "winner" badges or statements about which plan fits which reader. We also publish no user reviews, testimonials or ratings from review platforms, for any insurer, because we cannot verify them. We describe plan design in the insurer's own words and leave the choice to the reader or a licensed broker.

Does any insurer we review pay this site?

No. Our only insurance income is the referral commission from Care Concept AG for Care Expat World, and every review uses the same fixed criteria and only the insurer's own documents.

Who pays us?

One company: Care Concept AG may pay us a referral commission if a reader takes out Care Expat World, a plan insured by Barmenia, through our link. No other insurer pays us, and we have no business relationship with any of them. A customer pays the same price either way. Each review opens with a box that names the payer and states that the reviewed insurer does not pay us. Insurer names appear in text only, to identify the products; we use no insurer logos, brand colours or screenshots. Our full arrangement is described on how we are paid.

How do we handle prices?

A price appears only if the insurer publishes its own public price list or premium table, and then with the document, its date and the exact profile (age, area, deductible). Where no list is published, the page says that the price depends on age and area and that quotes come from the insurer. We never set a published list against estimates for another insurer.

How can an insurer or a reader correct us?

Any insurer we write about, and any reader, can send a correction to [email protected]. Please name the page, the statement and the document that shows the right answer. We check the request against the insurer's own documents and, where we were wrong, fix the page within 10 working days. Every change is listed with its date in the "Changes" list at the foot of the page concerned.

How often are facts checked?

Each review shows a "Facts checked" date. We re-check every review at least every six months, and within 30 days of learning about a new policy wording edition or price list. A review whose facts are more than 12 months old is taken out of search until it has been checked again.

What our reviews are not

They are information, not insurance advice or a recommendation to buy any plan. We are neither an insurer nor a broker. For a personal recommendation, ask a licensed insurance broker or adviser. Company details are in our imprint, and the wider editorial approach of the site is on the about and methodology page.