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Many of us experience mental health problems in our lives, but this is particularly true for expats moving or living abroad. That’s why our plans cover mental health consultations and treatment.
Natalie Harris
International Policy Services & Retention Manager
International mental health insurance is a type of insurance designed specifically for expats living away from their home country.
The key feature of mental health insurance is that is provides cover for mental health treatment and support such as therapy, psychiatric consultations, and medication.
Living in a different country often leads to isolation and the removal of traditional support networks, such as friends and family. Language and cultural differences can compound these difficulties.
Our survey shows that expats are at higher risk of experiencing mental health issues than people living in their home country. Living and working in a different country means isolation from traditional support networks such as friends and family. Zoom is better than nothing, but it’s nowhere near physical proximity.
When you buy health insurance, the mental health benefits give you cover for mental health treatment. That’s why our international health plans give you benefits to help deal with expat life’s unseen challenges.
While many countries require expats to purchase international health insurance, the authorities in those countries are not usually thinking about mental health support. They’re thinking more about the additional strain expats might place on hospitals and clinics for cancer or heart disease. It’s worth thinking about what mental health support you might need while you’re living and working abroad – particularly if good mental health support is only available privately.
Here are some common mental health conditions that health plans cover:
With awareness of mental health issues now more prevalent than ever before and the mounting pressures of everyday life, it’s becoming increasingly important for you to take care of your psychological well being.
From making changes to our diets to carving out more time for self-care, many of us are now taking active steps in an effort to improve our overall health and wellbeing. Investment in mental healthcare is highly likely to add to average happiness.
There is no telling how the experience of moving to or living in another country can affect someone. Every expat’s experience is different, but some of the unique factors that increase an expat’s risk of mental health issues include:
Living abroad may cause someone to feel ‘out of touch’ with themselves.
Experience things that make expats feel ostracised from their new chosen societies.
Adapting to language becomes a cause of new stress in itself.
Moving to a foreign country often feels highly precarious.
We take our members’ mental health seriously. Whether you need admission to a mental health unit or consultations with a psychiatrist, your health plan gives you the cover you need.
Mental health treatment is available with our Bronze, Silver and Gold health plans. Each plan has a different lifetime limit. For example, when you purchase international health insurance with us, we give you lifetime cover up to US$100,000 on the Gold plan. Here are the main mental health benefits that our plans give you:
Treatment for mental health you receive in the mental health unit of a hospital.
Mental health treatment you receive from a registered psychiatrist, psychologist or counsellor.
Specialist medication for mental health that a doctor prescribes for you.
It’s important that you know what isn’t covered by this mental health benefit. If you have any questions about coverage, please call one of our policy advisors for help. Here are some exclusions:
Here’s a breakdown of what is and what isn’t covered for mental health care in each of our plans:
Bronze
SilverLite
Silver
Gold
Please refer to your plan agreement for full cover details.
We’ve put together some example prices for our health plans that include cover for mental health issues. These benefits are core parts of our health plans; there isn’t an option to remove them. When it comes to calculating prices, there are lots of factors we take into account (e.g., your age, where you live).
Bronze plan
SilverLite plan
Silver plan
Gold plan
*Monthly premium for a 30-year-old man living in Vietnam, with a US$250 per annum excess and Zone 2 cover.
We’ve made it as easy as possible for you to claim for mental health treatment, and you can call one of our policy advisors at any time for help. To claim, simply tell us by following these steps:
Step 1
Download our claims form by clicking on the link below.
Step 2
Complete the form and send it back to us at claims@william-russell.com.
Step 3
Once we have assessed your claim, we’ll be in touch to confirm the next steps.
We take mental health seriously. Whether you need admission to a mental health unit or consultations with a psychiatrist, you’ll get a health plan with the cover you need, even if you need mental health support as a result of other medical conditions.
That’s why, as a William Russell member, your plan includes many other opportunities to call on mental health support, especially at critical life moments. Plus, you’ll have help and support from a team of real people with our trademark personalised service.
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The quickest way to reach us is by email.
Insurance is about trust, so we believe in being fair and open. We’re not just an insurance provider, we’re a healthcare partner. Find out what our members are saying.
We want to provide you with an insurance policy you can rely on, so it is important that you fully understand the scope of the cover we provide. Answers to the most common questions on mental health cover are here, but feel free to get in touch and speak to our team. We’d be glad to help.
Yes, your policy will cover treatment for medical conditions such as anxiety and depression under the control of a registered psychiatrist, psychologist or counsellor after the 12-month waiting period has expired.
Depression and anxiety disorders can majorly impact a person’s day-to-day life. Due to its complex nature, these mental health disorders can be tricky for insurers to assess risk on. After all, they cover a large group of related conditions.
Depression and anxiety tend to impact work and other important areas of functioning – owing to poor sleep, muscle tension and constantly feeling on edge – that could give rise to a claim.
If you have a history of mental illness, you must let us know when you apply for a policy. We usually exclude pre-existing medical conditions from cover.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event.
The most common groups of individuals who can suffer from PTSD include those who work in emergency services and the military. However, it can also be experienced by people from many other walks of life.
PTSD is one of the most common mental health disorders after depression – both are among the leading causes of disability worldwide.
If you have a history of PTSD, you must let us know when you apply for a policy. We usually exclude pre-existing medical conditions from cover.
A waiting period is the time you must be a member with William Russell before you can claim on a certain benefit.
Most benefits on our plans don’t have a waiting period, but the benefits for mental health treatment have a waiting period of 12 months. That means you must be a member for 12 months before you can start to claim on these benefits.
Yes. You must seek our pre-authorisation before you receive treatment for outpatient treatment. There’s a simple online form that you need to fill out.
Pre-existing mental health conditions are mental health diseases, illnesses or disorders that are present (whether diagnosed or not) before you purchase your health plan, for which:
You are not covered for treatment related to any pre-existing medical conditions unless we have agreed otherwise.
As with any type of mental illness, it’s crucial you disclose your illness at the time of applying so that the right cover can be set for you.
If you don’t declare it, you risk voiding your cover and the insurer can refuse to pay out when you or your beneficiaries make a claim. This applies whether your condition exists or has done in the past.
Yes, we provide mental health support for cancer diagnoses and additional counselling consultations for expats who have received cancer treatment (where pre-authorised).
This helps to cover up to 10 consultations, plus drugs prescribed by a medical doctor for patients who have received cancer treatment covered by the same plan.
In most cases, we can only provide insurance to expats. By expat, we mean people living and working outside of their country of nationality (e.g., a Dutch national living in Taiwan or a Canadian national living in India).
Typically, our members reside permanently in a foreign country. But we can sometimes provide cover to people expecting to spend at least 6 months of the year living or travelling abroad. In certain countries, we can cover people living in the same country that issues their passport. These countries are Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius, Estonia and Malawi.
We can provide plans to people of all nationalities in most countries around the world. You must be under age 70 when your plan starts, and you must be living or working in a country different from your country of nationality.
All the benefits on this webpage are per member per policy year, unless we state otherwise. We show the benefit limits in US dollars, but we can also denominate your policy in pounds sterling or Euros. You won’t find complete information for our plans on this webpage, nor the full T&Cs, limitations, and exclusions that would apply if you purchase a health insurance policy. You can find complete information in the plan agreement, which we suggest you read together with this webpage. We work hard to ensure the information we provide on this webpage is accurate and up-to-date, but inaccuracies are possible. We rectify errors as soon as we become aware of them. The T&Cs that apply to your policy are those found in your plan agreement.
At William Russell, we have over 30 years’ experience of helping expatriates move abroad and settle into their new lives overseas by providing world-class international health insurance.
Joe Holden Global Relationship Manager
If you’re ready to see prices for health insurance, click on ‘Get a Quote’ below to head on over to our online quote tool.
We’ll ask you a few details (your age, your location), and then we’ll show you prices—it only takes a few minutes!
A couple of days after you’ve received you quote, Joe will email or call you to find out how we can help you further. Joe won’t bug you, and you can opt out at any time.
It’s filled with handy information and tips for expats.
We were one of the first insurance providers to cover people living abroad, and we’ve earned a reputation for our wonderful customer service.
The insurer behind our policies is part of the Allianz group
We’re proud of our award-winning service and our members rate it highly
You will get your own dedicated adviser when you join
If you’re not happy with your health insurance policy or the service we provide, and you haven’t yet made a claim, then we’ll refund the premium you’ve paid—no questions asked.
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