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Cigna Global vs IMG Global (GPMI), benefit by benefit

A tiered plan with fine cost control against a modular pay-for-what-you-need one. IPMIBenefits reads Cigna Global and IMG's Global Prima benefit by benefit, so you can see which insurer states what for maternity, dental, outpatient, evacuation and chronic conditions.

At a glance

Where each one wins

Cigna's edge is fine-grained control and chronic care. A cost share of 0% to 30% plus an out-of-pocket cap lets you tune the premium precisely, and the nurse-led Chronic Condition Management programme adds proactive support for conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Cancer care sits in the inpatient core on every tier.

IMG's edge is modularity and underwriting breadth. Dental and routine maternity are optional on all five tiers, so you do not pay for them unless you need them, and IMG lists one of the widest sets of underwriting routes in international private medical insurance (IPMI): Full Medical Underwriting, Moratorium, CPME and, for eligible company or group schemes, Medical History Disregarded, where pre-existing conditions can be set aside entirely.

The structural difference shapes how you compare them. With Cigna you choose a tier and then modules; with IMG you choose a tier and then switch on dental or maternity with their waiting periods. Our guide to annual limits, sub-limits and waiting periods covers the timing side of that decision.

Benefit by benefit

What each insurer publishes for the eight benefits IPMIBenefits tracks: Cigna from its plans-in-detail and optional-benefits pages (read 19 October 2026), IMG from its published summary. Silence is recorded as silence.

• Maternity: IMG offers routine maternity as an optional add-on on all five tiers with a 10-month waiting period. Cigna: routine maternity on Gold (US$7,000) and Platinum (US$14,000), not on Silver, once the mother has been covered for 12 months; Cigna notes the wait may be 24 months depending on where treatment occurs; it also publishes a newborn rule: no underwriting, waiting period or congenital exclusion if a parent has been covered for 12 months or more and you apply within 30 days.
• Dental and optical: IMG's dental is optional on every plan for an extra premium, with a 6-month wait and accidental damage covered immediately. Cigna offers the optional International Vision and Dental module: annual dental maximum US$1,250, US$2,500 or US$5,500 (Silver, Gold, Platinum), with 3-month waits for preventative and routine treatment and 12 months for major restorative; eye test up to US$100, US$200 or paid in full, and lenses and frames up to US$155, US$200 or US$310. Optical is not stated on IMG's summary.
• Outpatient: Cigna provides GP and specialist consultations, diagnostics and prescriptions by tier or module, with most outpatient treatment free of pre-approval. IMG's out-patient cover is in the core and scales by tier.
• Mental health: Cigna: inpatient and daypatient mental and behavioural health on Silver (US$5,000, up to 30 days), Gold (US$10,000, up to 60 days) and Platinum (paid in full, up to 90 days); the optional International Health and Wellbeing module adds up to 20 face-to-face counselling sessions per condition. Not stated on IMG's summary.
• Cancer care: always included in Cigna's inpatient and day-patient core. Not itemised on IMG's summary, where inpatient and day-patient hospital treatment is the core.
• Medical evacuation and repatriation: Cigna's optional International Evacuation & Crisis Assistance Plus module. Not stated on IMG's summary.
• Chronic conditions: Cigna's nurse-led programme is the published management benefit. With IMG, cover for an existing condition comes down to the underwriting route, and the range of routes is its strength, including MHD for groups.
• Wellness and health checks: Cigna's optional International Health & Wellbeing module. Not stated on IMG's summary.

Claims and direct billing

Cigna's in-network outpatient visits can often be billed directly when you present the Cigna Healthcare ID card, and most outpatient treatment needs no prior authorisation. IMG works through pre-authorisation: planned inpatient or day-patient treatment should be authorised no later than five working days before admission, after which IMG issues a Guarantee of Payment to the hospital and settles directly. Servicing runs through the MyIMG / MyALC portal with a 24-hour helpline and WhatsApp.

On cost control, Cigna's deductible, cost share and out-of-pocket cap give three levers; IMG works with deductible options. Our guide to excess, deductible and cost sharing explains the difference in a claim year.

Which should you choose?

Read the full breakdowns: Cigna Global guide · IMG Global (GPMI) guide.

FAQ

General information, not personal or medical advice. Based on each insurer’s plan documentation; exact terms, limits and underwriting are confirmed at quote. Prices are indicative. Cigna and IMG names and logos are the property of their respective owners.