International health insurance products for Russian market

Leading Russian insurer, Ingosstrakh and Bupa International, the world's largest expatriate health insurer, has announced a partnership which brings together Ingosstrakh's local knowledge in Russia with Bupa's global healthcare expertise.

Ingosstrakh will offer a range of health insurance products for expatriates working in Russia and Russian citizens employed abroad, which will be administered by Bupa International.

The partnership offers expatriates and Russian residents complete peace of mind about their health when working overseas and a health insurer they can rely upon to provide comprehensive benefits together with high quality service. Customers and their families can be confident they are adequately covered for medical care and can access the most appropriate healthcare and treatment as and when they need it, wherever they are in the world.

Customers can be treated in any one of Bupa International's network of over 5,500 independent participating hospitals and clinics worldwide, or in any recognised hospital or clinic of their choice.

Keith Biddlestone, managing director of Bupa International said: "We will be there for customers every step of the way, from the moment they call to let us know they need treatment to helping them find the closest suitable hospital - we will even make appointments on their behalf - so they can focus on getting better."

Bupa International's multi-lingual, medically trained team is available 24 hours a day to help with any health-related questions or concerns. Claims for treatment will usually be settled directly with hospitals so customers do not need to pay up front or deal with paperwork and administration.

Products are available for business (Company) and individual (Lifeline) customers offering three levels of cover (Essential, Classic and Gold) with a range of benefits up to 2m USD a year. The cost depends on where a customer lives and their age. Each product may cover a wide range of conditions including some which are chronic and often not traditionally covered by most health insurance companies such as treatment for HIV/AIDS, transplant services, oncology and psychiatric treatment. The top level of cover also includes cover for family doctor consultations, home nursing, rehabilitation after in-patient treatment, vaccinations and prescribed drugs and dressings. Additional benefits, such as evacuation and repatriation options, are available for customers who need access to the most appropriate treatment, wherever they are in the world, should it not be available locally.

Specific products for people working in the oil and gas and maritime (Oil and Gas, Maritime) industries will soon be available.

Alexander Grigoriev, general director of Ingosstrakh said: "We chose Bupa as our partner with more than 60 years' experience, over 800,000 expatriate customers in 190 countries and established relations with thousands of medical facilities all over the world that are ready to provide our clients with appropriate medical treatment. We are happy to offer our clients access to modern medical benefits and world level service".

Keith Biddlestone said: "This is an exciting opportunity for both Ingosstrakh and Bupa International. We are pleased to be working with such a well-established and respected company in Russia. We look forward to a long and successful relationship which will deliver the best possible health insurance for customers."