IPMI Benefit Modules
IPMI benefit modules are the combinable building blocks of an international health plan – in-patient cover as the core, supplemented by out-patient, dental, maternity, evacuation, vision and wellness modules – through which the scope, limits and premium of a plan are controlled.
Concept
International health plans are built as a kit of modules rather than a single benefit schedule. The mandatory core is the in-patient module: hospital and day-case treatment, surgery, intensive care, cancer therapy, hospital diagnostics and – depending on the plan – emergency treatment and rehabilitation. Modules can be added on top: out-patient (consultations, prescription drugs, physiotherapy, mental health), dental (routine and major treatment, usually with a waiting period), maternity (pregnancy and childbirth, typically only after a 10- to 12-month waiting period), vision, wellness or health and wellbeing (check-ups, vaccinations) and evacuation and crisis assistance. The Cigna Global policy rules, for instance, list International Outpatient, International Evacuation & Crisis Assistance Plus, International Health and Wellbeing and International Vision and Dental as optional modules; without the module the corresponding treatments are excluded.
Tiers and Limits
Within a module the scope is controlled through tiers (typically three, such as Silver/Gold/Platinum) that differ in the annual overall limit, sub-limits per benefit, waiting periods and cover for chronic conditions. Deductibles and percentage cost shares, often with an annual out-of-pocket cap, are layered on top. Many insurers keep the evacuation benefit outside the annual limit so that a transport does not exhaust the remaining cover.
Practical Note
For corporate plans the module mix is a cost lever: out-patient modules generate high-frequency claims, while maternity and dental are predictable and are often designed as voluntary options. Comparing insurers requires a line-by-line comparison at module and sub-limit level, because identical module names can describe very different benefit content.