Using Your International Insurance in China: The 60-Day Action Checklist from Policy to Reimbursement

This guide is for readers who already hold an international health insurance policy and are travelling in 2 to 8 weeks. If you have not bought yet and are still comparing 5 insurers, skip this one; start with the International insurance buying guide, use its decision tool to pick a product type, then come back.

This guide starts from "you already hold a policy." Over the 8 weeks before departure, how do you turn that policy into something that actually works on the day? Where does the direct-billing card get stuck on admission day? What documents do you have to file in the 30 to 60 days after discharge? We lay out the workflow, the timeline, and the checklist of items to verify when making decisions; the final claim outcome is shared between you, the hospital, the insurer, and (when necessary) an independent regulator.

🎯 How to read this: Start with the 60-day timeline in §1 to confirm what you should be doing now; if any item is unclear, run through the "Claim readiness self-check" tool at the top of the page; then jump to the corresponding section for the missing items.

8 milestones from 60 days before to 60 days after

After you buy an international health policy, most readers go through a 30 to 60 day silent window doing nothing until they reach the trip. Two weeks before departure they suddenly realise: the complete policy document hasn't arrived, it's unclear whether the target hospital is on the direct-billing network, and no one has flagged the procedures that need pre-authorization.

This section tries to turn that silent window into 8 actionable checkpoints.

The specific action at each milestone:

The sections below follow this timeline.

Verifying your policy: marketing summary vs policy schedule

🎯 Key point: When you bought the policy you received a 2 to 4 page marketing summary, but the document that actually pays out claims is the 30 to 60 page complete policy schedule. The gap between the two can decide how much money you get back this time.

International health insurance comes with two documents, and most readers have only seen one.

The first is the marketing summary your broker or insurer's website sent: a 2 to 4 page colour PDF saying "comprehensive coverage," "global network," "easy claims."

The second is the complete policy schedule, usually a 30 to 60 page black-and-white PDF with each benefit followed by sub-limits, co-insurance, frequency caps, and waiting period status. The gap between these two documents determines how much money you actually recover.

A common gap: the marketing summary says "dental included," the policy schedule says "basic dental capped at USD $500 per policy year, implants and orthodontics excluded, trauma cases require supplementary evidence." You assume USD $3,000 of implants will be largely reimbursed; in reality only the $500 worth of exams and cleaning is covered, and the implants are entirely out of pocket.

This is not deception; it is the inevitable compression and omission of a marketing summary. But you must close this gap before any money leaves your pocket.

5 dimensions most often simplified

How to verify

Download the policy schedule PDF and use Ctrl + F to search for the English keywords for your target treatment (e.g. implant, IVF, MRI). Read 5 lines of context around each hit. Then search for sub-limit, limit, co-pay, waiting period, and exclusion.

Copy those passages into a Word or Google Doc and build your own "known boundaries" list. That list is the starting point for your next call with the broker.

What if you can't get the policy schedule

If the other side only sends the marketing summary or keeps stalling, send this email:

A normal response arrives in 1 to 3 business days. Repeated stalling or summary-only replies are themselves a signal: the buying-stage disclosure was incomplete. See Buying guide §4 five-dimension differences.

Pre-authorization: aligning ICD-10 codes inside a 2 to 4 week window

🎯 Key point: The most common cause of pre-authorization failure is not "the insurer doesn't cover this treatment" but a mismatch between the ICD-10 codes the hospital uses to bill and the codes filed in your pre-authorization request. Lock this down before the treatment happens.

Pre-authorization is the insurer's advance approval of your planned treatment. Most annual international plans specify in the contract that any non-emergency treatment above a threshold (typically USD $500 to $2,000, varying by insurer) must be pre-authorized; without it, even at a network hospital, the insurer is entitled to deny or partially deny the post-treatment claim as "unauthorized treatment."

Large outpatient items such as MRI, oncology chemotherapy, IVF, and complex dental work fall under the same rule.

The core of pre-authorization is coding

Pre-authorization works by describing your treatment in the international ICD-10 (disease classification) and CPT (procedure classification) codes, so the insurer's underwriter can match your diagnosis to the planned treatment, judge reasonableness, check that it falls within coverage, and confirm the sub-limit is sufficient. The full process runs 2 to 4 weeks.

4 typical reasons pre-authorization fails

Reason 1: ICD codes don't line up. Your broker submits pre-authorization with the diagnosis "Z98.81 dental implant status" and the insurer approves it. But when the hospital actually performs the procedure they bill "K08.121 partial edentulism due to caries" plus "Y83.4 prosthetic implant." The insurer's system compares the authorized codes to the billed codes, sees a mismatch, and treats the case as "unauthorized treatment."

How to handle it: At the pre-authorization stage, have the broker and the hospital international office talk to each other and obtain the full list of ICD and CPT codes the hospital will actually bill, then have the broker include every one of those codes in the pre-authorization request and do a cross-map. The authorization letter is only complete when it carries the full code list.

Reason 2: Pre-existing condition deemed related. You disclosed hypertension from 5 years ago; this trip is for cervical spine surgery. The broker submits pre-authorization, and the insurer's underwriter decides cervical surgery is related to your prior blood pressure history, applies the 2-year pre-existing condition waiting period, and partially denies the claim.

How to handle it: This finding is sometimes unreasonable. You can submit a supplementary letter from the attending physician explicitly stating there is no medical correlation. Around 30% of these denials reverse after supplementary documentation.

Reason 3: Out-of-network hospital. Your chosen hospital is not in the insurer's network (or recently left). The insurer defaults to 70% out-of-network reimbursement plus your differential.

How to handle it: Switch to a network hospital (if clinical quality is acceptable), or accept the 30% co-pay (calculate total out-of-pocket in advance). Never go out-of-network without notifying the insurer, or the claim will be denied entirely as "unauthorized."

Reason 4: Procedure exceeds the sub-limit. Your implant costs USD $3,000 per tooth, but the policy implant sub-limit is USD $1,500 per tooth. The insurer pre-authorizes up to $1,500 and you pay the rest.

How to handle it: Establish this cap before the hospital issues the bill. Have the hospital prepare the invoice in "insurer pays $1,500 + patient pays the difference" format; don't wait until after discharge.

After the authorization letter arrives

Once pre-authorization is approved you receive a written authorization letter containing:

• Authorization number
• List of approved treatments
• Per-item limits
• Validity period (usually 30 to 90 days)
• Hospital information

Print 3 copies of this letter: one for your records, one to hand to the hospital international office on admission day, one as backup. The authorization number is the thread that ties direct billing and reimbursement together; losing it means restarting the entire process.

Verifying direct billing on the ground: make this call a week before arrival

🎯 Key point: "The hospital is in the insurer's network" does not equal "this admission can run on direct billing." There are 4 layers of uncertainty in between, and you must lock them down with a three-way call 14 days before arrival.

Direct billing is the most valuable and most unstable feature of an international health policy. The promise is: the hospital sits in the insurer's network; on admission you only present ID and the authorization letter; the hospital and insurer settle all charges directly; you don't prepay a cent.

In practice there are 4 layers of uncertainty, any one of which can result in being told on discharge day "direct billing isn't possible today, please pay in full first."

4 layers of uncertainty

Layer 1: the network layer. Being listed in the insurer's global network does not mean this admission will run on direct billing. The hospital might be in a settlement-delay dispute with the insurer over the past 90 days and the channel is temporarily suspended; your policy tier may not include direct billing (only a higher tier does); or the hospital's international office may require a self-pay first claim, with direct billing only available from the second claim onwards. None of this is on the marketing page; only a phone call surfaces it.

Layer 2: linkage to pre-authorization. Direct billing is tied to pre-authorization. You must have the authorization letter first; only the treatments listed in it can be direct-billed. Items added during treatment that fall outside that scope (even a single additional vial of medication during surgery) usually fall outside direct billing too, and require on-the-spot supplementary authorization or a switch to self-pay.

Layer 3: outpatient and low-value items. Most annual international plans only direct-bill inpatient stays and large outpatient items (MRI, CT, oncology, day-surgery admissions). Small outpatient items (follow-ups, lab tests, routine medications) are usually self-pay first then reimbursed; they don't go through direct billing.

Layer 4: settlement delays or suspensions. Even when all conditions are met, the settlement channel may be unavailable on your admission day due to technical issues or insurer policy changes. This is normally surfaced when the hospital's international office confirms your booking, but only if you ran the three-way call 14 days in advance.

Three-way call script

Schedule a three-way call between 14 and 30 days before departure. Participants: you, the insurer's claims line (not the sales line), the hospital international office.

The goal of the call is not to ask "can I direct-bill?" That broad question gets a broad answer. Ask these 5 specific questions:

1. My authorization number is XXXX, admission date YYYY-MM-DD, treatment ZZZZ. For this hospital, this admission, this treatment, is direct billing available?
2. Is the direct-billing channel currently active? Have there been any settlement delays or suspensions in the past 30 days?
3. On admission day, what original documents do I need to bring? What can be photocopies?
4. If the physician adds items during surgery beyond the authorized scope, how is that handled? On-the-spot supplementary authorization or switch to self-pay?
5. At discharge, what are the steps in the settlement flow between hospital and insurer? What documents do I need to sign?

Have all three parties state their answers on the line. Take notes or (with consent) record. After the call, have the hospital international office email you and the broker confirming the three-way agreement in writing.

If the international office is unwilling to send that email, that itself is a signal: this hospital's direct billing execution may be unstable on the day; prepare a self-pay contingency.

Admission day

At the admissions desk, proactively present a photocopy of the authorization letter and explicitly state direct billing; don't let them open a self-pay account. The English line:

This single sentence determines the type of account that will follow you for the next 7 days. Once opened as self-pay, switching mid-stay requires an account amendment workflow that takes at least 24 to 48 extra hours.

If the desk says "direct billing isn't available today," don't argue with the on-site staff (most of whom are administrators, not decision-makers). Do two things:

• Ask the desk for the written reason for refusal (even a handwritten note)
• Simultaneously dial the insurer's claims line on a three-way line so the insurer can speak directly with the desk

Around 60% of on-the-spot refusals resolve once the insurer joins the line. The remaining 40% are genuine channel issues; in that case, decide on the spot to take the self-pay-then-reimburse route.

Fapiao and itemized bills: 4 traps on the China side

🎯 Key point: Of the three types of fapiao on the China side, only one suits overseas insurance reimbursement. On discharge day, proactively request a bilingual itemized bill; reissuing it 1 to 2 weeks later pushes you past the claim deadline.

There are 3 main types of medical receipts on the China side, and only 1 is suitable for overseas insurance reimbursement. This is familiar territory for domestic readers but completely foreign to international ones, and it is the most common reason for claim rejection.

3 types of fapiao

General VAT invoice: the standard receipt for most self-pay consumption. Says "medical services" plus a total amount, with no line-item detail. Almost no overseas insurer accepts this on its own as a reimbursement document, because it doesn't show what the money was spent on.

Special VAT invoice: mainly used for corporate reimbursement; not relevant to personal overseas insurance claims.

Medical billing receipt (also called "medical institution settlement voucher"): the actual medical expense document, containing the Chinese name of each charge, quantity, unit price, total, usually categorised into drugs, examinations, treatment, surgery, inpatient, and other. This is the core document overseas insurers recognise.

But a single medical billing receipt is usually not enough; overseas insurers also need an itemized bill as an attachment.

What an itemized bill is

An itemized bill is an English (or Chinese-English bilingual) line-by-line bill: each line lists the item name (Chinese and English), the ICD-10 or CPT code, quantity, unit price, total, and date.

For example, instead of "inpatient medications RMB 8,500" it reads:

Cefuroxime axetil 250mg tablet × 28 = RMB 320
Insulin glargine 100U/mL × 1 vial = RMB 380
…

The insurer's claims reviewer uses the itemized bill to compare against the pre-authorization scope, judge whether tests are duplicated or unreasonable, and decide whether each line is covered under the policy.

4 common traps

Trap 1: not requesting the itemized bill on discharge day. Most Chinese hospital admin offices default to a "medical billing receipt" plus a one-page "inpatient expense summary," and the two together still lack the granularity needed.

Communicate with admin at the time of admission. The English line (if you're at an international medical office):

JCI hospitals (such as Beijing United Family, Shanghai Jiahui, Shanghai United Family) usually have ready-made English templates and can deliver in 3 to 7 days; general hospital international offices may need admin to compile manually, taking 2 to 4 weeks. The latter risks pushing you past the 60-day deadline.

Trap 2: drug names only in Chinese. Overseas claims reviewers can't read Chinese drug names. Request that the itemized bill include international non-proprietary names (INN) or English brand names. If the hospital won't translate, include your own reference table in the claim package, mapping each Chinese drug name to its INN and dosage. The WHO ATC coding system is public and useful for verification.

Trap 3: surgical fees merged onto a single line. Overseas insurers require surgical fees broken out into 5 components:

• Surgeon fee
• Anesthesia fee
• Facility fee
• Consumables
• Implants

If the hospital's Chinese billing is merged, ask them to split it by estimated ratio (surgeon ~30% / anesthesia ~15% / facility ~25% / consumables ~20% / implants at actual cost). Hospital admin usually cooperates because it doesn't affect their actual revenue.

Trap 4: take-home medication fapiao issued separately. Take-home oral medication usually flows through the pharmacy window separately, and the fapiao you pick up there needs to be the itemized version. Many readers bundle it with the inpatient summary as a single claim, but overseas insurers usually separate inpatient and outpatient pharmacy sub-limits.

Discharge checkout package

At discharge, ask admin to package everything together:

• Medical billing receipt
• Bilingual itemized bill
• English discharge summary
• Pathology report (if applicable)
• Imaging reports (if applicable)
• Prescription details

Most JCI hospitals can email an electronic package within 5 to 10 days of discharge; general hospital international offices need you to nominate a single on-site contact for follow-up.

Self-pay then reimburse back home: 60-day window and cross-currency rates

🎯 Key point: The claim submission deadline is a hard cutoff; miss it by a day and the entire claim is denied. Large cross-currency claims routinely lose 4% to 5% to FX slippage, and up to 7% to 10% in extreme cases.

If direct billing doesn't work, or if you bought a single-trip travel medical policy without a direct billing feature, the path is self-pay first, then reimburse on return (or in your home country). The two key variables on this path are the 60-day deadline and the cross-currency exchange rate.

Deadlines

Most annual international plans set the claim submission deadline at 60 or 90 days from discharge:

Refer to your own policy schedule for the exact number. Short-term travel medical policies have tighter windows, typically 30 days from discharge.

This window is a hard cutoff. Submitting one day late means the entire claim is denied with no remedy.

On discharge day, work the timeline backwards:

• 7 days after discharge: collect the full set of receipts
• 14 days after discharge: translations complete
• 21 days after discharge: claim package assembled
• 30 days after discharge: submit

The remaining 30 to 60 days are buffer for supplementary materials.

Claim package

Standard contents of a claim package (synthesised from the public claims guides of 5 major insurers):

1. Claim form (each insurer's own PDF; download, complete, sign, scan)
2. Medical billing receipt (Chinese original, scanned)
3. Bilingual itemized bill (the itemized version issued at discharge)
4. English discharge summary
5. Pathology or imaging reports (if applicable)
6. Prescription details (with INN names)
7. Bank account information (the account you want the reimbursement paid into; mind the currency)
8. Copy of pre-authorization letter (if any)
9. Scans of passport bio page plus China visa page
10. (Some insurers) attending physician statement

Bundle these 10 items as a numbered-file PDF or zip with filename Claim-YYYYMMDD-PolicyNumber-LastName.zip.

Submit by the insurer's preferred method: most accept email to claims@insurer.com style addresses, or upload to a client portal. Keep the send receipt; claims reviewers don't always confirm receipt promptly, and the send receipt is your proof that "I submitted within 30 days of discharge."

Two hidden costs of cross-currency claims

You self-paid RMB 80,000 in China, the insurer reimburses 60 days later in USD using the exchange rate on the day the claim is received. Two problems.

Problem 1: timing. From your payment (e.g. 2026-04-15) to the insurer receiving the claim (e.g. 2026-06-10), the rate itself can move 2% to 5%. RMB normally fluctuates 4% within the 7.0 to 7.3 range. If you happen to catch a USD strengthening period, RMB 80,000 at the payment-day rate is USD $11,300, but at the claim-receipt-day rate becomes USD $10,800, a 4.5% gap.

This is market risk that cannot be eliminated, but it can be partially hedged by submitting the claim faster (14 days after discharge instead of 30).

Problem 2: FX spread. What exchange rate does the insurer use? Most claim to use the interbank mid-market rate, but in practice add a 1% to 3% spread. The relevant clauses live in the "currency conversion" or "foreign currency claims" sections of the policy schedule (search those two English terms). On RMB 80,000 a 1.5% spread is another USD $170.

Two options to reduce cross-currency loss

Option A: choose a USD-denominated policy. Cigna Global, Bupa Global, and AXA Global all allow USD-denominated policies, paying claims directly in USD to a USD account. The prerequisite is selecting USD at the point of purchase (most default to USD, but some brokers set it to GBP or EUR).

If your policy is already USD-denominated but spending happened in China in RMB, there is still one RMB-to-USD conversion, but the spread is usually 1% to 2%.

Option B: choose "USD reimbursement to a USD account." Some insurers let you tick a box on the claim form for "reimburse in USD to my USD bank account," avoiding an extra USD-to-local-currency conversion.

This requires you to have a USD account (most Charles Schwab, HSBC Expat, Standard Chartered Priority accounts qualify) and to specify it explicitly on the claim form.

Asking for the payment-day exchange rate

If you happen to file during a volatile FX period (e.g. the USD index moves 3% or more in a week), you can negotiate with the insurer to use the payment-day rate instead of the claim-receipt-day rate.

This usually requires an explicit request plus payment evidence (China-side internet banking, Alipay, or credit card statement screenshots showing the payment date). Around 40% of insurers allow this exception, provided the claim is large (over USD $5,000) and submitted within 30 days.

Treatment plan changes: is your policy still covering them?

🎯 Key point: Any change in treatment plan must be reported to the insurer within 24 to 48 hours, otherwise the original pre-authorization lapses and the new plan goes on self-pay this time.

After you arrive in China, the physician's assessment may change the plan. This is common in medical travel.

6 common types of change

Type 1: surgical method upgrade. You planned LASIK; after assessment the physician finds the cornea too thin and recommends ICL lens implantation instead. The two procedures have different price points (LASIK around RMB 12,000, ICL around RMB 28,000) and different ICD codes; the pre-authorization scope does not cover the new plan.

Type 2: scope expansion. You planned a single implant; after assessment the physician finds adjacent teeth also need extraction and implantation, expanding from 1 to 4 teeth. The USD $1,500 originally pre-authorized isn't enough.

Type 3: surgical method downgrade. You planned full-arch fixed prosthesis (all-on-4); after assessment the physician finds insufficient bone volume and shifts to an implant-supported overdenture. The new plan costs less than the original, but the ICD code is different.

Type 4: adding a diagnostic procedure. You're inpatient for a cardiac catheterisation; after assessment the physician adds a PET-CT to screen for tumours. PET-CT needs its own pre-authorization.

Type 5: changing admission type. You planned a day-case; after assessment the physician shifts to overnight inpatient. Day-case and overnight usually fall under different sub-limits in the policy.

Type 6: switching hospital or physician. The original hospital, after assessment, refers you to another hospital for the surgery. After the referral both the pre-authorization letter and the direct billing arrangement lapse.

3-step action within 24 to 48 hours

Step 1: Have the attending physician for the new plan issue a change-of-plan letter within 24 hours, stating: original plan, new plan, medical rationale, new ICD-10 and CPT codes, new estimated cost.

Step 2: Send the change-of-plan letter to the broker or directly to the insurer's pre-authorization mailbox. Email subject:

Feedback typically arrives within 24 to 72 hours.

Step 3: Before the insurer confirms, pause the non-urgent portions of the new plan. If clinical urgency requires immediate action (emergency or worsening condition), proceed but submit the amendment in parallel; this is handled as an "urgent amendment," which most insurers accommodate, but the attending physician must explicitly write "medical urgency" in English in the chart.

Added diagnostics deserve extra attention

In Type 4, radiology or cath lab admin often bill straight away without confirming pre-authorization. Write in the notes field of the admission form: any add-on diagnostic procedures require prior pre-authorization confirmation. English version for reference:

Have the hospital call the insurer before any procedure runs.

If the insurer confirms it isn't covered

One remediation path is to buy a short-term travel medical policy to cover the gap.

This requires identifying exactly which part of the new plan is excluded, then using an event-style single-trip product from IMG Global, Insubuy, etc. (USD $50 to $200). But travel medical plans tend to strictly exclude "known treatments," so this path only works for accidents or unexpected complications.

Loop back to Buying guide §3 three product types for the type differences.

Three layers of denial appeals

🎯 Key point: A denial is not the end. Each of the three appeal layers has its own window; miss the 30-day first-tier internal appeal and the case is essentially locked.

After a claim is submitted, around 60% to 80% pass straight through (industry average, varying by insurer and treatment type); the remaining 20% to 40% face partial or full denials at various stages.

The three appeal layers below each carry their own timing and reference success rate.

Layer 1: internal review

Most insurers allow a first-round appeal within 30 days of the initial denial. The process is a formal appeal letter with supplementary materials (physician statement, second opinion, policy clause references) sent to the insurer's appeals mailbox (not the regular claims address).

Internal review results arrive 30 to 60 days later.

Reference structure for the appeal letter:

Public industry data: the reversal rate at the internal review stage is about 25% to 40% (composite from 5 major insurers, 2024 to 2025 public industry reports). What raises the reversal rate is supplementing physician letters and policy clause references, not emotional argument.

Layer 2: external regulator appeal

If internal review upholds the denial, the next step is the regulator that governs the insurer's home jurisdiction.

External appeal time limits:

• UK FOS: within 6 months of the internal review decision
• Ireland FSPO: within 6 months of the internal review decision
• Hong Kong HKIA: within 12 months of the internal review decision

Submission paths are on each regulator's official site, free of charge, with processing times of 3 to 9 months. The reversal rate at the external review stage is about 15% to 25% (synthesised from public annual reports).

Layer 3: legal route

If external review still doesn't go your way and the amount justifies it (typically USD $20,000 or more), the next step is legal counsel. This layer requires an insurance lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction; weigh fees against expected recovery.

Most small claims never reach this layer.

Two non-linear techniques that raise reversal rates

Keep the appeal grounded in policy clauses, not just emotional argument. Most reversals happen not because the customer is unhappy, but because the initial reviewer's reading of a clause was ambiguous and the second reviewer, with supplementary material, lands on a different reading.

Structure your argument as: Policy clause X §Y states Z; this case satisfies Z; therefore the claim should be approved.

Use a second opinion as appeal support. If the denial reason is "treatment not medically necessary," find an independent physician in the same field (not the one who treated you, and not one certified by the insurer) to issue a second opinion arguing medical necessity. This is the most effective supplementary document at the internal review stage.

The appeal process is not a substitute for legal counsel. If the amount exceeds USD $50,000 or there is a substantial disagreement on clause interpretation, consult an insurance lawyer directly.

Using the claim readiness self-check

The "Claim readiness self-check" tool at the top of the page walks you through the 7 core actions. Each maps to a section of this guide; missing items provide jump links to the relevant section.

The 7 actions:

1. Got the complete policy schedule PDF (see "Verifying your policy" above)
2. Target treatment's ICD-10 codes explicitly listed in the pre-authorization (see "Pre-authorization" above)
3. Three-way direct-billing confirmation call with the insurer and hospital international office completed (see "Verifying direct billing" above)
4. Confirmed with hospital admin that a bilingual itemized bill is available on discharge day (see "Fapiao and itemized bills" above)
5. Aware of the 24 to 48 hour window for supplementary pre-authorization when plans change (see "Treatment plan changes" above)
6. Claim submission deadline added to the calendar (see "Self-pay then reimburse back home" above)
7. Cross-currency reimbursement option confirmed (see "Self-pay then reimburse back home" above)

If the tool shows 0 to 2 items ready, 30 to 45 days before departure is enough buffer to catch up; if under 30 days remain, work backwards and prioritise items 1, 2, 3, 6 (policy schedule, pre-authorization, three-way call, deadline in calendar). The other 4 items can still be completed after discharge inside the claim window.

How we help

WellChina's job, in the period from "you already have a policy" through 60 days after discharge, is to provide a neutral second opinion plus China-side network and fapiao verification plus appeal support, so you don't have to rely solely on your broker's "should be fine" and don't have to learn the insurance vocabulary yourself before negotiating with hospital admin.

What we do:

• Read your complete policy schedule with you and highlight the important sub-limits and exclusions
• Run a three-way call with your target hospital's international office to verify direct billing status, plus ICD code alignment for pre-authorization
• Coordinate with hospital admin to ensure a bilingual itemized bill is delivered on discharge day
• Help assemble the claim package and advise on cross-currency conversion optimisation
• On first-round denials, help draft the internal review appeal letter (we don't sign contracts on your behalf; the final decision stays with you)

What we don't do: insurance broking (we don't hold a broker licence and can't buy policies or negotiate premiums on your behalf), licensed claims agency (the final adjudication is the insurer's), medical judgement, or recommendations of specific insurers or lawyers (please contact a licensed broker or the regulator's complaints department for those).

Three service tiers

Self-check Consult (USD $29): 60-minute video consultation plus walk-through of the 7-item claim readiness self-check plus highlights on your policy schedule. For readers who can run the process themselves but want a professional second opinion as a final check.

Coordination Service (USD $59): everything in Self-check Consult, plus on-the-ground direct-billing verification at your target hospital with 1 to 2 candidate insurers (three-way call coordinated by us, with Chinese-language email drafting on your behalf), plus ICD code alignment support for pre-authorization. For complex treatments with multiple pre-authorizations and multiple diagnostic appointments.

Full Concierge (USD $129+): everything in Coordination Service, plus post-discharge itemized bill and claim package assembly, cross-currency optimisation, and first-round denial appeal letter drafting. For large claims where the patient can't easily juggle multiple channels.

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Cross-checked on 2026-05-11. Sources: Cigna Global / Bupa Global / AXA Global Healthcare / Allianz Care / Now Health International public claims guides; Pacific Prime "2025 Health Insurance Industry Report"; iPMI Global 2024–2025 annual report; UK FOS 2024 insurance complaints data; Ireland FSPO 2024 annual review; Hong Kong Insurance Authority 2024 complaints handling report. Last reviewed 2026-05-11, next review 2026-08-11.

Referral disclosure: WellChina does not receive referral commission from any insurer or broker mentioned in this article. Service tier fees cover only our coordination time. We are not a licensed insurance broker nor a licensed claims agent; final policy and claim decisions are made jointly by you, your licensed broker, and (where necessary) the regulator's complaints body.

— WellChina editorial team