MediLink-Global Launches 'Osmind' Premium Student Health Insurance to Empower the Global Education Market

On April 20, MediLink-Global (hereinafter referred to as “MediLink”), a prominent full-lifecycle health management service platform in China with significant scale and influence, held an online launch event for its “MediLink · Osmai” high-end medical insurance product. It is reported thatTargeting the vast market of overseas students, this product is jointly developed by Libao China (the underwriter), UnitedHealth Group (“UHC,” a medical network partner), and other stakeholders. It aims to provide outbound students in the post-pandemic era with a comprehensive global healthcare coverage plan featuring extensive benefits.Mr. Cui Hao, Chief Operating Officer of Liberty Mutual China, and Ms. Huang Lidan, Head of the High-End Medical Business Unit at MesoCare, attended the online press conference.

With the launch of large-scale global COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and the increasing availability of effective measures to curb the pandemic, confidence and capacity in epidemic prevention and control have been significantly bolstered. According to forecasts by Qianzhan Industry Research Institute, the market size of China’s post-study abroad services sector is projected to approach the 2019 full-year level of RMB 285.4 billion in 2024, and subsequently grow at an annual rate of approximately 13% to reach around RMB 361.1 billion by 2026.

Source: Qianzhan Industry Research Institute

The “increasing accessibility and affordability” of studying abroad are the primary reasons why a growing number of families choose to send their children overseas. After arriving in foreign countries, international students face not only academic pressure but also life challenges, among which accessing medical care is one significant issue.

Industry insiders state that insurance is one of the essential products for studying abroad.Taking the United States, which accounts for more than half of all international students, as an example, relevant legislation mandates that every individual must have minimum basic coverage and is required to purchase health insurance upon enrollment.However, if you can demonstrate that you already have coverage meeting regulatory requirements, you may be exempted from the school’s mandatory insurance and opt for products that better align with your coverage interests.

“Previously, insurance policies recommended by universities were more expensive than those available in the general market. However, due to information asymmetry, most students failed to safeguard their own interests. This was the driving force behind the design of this product.”Mr. Lu, Product Manager at Zhongjian Dai · Ousimai, stated that, in his view, the current study-abroad medical insurance market suffers from significant pain points: local insurance plans in host countries often exclude coverage for regions outside their borders or impose strict claim limitations. This means that international students returning to their home countries during the four-month winter and summer breaks each year face a “coverage gap” in medical protection, a non-trivial practical issue.

In 2021, as the overseas pandemic eased, Chinese international students concentrated their return to campuses in August. While the student study-abroad market gradually recovered, it also presented development opportunities for international student insurance. How to design a flexible and comprehensively covered insurance product aligned with MSH China’s consistent product characteristics became an urgent challenge for its product research and development department.

After six months of preliminary research and preparation, Zhongjian Dai has developed a high-end medical insurance plan for international students. This product was designed based on an in-depth analysis of the educational values, consumption preferences, lifestyles, and healthcare needs of middle-class families and their children from the post-70s and post-80s generations who are studying abroad. The plan features the following significant characteristics.

First, comprehensive coverage.This comprehensive coverage refers not only to extensive benefit protection encompassing outpatient and emergency services, inpatient care, maternity, emergency rescue, preventive healthcare, and accidental injury, but also to global geographic coverage that includes the country of study, the home country, and any third-party countries visited during the period.Secondly, the plans offer flexible options and lenient underwriting requirements.Unlike most products on the market that require a visa before insurance can be purchased, Ousimai allows you to insure with just an admission offer. If you ultimately do not obtain a visa or if your study abroad plans change, the premium will be fully refunded;Finally, the premiums are reasonable, and a single policy covers the entire family.Ousimai product premiums are differentiated solely based on the primary insured’s age (0–45 years). Spouses and children are also eligible for coverage, meeting the study-abroad insurance needs of the vast majority of age groups, with pricing positioned at the market median.

Healthcare resources and direct-billing networks in destination countries for studying abroad are a key focus of international student insurance, as well as a major challenge in product development.Leveraging its overseas network built over many years, Mesohealth has rapidly established in-depth connections with healthcare service providers in major study-abroad destination countries. Taking the United States as an example, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) is a leading provider of corporate health insurance services nationwide. Building on years of collaboration, Mesohealth and UHC have reached a consensus on the Ousimai service. International students can use direct billing cards to access cashless direct payment services at more than 10 million healthcare institutions and pharmacies across all 50 U.S. states, ensuring comprehensive support in terms of medical resource access, convenience, and financial payment.

It is reported that the underwriter for this product is Liberty Insurance. Mr. Cui Hao of Liberty China stated: “As an international insurance company headquartered in the United States, when our exclusive-service clients are overseas, Liberty China will collaborate with MSH China to fully leverage our overseas partner and service networks—including those within the United States—to jointly provide professional, convenient, and high-quality services, thereby safeguarding clients’ medical care needs worldwide.”

Ms. Huang Lidan from MSH China stated that as MSH China’s first study-abroad-oriented product, OsiMai underwent thorough market research and environmental assessments during special periods, from its development last year to its market launch, with the aim of providing substantive protection for the academic and daily lives of overseas students.Upholding the corporate mission of “providing good-faith insurance services to well-intentioned individuals and addressing good-faith healthcare.”

It is understood that Medilink-Global, founded in 2005, is a third-party service company specializing in high-end health insurance management. As a formerly UK-listed company equipped with the proprietary ECCS core management system technology, Medilink-Global has evolved over 17 years into a full-lifecycle health management service platform with significant scale and influence. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company had partnered with nearly 3,000 international departments, special-needs departments, VIP wards of renowned Grade-A tertiary hospitals, as well as high-end private hospitals with Chinese or foreign investment, across 298 core cities in China as of October 2021. Its network covers 1.4 million medical and health service providers in 226 countries and regions worldwide, collaborates with more than 40 well-known domestic and international insurance companies, and has delivered high-quality, professional, and convenient full-lifecycle health management and claims services to over 150,000 global members.

Liberty China’s parent company is Liberty Mutual Insurance, headquartered in Boston, USA. Founded in 1912, it is the sixth-largest international property and casualty insurer globally, with over 800 offices across 29 countries and regions and more than 45,000 employees. It ranked 262nd on the 2021 Fortune Global 500 list. In 1996, Liberty Mutual entered China by establishing a representative office; in 2003, it set up a branch in Chongqing, China. In 2007, the Chongqing branch was upgraded to a wholly owned subsidiary and officially renamed Liberty Insurance Company Limited. Leveraging extensive sales channels and a diverse portfolio of insurance products, Liberty China will deliver high-quality, innovative, and specialized services to a broader customer base, upholding its century-old corporate mission: “We help people embrace today and pursue their future with confidence.”