The changing face of IPMI

clock • 7 min read

Alan Payne, Chief Information Officer at Aetna International, provides a personal view of how the international private medical insurance (IPMI) industry has changed over the last 20 years.

For many industry ‘old hands' like myself, 20 years has gone by in the blink of an eye. But when you think back to the events of that year, 1997 seems a long way off. Tony Blair defeats John Major in the general election, Katrina and the Waves hands the UK victory in the Eurovision song contest (perhaps for the last time) and of course the infamous death of Princess Diana. The same is true for the IPMI industry. On a personal level, 1997 seems like yesterday. But 20 years is a lifetime when we think about how much change there has been in the sector. So what has changed? What chall...

To continue reading this article...

Join COVER for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, key trend analysis and industry insights.
  • Stay on top of the latest developments around health and wellbeing, diversity and inclusion and the cost of living crisis.
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletter.
  • Members only access to monthly programme 'The COVER Review'
  • Be the first to hear about our CPD accredited events and awards programmes.

Join now

 

Already a Cover member?

Login

More on PMI

Use of insurer-provided health services up by 23%: ABI
PMI

Use of insurer-provided health services up by 23%: ABI

Association calls for IPT freeze

Jaskeet Briah
clock 03 November 2025 • 3 min read
Private healthcare invoices slow in 2025: Healthcode
PMI

Private healthcare invoices slow in 2025: Healthcode

1.6% slowdown in Q3 2025

Cameron Roberts
clock 28 October 2025 • 1 min read
NHS patients receive 6.15m private appointments and tests
PMI

NHS patients receive 6.15m private appointments and tests

"We’re not prepared to continue 2-tier healthcare"

Jaskeet Briah
clock 27 October 2025 • 3 min read