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Reimbursement vs Lump Sum Insurance: What's the Difference?

Author Bowtie Team
Updated on 2025-07-08

 

Disclaimer: This article is translated with the assistance of AI.

Reimbursement and lump sum medical insurance are designed to cover expenses for hospital stays, surgeries, and other medical services. Curious about the two compensation methods? Let’s break down “reimbursement” and “lump sum” to see which suits you best!
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Reimbursement-Based Medical Insurance

Reimbursement-based medical insurance includes general medical insurance, VHIS , certain accident insurance , and corporate medical insurance. The first three are personal medical plans purchased by individuals for themselves or their families, while the last is provided by companies for employees. Depending on the policy terms and coverage, expenses for outpatient visits, day surgeries , diagnostic tests, and surgical procedures may be covered.

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*Full coverage shall mean no itemized benefit sub-limits, and applies to designated benefit items only. The benefit payable shall be subject to the remaining deductible (if applicable), annual benefit limit, lifetime benefit limit and other limitations such as reasonable and customary charges, a pre-existing condition, “List of Designated Hospitals in Mainland China” and receiving medical treatment in the United States. For detailed terms and conditions, product risks, and exclusions, please refer to the relevant product website and policy.
^Based on a market survey conducted by Bowtie on December 29, 2025, comparing similar types of VHIS (full reimbursement, general ward class, deductible level, and coverage area) available for online purchase, Bowtie Pink VHIS (Ward) offers lower monthly premiums for non-smokers aged 0-14 and 23-98. Different medical insurance plans have varying coverage scopes and benefit limits; please refer to the relevant policy documents, terms and conditions for details.

Lump-Sum Medical Insurance Coverage

Lump-sum medical insurance includes certain accident insurance and critical illness insurance . Depending on the policy terms and coverage, if the insured suffers an injury or death due to an accident, or is diagnosed with a covered critical illness , they will receive a one-time or multiple lump-sum payouts. The payout amount is up to 100% of the insured sum, helping to support the insured and their family during recovery or loss of income due to critical illness.

Bowtie Example: Lump-Sum Critical Illness vs. Reimbursement Medical Insurance

When it comes to claims, there’s a fundamental difference between medical insurance and critical illness insurance. The table below compares Bowtie VHIS and Term CI Multiple Cover as examples:

Bowtie Pink VHIS Bowtie Term CI Early Stage and Multiple Cover
Claim Method Reimbursement-based Up to 5 lump-sum payouts
Payout Amount Based on actual medical items or procedures,

e.g., if daily hospital room charge is $1,000,

Bowtie Pink will reimburse $1,000

Depends on the type of critical illness,

Payouts range from 20% to 100% of coverage ($100,000 to $4,000,000)

The claim principle for medical insurance is reimbursement-based , with payouts made according to the policy’s covered items and limits.

For instance, even if the “annual coverage limit” is $200,000, if the “surgeon’s fee” is $40,000 but the “claim limit” for this item is $30,000, the insured will only receive a maximum of $30,000 for the surgeon’s fee.

Claims for critical illness insurance are always paid as a lump-sum cash amount. The condition for payout is a diagnosis of a specified critical illness, and the lump-sum payment from the insurer has no restrictions on usage.

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