Why International School Health Insurance Feels Broken – and How to Fix It
At this year’s NESA Fall Leadership Conference in Istanbul, One World Cover’s Customer Experience Director, Michael Pennington, opened his session with a simple truth:
“Today’s presentation isn’t really about health insurance. It’s about people.”
Because behind every health insurance renewal, every benefit change, and every percentage increase in premium, are real people – the teachers, leaders, and families who make international schools what they are.
The Challenge Every School Faces
Across the international school community, the same story is playing out. Premiums are rising. Budgets are under pressure. And schools are trying to protect faculty well-being while managing the financial reality of double-digit medical inflation.
The problem isn’t temporary – it’s structural. Medical costs continue to rise faster than general inflation, while insurers pass those costs on through annual rate increases. Many schools respond by cutting benefits or switching insurers each year. It works for a while, but it’s not sustainable.
That’s why so many leaders describe their health insurance situation as “feeling unfixable.”
The Real Goal: Faculty Well-Being
The conversation around insurance too often becomes one of numbers and negotiations. But as Michael emphasized in Istanbul, the real goal isn’t just balancing the books – it’s ensuring teachers are happy, healthy, and supported.
Healthy, supported teachers are better educators. They’re more likely to stay. They strengthen school culture. And they directly shape the student experience.
When schools lose sight of that – when decisions become purely financial – both cost and care eventually suffer.
Why the Current Model Is Broken
Most schools don’t lack good intentions; they lack good tools. Too many are flying blind – without timely claims data, without transparency from their insurer, and without a clear roadmap for aligning cost control with duty of care.
The result is a cycle of reactive renewals: costs rise, benefits are trimmed, faculty noise increases, and trust erodes. It’s a cycle One World Cover calls “renewal roulette.”
Breaking that cycle requires a structured, data-led approach that still keeps people at the centre.
A Smarter, More Human Way Forward
Over the past two decades, One World Cover has helped schools across Asia, the Middle East, and beyond regain control of their health insurance strategy. The most successful schools follow a different path:
- They make decisions based on data, not anecdotes.
- They protect the non-negotiables – mental health, cancer care, and access to quality treatment.
- And they communicate early and often, turning difficult changes into transparent, collaborative discussions.
It’s a more human approach – and it works.
Fixing What Feels Unfixable
During the session, Michael shared case studies from schools that had faced unsustainable double-digit increases year after year.
By rethinking how their plan was structured, how data was used, and how staff were engaged, these schools found a way to protect both their people and their budgets – sometimes reducing premiums by more than 30% in a single renewal cycle.
There’s no shortcut to fixing what feels unfixable, but there is a blueprint. It’s the same proven process One World Cover uses to help schools move from reactive renewals to confident, long-term strategies that balance financial sustainability with faculty well-being.
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
For school leaders who feel “stuck” – unsure how to balance cost pressures with the duty of care owed to faculty – there’s a way forward. It starts with the right conversation, and it starts early.
If you missed Michael’s NESA session and would like to learn more about how schools are applying the same principles to their own plans, get in touch to schedule a discussion.
Because in the end, it’s not about insurance – it’s about people.
To learn more please get in touch: [email protected] or click here to contact us.
