Reviewing Cigna Healthcare insurance as an expat in Portugal

I arrived in Portugal with my Health European Card from the UK, thinking that I was covered and I’d be OK. I was for a bit until Brexit scrapped this option off. The first time I fell ill with a very painful sore throat and I really needed to see a GP, I ended up in a private clinic and paid 100 Euros for a 15-minute visit. I was a bit shocked by the fact that it was so difficult to see a doctor in Portugal and that the private visit cost me so much money! Then, I went to Iran for 2 weeks and came back with terrible food poisoning. I was throwing up for 5 days and wasn’t able to eat or drink anything. I called a doctor for a home visit and paid 75 Euros for that. Normally, it would have cost me 15 Euros, but I hadn’t registered for government healthcare yet. It was on my list of things to do, but I hadn’t had time for it. 

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A friend of mine, who had lived in Portugal for many years, told me that even with the full access to public healthcare in Portugal, it was still quite difficult to even get a dedicated GP. The queues in clinics were long and if I had really wanted to put my mind at ease, it would have been best to buy expat medical insurance. After this conversation I started looking for a reliable option for me. After some consideration, I chose Cigna Healthcare. I had used them before in Thailand and had been happy with their customer service and what they offered. At that time, my goal was to also use a company where I could access English speaking staff. I didn’t speak a word in Portuguese back then and wanted to save myself some stress.

This is my honest Cigna Healthcare review as an expat in Portugal.  

Disclaimer: This article is sponsored by Cigna Healthcare. The views expressed are my own and based on my personal experience. Individual experiences, coverage and costs may vary depending on location, policy selected and personal circumstances.

Why I needed private insurance in the first place 

In Portugal every tax payer and resident can use the SNS – public healthcare. After getting your NIF, you can go to your local clinic – Centro do Saude – and apply for the SNS number (or utente number). It’s not really a difficult process and you get a temporary number first. After some time, you will receive your permanent one. This number in theory gives you access to public healthcare, which is free or almost free. Normally, you pay 7 Euros for a doctor’s appointment. 

Unfortunately, as in many countries in Europe, the healthcare system is overloaded. There is a shortage of doctors and nurses. Some hospitals are getting closed. In the recent year or so maternity departments in smaller towns have been shut down due to lack of staff. In my experience, accessing routine care through the public system could be challenging, particularly when trying to secure a regular GP.

For many expats, the language barrier is another problem. Portuguese people speak good English, but that is not always the rule. In public clinics and hospitals you will often stumble upon someone from Brazil. Unfortunately, their English is quite poor and it’s very difficult to communicate. I had to go to the public hospital in my town a couple of times and was seen by doctors who didn’t speak a word of English. By that time I already spoke some Portuguese, so it was a bit easier, but for someone just arriving in the country, a situation like this could be a problem. 

Check how to find an English-speaking doctor in Portugal.

When I decided to buy my expat medical insurance, I wanted continuity of care and assurance that I was looked after, in case of getting ill. I didn’t understand entirely how to navigate the healthcare system here, so having someone who could help me was important to me. After some trouble of seeing a doctor and paying so much money for short appointments, I decided that I really didn’t want to worry about accessing GPs and diagnostic tests. I wanted insurance that had global reach, English speaking staff and good customer service. 

Choosing Cigna Healthcare – What the process was actually like 

I’d used Cigna Healthcare before, in Thailand, and had a good experience with their customer service and coverage. So when I started looking for expat insurance in Portugal over 8 years ago, I compared a couple of other international providers too, but Cigna Healthcare stood out because of that previous experience – plus their global network and English-speaking support, which mattered a lot to me since I didn’t speak Portuguese yet.

I chose my policy by going on Cigna Healthcare’s website. Back then, I filled out a contact form and didn’t get the quote straight away. I was contacted by a sales broker. I had 3 options to choose from, depending on what I wanted. The broker I spoke with was knowledgeable and answered my questions well. That said, I found the frequency of the follow-up calls more than I would have preferred — including reminders about a limited-time discount — and I’d have rather handled the decision-making over email, at my own pace, than over the phone.

I’ve checked and at this stage (2026) it seems that Cigna Healthcare still uses sales brokers. In my opinion, insurance companies should really move to buying policies fully online. When I look for a policy, I want the quote straight away and I don’t want anyone to call me. The option of talking with customer service is great, but if I know what I want, I can make that decision by myself. 

Needless to say, I finally made my decision. I compared the policies with other companies and chose Cigna Healthcare. I bought a policy from them because it gave me what I needed – online GP appointments, access to diagnostic tests and specialists and English speaking customer service. I paid for the policy online, and from that point the experience shifted noticeably. Onboarding was smooth – I received clear welcome materials explaining exactly how to use my policy, and I had quick access to the customer portal and app, so I could see my coverage details and how claims would work right away. That initial reassurance mattered, but the real test came later, the first time I actually needed to use it – which I’ll get into next. 

Using my Cigna Healthcare policy in real life 

I was quite unlucky that year because I started suffering from severe headaches. They started when I went home to Poland for a visit. First the ache was dull on one side of my head, then it was so bad that during my return flight and the layover, I ended up lying down on the floor and being able to get up only with some help from a fellow passenger. When I finally got to Portugal, I decided to see a doctor.

I called the Cigna Healthcare customer service line and requested a phone appointment with a GP through them. The GP asked me a lot of questions and told me to go straight to the ER. Within the same call, I also received referrals by email – including for an MRI –  so I didn’t have to wait around trying to arrange tests myself. My husband took me to CUF Hospital straight after that. CUF is a network of private clinics and hospitals across Portugal, and because Cigna Healthcare has a direct billing agreement with them, I didn’t have to worry about payment or paperwork at any point – I could just focus on getting seen.

I was seen by the ER staff first, given pain medication, and sent for my tests. They came back quickly, but nothing was found. I called Cigna Healthcare’s GP line again and was referred on to a neurologist. This time the wait was a bit longer – I think, after so many clear tests, I wasn’t considered urgent, so the hospital could take its time. During that waiting period, the GP contacted me several times by email to check how I was feeling and whether I needed anything, which genuinely reassured me that I wasn’t just left to sort things out on my own. In my experience, treatment through participating providers was handled through direct billing, meaning I didn’t need to submit claims for those services.

In the end, I was told my sedentary lifestyle, work, and stress were the cause of the headaches. I was advised to exercise and strengthen my core and back. That advice changed my life – a few months later I started exercising and eating better, which led me to lose 12kg I’d needed to shed anyway and improve my health significantly. But that’s a story for another time.

Cost breakdown

Before I had Cigna Healthcare, here’s what I was paying out of pocket in Portugal: €100 for a single private GP visit, and €75 for a home doctor visit that would have cost €15 with SNS registration. Even routine SNS appointments run around €7 once you’re registered, but as I mentioned, actually getting an appointment is the hard part.

My Cigna policy cost me around €1,000 a year, as a single person in my 30s. Once I had it, I didn’t pay anything out of pocket for GP calls, referrals, ER visits, or the MRI and specialist appointment during my headache scare – all of that was billed directly and covered.

I signed up over 8 years ago, so pricing has likely shifted since. It also depends heavily on your age, coverage level, and any pre-existing conditions. 

Who is Cigna Healthcare for?

Cigna Healthcare provides medical insurance for people who live abroad. This could be an emigrant, who moved to another country due to work, but also for someone, who changed their country of living because they were simply looking for a more relaxed lifestyle. Cigna Healthcare policies are ideal for single individuals as well as families. You can always add your loved ones to the plan. Retirees can also be covered. And finally, students – young people who moved somewhere to study long-term, or Erasmus students, will be covered by medical insurance from Cigna Healthcare. Based on my experience, Cigna Healthcare has been a strong option for my needs as an expat in Portugal.

If you are travelling for holidays, for only a few weeks, or days, then choose a policy for travellers. I have written about travel insurance here. You will find a list of my favourite companies as well as advice on how to choose your ideal travel insurance. 

Is Cigna Healthcare worth it for expats in Portugal? 

In my opinion, yes. It’s a global company that provides international coverage beyond your country of residence, subject to the area of cover selected and your policy terms. It gives a peace of mind when you live abroad – you have quick access to GPs, diagnostic tests and a big network of hospitals and clinics. If you fall seriously sick, Cigna Healthcare may help you access care more quickly than relying solely on the public system. I can’t stress enough how helpful that is. In Portugal healthcare is free, but everything works so slowly and waiting times are very long. Cigna Healthcare Insurance typically allows for faster access compared to the public system.

For people who just arrived in Portugal and don’t speak the language (although, I would encourage you to start learning it), Cigna Healthcare made things significantly easier. Having English-speaking support removed a layer of stress I didn’t want to deal with on top of everything else. English-speaking customer support is generally available. This takes away the stress of communication in Portuguese. 

The billing is done for you as well. When I go to the hospital, you don’t have to collect receipts and claim the money back. In my experience, treatment through participating providers was handled through direct billing, meaning I didn’t need to submit claims for those services.

I would say, spending around 1,000 Euros per year, which is what my specific plan cost me as a single person in my 30s,  your medical insurance pays off when you live in Portugal. For me, having access to English-speaking support, private healthcare providers and direct billing gave me greater confidence navigating healthcare abroad. While everyone’s needs are different, my experience with Cigna Healthcare has been positive.

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This post includes affiliate links and it was created with collaboration with Cigna Healthcare.