The Supplemental Health Plan — Insurance for Off-Island Care
The Marshall Islands offers a national health insurance scheme with both basic and supplemental tiers. Basic insurance — which all Marshallese citizens are automatically enrolled in — covers hospital visits at very low co-pays and includes eligibility for referrals to off-island tertiary hospitals.
For foreigners living and working in the RMI, enrollment requires active membership in the
Marshall Islands Social Security Administration with at least one year of regular contributions, plus valid immigration papers.
The Supplemental Health Plan goes further. This package includes medevacs to Hawaii, Manila, or Taipei, and also arranges scheduled check-ups at those same destinations.
Contributions are deducted from wages and paid on a quarterly basis, functioning as a workplace health insurance scheme linked to medical providers in those countries.
The primary medevac destination in Hawaii is Straub Medical Center in Honolulu. Taiwan is also a key partner — reflecting the RMI’s formal diplomatic ties with the Republic of China — and Manila in the Philippines rounds out the options, particularly for surgical and specialist care.
For employed residents of the Marshall Islands, the Supplemental Health Plan provides real peace of mind: knowing that if something serious arises that can’t be treated locally, there is a pathway to world-class care — and someone to help get you there.
