Does Travel Insurance Cover Medical Expenses?

When travelling overseas, nothing dampens your vacation plans more than sickness or an injury. More often than not, a sniffly nose, headache or a few bumps and bruises will probably only lead to some minor setbacks and a bad mood while going on with your usual vacation plans. However, if you were to contract a more serious illness or get badly injured, your travel plans will likely be turned upside down.

The risk and impact of serious illness or injury while overseas lead many people to ask if travel insurance covers medical expenses. Thankfully, we have good news for you. Medical expenses are covered in most standard travel insurance policies!

But before you race off and buy a policy, there are a few things you absolutely should know to fully answer the question, ‘Does travel insurance cover medical expenses?’.

Are Medical Expenses Included in All insure4less Travel Insurance Policies?

Yes! At insure4less, all travel insurance policies come with unlimited medical expenses cover. This gives you peace of mind knowing there’s more than enough cover in place if a medical emergency were to occur.

What Medical Expenses are Covered?

Overseas Medical Treatment

When you fall ill or get hurt overseas, our travel insurance will cover you for the cost of medication and doctors’ appointments required to get you the treatment you need.

Hospitalisation

If your illness or injury is severe enough to land you in hospital, all reasonable hospital expenses will be covered. This includes any emergency medical, surgical and ambulance transportation costs associated with your hospital care.

Emergency Evacuation

The cost of repatriation back home to Australia including air ambulance is included if it is deemed medically necessary.

Travel & Accommodation

Travel insurance covers you for additional travel and accommodation costs required to help you return home when sick or injured overseas. This also covers travel and accommodation costs for a travel companion or a loved one travelling from their home country to be with you and accompany you on your journey home.

What’s Not Included in Medical Expenses Cover?

As with any insurance policy, there are some exclusions for medical expenses cover. Please note that any treatment or surgery deemed non-essential by the insurer or if the treatment can be delayed, it will not be covered.

Some other medical expenses not covered by travel insurance policies include:

• Treatment for deliberate self-harm and attempted suicide
• Private hospital room (unless deemed necessary by medical professionals)
• Non-immediate and medically necessary treatments

Read the Product Disclosure Statement for more information about medical expense exclusions in travel insurance policies from insure4less.

Will I be Covered for Medical Expenses While Travelling in Australia?

Australian travel insurers are not permitted by law to pay medical expenses to Australians who are travelling within Australia. Therefore, medical expenses within a travel insurance policy will only be covered if they have been incurred overseas.

What are the Most Common Medical Expenses I may Encounter While Travelling?

Want to know what to look out for and be careful of when travelling overseas to ensure a safe and illness-free trip? The three most common medical expenses claims made by Australia travellers are due to:

1. Gastroenteritis
2. Food poisoning
3. Physical injuries from a slip and fall

That said, there are many other illnesses that can result in enormous medical bills – appendicitis is a regular, and costs often exceed $50,000.

What Do I Do If I Get Sick or Hurt Overseas?

When you have an insure4less travel insurance policy, as soon as you become severely injured or extremely unwell overseas, let us know. We have a 24/7 emergency service available to provide you with assistance on any day and at any time.

If you end up in hospital and are unable to call us, most medical facilities will have a set procedure in place to notify us directly about your medical emergency.

Here are a few ways our medical emergency assistance service can help you:

• Provide overall guidance and help
• Pay hospital and medical bills
• Arrange for repatriation to your home country if medically necessary
• Pass on urgent messages to your family
• Act as interpreters if you’re based in a non-English speaking hospital overseas

Our 24/7 medical emergency service phone number is shown on our website and in your policy document. Please note that this phone number should only be used for medical emergencies.

How Do I Make a Claim for Medical Expenses?

To make a claim, you will need to obtain a claim form from our appointed claims adjusters after calling our 24/7 medical emergency service number. You can also download a copy of our claim form from our website.

To begin the claim process, you will need to provide the following details:

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Travel insurance policy certificate number
• A brief description stating the nature of your claim
• Name and phone number for the hospital and attending doctor
• Details of your usual doctor or GP

If you have received medical attention and already paid for it before contacting us, keep the receipts along with a certificate that outlines the injury or illness you’re inflicted with. These documents are required to help support your claim. Once the receipts and certificate are submitted along with your claim form, and the claim has been accepted, the process for reimbursement will be underway.

Visit our How to make a travel insurance claim page to find out more.

Will I Be Covered for Pre-Existing Medical Conditions?

Insure4Less covers a range of pre-existing medical conditions at no extra cost to the traveller. In order to obtain pre-existing medical cover, you need to enter your details online, answer some simple questions about your medical history and your medical conditions.

You will know immediately if cover has been extended to include your pre-existing medical conditions or if we are unable to offer cover. Sometimes you may be asked to pay an additional premium for the cover provided. 

You can read more about pre-existing medical conditions here. 

Get Medical Expenses Cover While Overseas With insure4less

With all this information at your fingertips, you should now have all the answers you need when asking ‘Does travel insurance cover medical expenses?’. At insure4less, we think everyone should be able to access unlimited cover for medical expenses, which is why it’s included in every travel insurance policy we provide.

So, if you’re worried about how you’ll pay for medical expenses if you get sick or hurt overseas, take out travel insurance with insure4less. Get a quote now!