An Australian travel insurance company has warned uninsured travellers against expensive medical bills overseas, as it reveals that the costliest claim it paid out last year amounted to $1,300,000.
Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) said that it received the highest claim it has ever paid in Australia during 2016, valued at $1,300,000, for a client who had to be transported by air ambulance from Southeast Asia for medical treatment,
BTN News reported.
SCTI CEO Craig Morrison said that the costs for foreign medical care and repatriation could quickly accumulate, making uninsured travellers highly vulnerable to significant financial losses.
“The reality is that unfortunate incidents can happen to anyone, at any time, regardless of how cautious the traveller is,” he said. “The cost of travel insurance is just a tiny fraction of the costs that can result from these incidents.”
Morrison cited as an example some hospitals in the US that require up to US$10,000 in deposit before they provide treatment, the report said.
“This is one of the key areas where having travel insurance is really important, as we can try to help eliminate the need to pay this deposit,” he said. “If you end up in a US hospital and are asked to pay, you should immediately call our emergency assistance team who will negotiate with the hospital on your behalf.”
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