Southern Cross Travel Insurance paid out $682,000 for a customer who suffered a heart attack while traveling in Europe and who needed to fly home in an air ambulance.
It’s one of the most expensive claims the insurer has ever paid out in its 36-year history, and the most expensive claim for 2017. Another customer had a $110,000 claim paid after tripping and falling down a flight of stairs during a trip to the Pacific Islands.
Nearly 50% of the top 10 claims for 2017 happened in the US, which is renowned for having some of the highest medical care costs in the world.
Southern Cross Travel Insurance chief executive Chris White said some hospitals in the US may request a large deposit before they will even start providing treatment.
“This is one of the key areas where having travel insurance is important,” he said. “Our emergency assistance team can provide payment guarantees to hospitals, keep immediate family advised of the situation and coordinate emergency medical evacuations. They’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no matter where you are in the world.
“New Zealand’s public healthcare system means we generally don’t have to worry about the financial cost when we get injured or sick, but this isn’t the case overseas. It doesn’t take long for the bills to reach eye-watering amounts — it can cost up to US$50,000 a day for intensive care treatment at a US hospital.”
White says the list of the most expensive claims shows the importance of buying travel insurance before heading overseas, even if it’s for a seemingly safe holiday or destination.
