Existing Medical Conditions

If you’re planning an overseas vacation you might want to seriously consider taking out a travel insurance policy. All international travel insurance policies offer some form of overseas medical and medical evacuation cover when critically ill or injured.

There are over 40 automatically covered medical conditions for which nib travel insurance can cover without the need for an additional premium. If you check the EMC list and see that your medical condition isn’t listed under the ‘Automatically Covered for Free’ section, or if you see that your condition is listed under the ‘High-Risk’ section; you can apply for an online ‘Medical Screening’ when you get a quote. This way you’ll be able to fill in the detail of your existing medical condition on the nib website, depending on the medical condition/s an outcome on coverage can be instant.

There are only a few countries with reciprocal health agreements with Australia. If you’re travelling overseas to a foreign country without travel insurance, or if you have an existing medical condition that you’ve not mentioned to your insurer, you could find yourself in financial difficulty if you need medical assistance. If the existing medical condition you have becomes exacerbated during your trip and you haven’t applied and been approved for specific cover for it, you might find yourself out of pocket and claim being declined. That’s why its best to be transparent about any existing medical conditions you have that aren’t ‘Automatically Covered’ for free. The only policies that you can apply for a medical screening are the Comprehensive, Australian and the Annual Multi Trip Travel Plans. 

Get wise and receive better medical care through your travel insurance provider. If you have a car accident while travelling, you will more than likely require medical attention. Not all countries follow the same system, so you might be directed to a free hospital or clinic if you don’t have sufficient funds. These places are infamous for doing poor work. While there are some countries with reciprocal health care, many travellers believe the Australian Government will pick up the bill which isn’t the case. There are only a few countries with reciprocal health agreements with Australia! In this case, your travel insurance can covers overseas medical and hospitalisation for certain aspects but may still not cover medical evacuation such as ambulances or being flown home in a medical escort plane.   

Choose your own trip length. You can buy travel insurance to cover a particular period, or the whole trip.

• If you purchase a policy after departing Australia there is 72 hour waiting period of all claims. 

In case you’re travelling in and out of the country over the year, it is wise to consider taking out an Annual Multi Trip plan. This policy covers multiple trips up to 45 days back and forth from Australia. You’ll realise that it’s cheaper and cover is provided for each trip, not just one. 

There are situations where local hospitals are not outfitted to deal with certain serious medical conditions. This could be anything, from not having a surgeon with the right skill-set on hand to missing a particular anti-venom. If this is the situation, the hospital may need to transport you to a more readily equipped location. This doesn’t necessarily mean having to go back to Australia, it could just mean moving from a rural area to a city. Whatever the cause or situation, this kind of transportation can be costly and is another reason to  ensure your have adequate travel insurance coverage. 

 

nib may pay expenses which nib believe are reasonable and necessary to bring you back to your home in Australia, or to another destination of our choice.

The decision to evacuate or repatriate you is nib's and nib will not pay for any evacuation or repatriation expenses unless it is medically justified and you have received nib's consent.