What Happens If I Become Ill and Don't Have Travel Insurance?

The chance of becoming ill or having an accidentalHere are some examples of the cases that The
injury while on holiday is not always something aDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade has
traveller thinks about when planning an overseashandled.
trip. They assume they are fit and healthy.* An Aussie who was on holiday in Bangkok was
However, no one can predict what will happenhit by a car while he was enjoying a motorcycle
from one day to the next, especially when awayride. He fractured his leg really badly, and he was
from home. All Australians need to buy traveltaken to and admitted to the nearest local
insurance before they take a trip, especially ifhospital. His wife was on the trip along with him.
they are going abroad.This man did not have any kind of travel
Most Aussies have a fantastic time when theyinsurance, so he did not have any choice as to
travel overseas. Few of them realize that eachwhat hospital he was taken to, or the kind of
day of the year, the Australian consulate musttreatment he received. The hospital did not have
deal with the tragic death, injury, or hospitalisationdoctors on staff who knew how to do anything
of their fellow Australians who are abroad. Morefor this man except clean out the wound. Three
than 20,000 separate cases are handled thatweeks went by. The man's wife asked the
include more than 700 hospitalisations, over 600Embassy for assistance for her husband. Areas of
deaths, and over 100 evacuations of Australianshis shin bone had actually died, and the fractured
who must be moved to another location for theirends were not healing. The Embassy helped them
medical needs. Most of these people do not haveout by having the man medically evacuated to
any form of travel insurance, and therefore theyAustralia for admission to hospital. All of this cost
must deal with a personal tragedy, as well as ahis family a considerable amount of money.
large bill they did not expect to have.* Five Australians had a mini-van accident in Bali,
It can be very expensive for an Aussie in anotherand all were injured. The only thing that the
country to stay in hospital or be medicallyConsulate had to do to assist them was to offer
evacuated. For example, in Southeast Asia, it issupport and take care of the usual routine
typical for just one day in hospital to be morecontact with next-of-kin. All of the Australians
than $800, and the return of someone's remainsinvolved had travel insurance. The travel insurance
from Europe can cost more than $10,000. Acompany paid their medical bills in Bali and
medical evacuation from the United States canarranged for their medical evacuation back home
run anywhere from $75,000 to $95,000.to Australia.
Depending on where the patient's home is, and* A young Australian had been working in an
what needs to be done for the patient on theAmerican ski resort for about four months. He
way, the cost can go up to $300,000. However,then left the resort to travel around and see the
distance isn't always a sign that the evacuation willUSA. He knowingly let his travel insurance policy
be cheaper. There have been medical evacuationsthat he had taken out for a 12 month period
from our nearby "neighbour", Bali, which theexpire just a few days before he was to leave
consulate has dealt with that cost more thanto go back home. He somehow managed to get
$60,000!hit by a car while crossing a road. The young man
What's really sad is that most of these caseshad serious head injuries, and was unconscious
involved people who did not have travel insurance.when placed in intensive care. He had to have
Travellers who don't have insurance coverage arequite a bit of specialized care until he was able to
responsible for paying their medical bills as well asbe flown back to Australia. He had not regained
all costs associated with them. People have had toconsciousness and went home on a stretcher. It
sell their family home or their superannuation incost his family $80,000 just for the medical
order to transport their loved ones back home toevacuation. They were forced to get a second
Australia so they can get treatment.mortgage on their home in order to get this much
The message we are trying to pass along tomoney.
travellers in Australia is that you can keep* A young man from Australia went to the United
yourself from becoming one of these grimStates for an amateur surfing competition. He
statistics. Since illness and accidents are impossiblewas an experienced surfer, but misjudged a
to avoid totally, you definitely need travelwave during a practice session. The wave tossed
insurance! A good insurance policy also protectshim onto a reef and he was seriously injured. He
you against theft and the loss of your personalwas airlifted to a local hospital, when he
belongings while travelling. The Department ofimmediately had two major operations. The
Foreign Affairs and Trade says that " if you can'tyoung Aussie's hospital bill came to $290,000. It
afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel."was a stroke of good fortune that the young
When you choose a travel insurance policy, beman's parents had insisted he purchase travel
sure to check whether or not the insurance willinsurance before he left Australia. The insurance
cover claims that are made in the countries thatcompany covered the huge bill, and his family
the Department of Foreign Affairs and Tradewere able to spend time helping the young man
have recommended that no one travel to. Youwith recovery instead of worrying about how to
can always get up-to-date travel advice frompay the hospital bill.
consulting and keeping watch on their website.