Medical Travel Insurance

Australians travelling abroad enjoy free access to public health facilities in only nine countries. Any private health insurance you already have in Australia probably won’t help once you leave our shores.

If you need medical attention in every other country on earth, you’ll have to pay … and pay a lot.

The Australian government’s Smart Traveller website says “… the cost of medical evacuations from the United States regularly range from $75,000 to $95,000 and sometimes up to $300,000 ... and adds that “medical evacuations from nearby Bali … have exceeded $60,000.

And that’s just the evacuation. You also need to pay for treatment, which if you are hospitalised for a couple of weeks could easily reach tens of thousands of dollars.

Travel Insurance Guide

Popular Travel Insurance Categories

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North America including Hawaii, South America, Central America, Middle East, Arctic & Antarctic Circles.
Europe and the African continent (North Africa, Southern Africa and Egypt)
United Kingdom and Asia (UK, Ireland, Asia, Japan and the Indian sub-continent).
Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands
New Zealand, Fiji, Norfolk Island and Bali
for travel within Australia only

Not sure which region to choose?

Covers you and your dependent children or grandchildren under the age of 21 at the date of policy issue who are travelling with you.

Covers you and your travel partner named in the Certificate of Insurance and your dependent children or grandchildren under the age of 21 at the date of policy issue who are travelling with you.

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If you are not a citizen of Australia or a permanent resident, click here

Select your travel region

Hints & Tips:

When making the region selection, choose the region where you will spend the majority of your trip and this will also cover you for all other areas you travel to.

For example, if you are spending 3 days in Singapore, 2 weeks in the UK and 4 weeks in Europe, select 'Europe' as your destination and you will be covered in Singapore and the UK also.

Travel Insurance is the answer

As Smart Traveller warns, Daily hospitalisation costs in Southeast Asia regularly exceed $800; return of remains from Europe in excess of $10,000 and when “victims are not covered by travel insurance, such personal tragedies are further compounded by a long-term financial burden because “travellers who are not covered by insurance are personally liable for covering incurred medical and associated costs.

Don’t think this cannot happen to you. The Australian government says it handles “20,000 cases involving Australians in difficulty overseas every year, including “700 hospitalisations, 600 deaths and 100 evacuations of Australians to another location for medical purposes. Medical Travel Insurance is an absolute necessity.

Travel medical insurance can cover you for medical expenses incurred when you are overseas.

All Travel Insurance Direct’s overseas products include unlimited medical travel insurance.

There are some terms and conditions, like the need to let us know about any medical conditions before you buy our policies. And there are a few really, really dangerous sports we don’t cover.

Overall, however, our travel insurance products often feature lower excesses and cover more activities that many other insurers will not cover. We are also very competitively priced. Compare our premiums and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!



Medical Travel Insurance: Where is healthcare free?

Australians travelling to the following countries will be able to access public health facilities:

  • New Zealand
  • The Netherlands
  • The United Kingdom
  • The Republic of Ireland
  • Sweden
  • Finland
  • Italy
  • Malta
  • Norway

For further information on what these countries will and will not cover, please go to the Medicare website.

While these countries will treat Australians, you can still be out of pocket for many items, taking travel insurance is a very sensible option!

Travel Insurance Direct ® is a registered trademark of Travel Insurance Direct Pty Limited. Travel Insurance Direct ACN 121 659 470 AR 305589 is an Authorised Representative of Cerberus Special Risks Pty Ltd (Cerberus) ABN 81 115 932 173 AFS Licence No. 308461. This insurance is arranged and managed by Cerberus and underwritten by certain underwriters at Lloyd's. You should consider the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this product to ensure the product is right for you.