Medical repatriation and emergency evacuation

The Australian Government won’t take care of the cost of your medical treatment overseas,¹ so unless you’re covered by travel insurance, all medical bills will have to be paid out of pocket. Only 11 countries have Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RCHA) with Australia, and even then, not every medical cost may be covered.²

This means if you’re travelling outside those destinations, you will incur these medical costs. However, with travel insurance, these costs may be covered.

According to the Consular State of Play 2023-24 report, there were 538 consular cases for repatriation and 1,356 for hospitalisation and illness.³ Repatriation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so if you require emergency evacuation back to Australia for surgery to save your life, you could be seriously out of pocket.

Depending on your insurer and level of cover, you may be covered for the following:

• Emergency medical transport from your location via air or ground ambulance to a nearby hospital or back to Australia.
• Airfares on a medical flight, either an air ambulance (fitted with intensive-care medical equipment and a medical team) or a commercial flight (typically patients on a stretcher can take up to six seats).
• Emergency medical treatment, which may include hospital and surgery bills.
• Needing a nurse or medical professional as your medical escort to monitor your health during the trip.
• Transporting a family member or loved one to your location to stay with you if you’re unable to return to Australia as planned.

There are some instances where your travel insurance may not cover medical repatriation and your insurance claim will be denied. While these can differ between insurance providers, some common exclusions include:

• If you contracted some form of contagious disease.
• If you committed a crime of some sort, which would typically void cover.
• If you were intoxicated (consumed illegal drugs or too much alcohol).
• If you weren’t wearing a helmet or qualified to ride a vehicle (like a motorcycle or scooter) when the incident occurred.
• If your claim is related to a pre-existing medical condition you didn’t disclose, or could not be covered.
• If you need repatriation for COVID-19 related reasons and your policy doesn’t include COVID-19 cover.
• If you need repatriation from a cruise ship and you haven’t purchased cruise cover.
• If you need repatriation due to a winter sports related incident and you haven’t purchased ski cover.

Beyond regular medical repatriation services, you also may not be covered for things such as search and rescue costs, hospital and medical expenses after you arrive in Australia and expenses incurred after you decline medical treatment or go against the advice of the emergency assistance team.

It’s not something anyone wants to think about but being mindful of the possibility of death while you’re out of the country is worthwhile. The cost to transport a body can be significant, which is one thing an emotionally distraught family shouldn’t have to deal with.

Instead, repatriation can pay for the costs of getting the body back home. You may feel this is something you only need to worry about when you get older or if you have a pre-existing medical condition. However, it can be comforting to know you can embark on your adventure and not worry about creating problems in the future, should the worst happen.

In most cases, medical-only travel insurance will include repatriation and emergency evacuation as part of your policy, but you should check the PDS before you buy to be sure. This type of policy will typically also cover unexpected medical treatment and hospital expenses overseas, 24/7 emergency assistance and personal liability cover.

The first thing you need to do in an emergency is contact the relevant services and authorities. This means an ambulance or hospital for a medical emergency and the police in the event of a crime, for example. Once you’ve sought immediate emergency help, you should contact your insurer.

Most travel insurance providers (or their underwriters) have a 24/7 emergency medical assistance hotline for their customers to call when they’re in need. Your insurer may operate this hotline through their own internal emergency assistance team or by a global assistance company that they’re partnered with for situations like these.

They can assist with organising your care, including:

• Rescue by helicopter, car, ambulance, boat or plane – whatever suits your situation.
• Transport to a medical centre or hospital for emergency care.
• Medical repatriation to take you to the nearest or most appropriate hospital if there are no such facilities nearby or in the country you’ve travelled to.

Yes, you can be transported to another country should the need arise. In some cases, this may be vital to ensure you receive adequate medical care for your needs. If you’re taken to another nation, once you’re in a stable condition, you may then return to Australia.

Cruise ships have their own infirmaries and sick bays, but these facilities might not be adequate to help with severe medical situations. Should you need to be evacuated, your insurer can arrange an airlift and travel to the nearest adequate hospital.

However, a standard travel insurance policy won’t typically be enough to ensure you’re covered for medical treatment and evacuation on a cruise You’ll need to check you add cruise cover to your policy, which most insurers offer as an optional extra.

If your travel companions are listed on your policy, they’ll also be covered should something happen. If one person in your group is ill or injured, travel insurance can cover the costs of other listed persons’ altered travel plans.

If you’re travelling overseas without a return ticket, you may still be repatriated by your insurance should the need arise. However, the cost of your return ticket may be deducted from the benefits your insurer pays towards your treatment and repatriation, so you might end up paying for this cost yourself.