Travel Insurance for Health Emergencies
Find out why travel insurance isn't health insurance and learn the difference.
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This information is for all travellers except: Americans, Australians, Brazilians, British, Canadians, Irish, and New Zealanders.
Travel Insurance for Health Emergencies.
Travel insurance is there to help you when you need it most. If you've been involved in an accident or you've fallen ill and need medical care, our travel insurance policies can help patch you up and get you back on the road.
Just keep in mind that our policies are travel insurance policies not health insurance policies, and most policies don't cover pre-existing medical conditions. Make sure you read through your policy carefully to see how you can be covered.
So this isn't a health insurance plan?
No, it's a travel insurance policy. It's there for overseas medical emergencies. It's not designed to cover ongoing illness or treatment overseas, or any treatment when you get home.
What does travel insurance cover if I'm sick or injured?
If you’re injured in an accident or suddenly become ill while traveling, you can be covered for overseas emergency medical treatment including:
- Hospitalisation
- Day surgery and out-patient treatment
- Visits to registered medical practitioners
- Prescribed medicines
- Ambulances
- Extra expenses to get you home, if medically necessary
We also have 24 hour multi-lingual assistance teams who can guide you to the nearest hospital, arrange medical transport, set up direct payments to the medical facility, and keep you in contact with your family back home. Coverage may depend on your past medical history, what's happened to you and any other conditions, limits or exclusions of cover as described in your policy.
What’s not covered?
Travel insurance isn’t designed to cover everything. Common claims for overseas medical expenses we see where there's no cover include:
- If you've taken drugs or alcohol
- That rash you picked up while having hostel sex (ah, sorry)
- Where you've been acting like an idiot
- Non-emergency treatment that can wait until you return home (that's what your health insurance or national health coverage at home is designed to do)
- Pre-existing medical conditions
- Ongoing treatment at home
This is not a full list of what's covered and what's not covered. There are limits and conditions that apply, so for more information check out our articles on overseas medical coverage and adventure sports coverage, and read your policy carefully before you buy.
How to get medical assistance for health emergencies.
It’s essential that you get in contact with our emergency assistance teams as soon as possible, so that our teams can support you from the time your fall sick of get injured until the time you get home.
So that our Emergency Assistance teams can assist you quickly, please be ready with the following:
- Your policy number
- A contact number for where you are now
- The nature of your problem
- Your location
Loss of appetite.
My symptoms were intense headaches, high fever (39.7 degrees C by the time I reached the hospital in Kutchan on the 18th), nausea & vomiting, loss of appetite & energy, and diarrhoea. Although I'd initially thought it to be a common cold or stomach bug, it because progressively worse, until I was forced to visit the Kutchan hospital, (the nearest medical facilities with an English interpreter). After a thorough examination, they put me on a saline drip and took multiple blood samples to try to work out what was wrong. However, they were not able to confirm this, telling me that it could be influenza, acute gastroenteritis, or one of a host of other viruses.
Claim Paid. $296
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Protection
Protect your hard earned vacation from unexpected cancellation before you leave home.
- Explorer Plan: USD $10,000
- Standard Plan: USD $5,000
Trip Protection
- Unexpectedly hospitalised?
- Travel buddy unfit to travel?
- Close relative suddenly dies?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Overseas Medical Insurance
Take the pain out of medical costs while traveling overseas.
- Explorer Plan: Unlimited, up to 12 months
- Standard Plan: USD $5,000,000
Emergency Medical Insurance
- Need meds quick?
- Accidentally injured?
- Suddenly sick?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Transportation
We'll get you to hospital quickly.
- Explorer Plan: USD $500,000
- Standard Plan: USD $500,000
Evacuation and Repatriation
- Banged up abroad?
- Need a hospital urgently?
- Medivac home?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Cover your stolen or damaged gear and tech.
- Explorer Plan: USD $3,500
- Standard Plan: USD $2,500
Protect your gear
- Luggage lost?
- Passport pilfered?
- Tech trashed?
Help starts here.
- Overseas Medical & Dental Expenses
- 24 hour Emergency Assistance
- Emergency Medical Transport
- Repatriation & Travel Expenses
- Pre-Trip Cancellation
- Trip Interruption
- Resumption of Trip
- Travel Delay
- Missed connection (Explorer)
- Hijacking (Explorer)
- Baggage & Personal Items
- Passport & Travel Documents
- Personal Liability
- Rental vehicle insurance excess (Explorer)
- Personal accident (Explorer)
24/7 emergency assistance
Whether you need medical assistance or emergency evacuation, our teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
Phone:+353 21 237 8008 or +353 21 237 8003 (calls are not toll free. You can claim your itemised call costs)
FAQ
Here are our most frequently asked questions about overseas medical insurance. You can also find the answers to other questions in our Helpdesk or you can ask our customer service team.
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I'm at expat, but return to see family once a year. Can I buy a World Nomads' policy?
You can buy a policy for your return trip. However, if you intend to move somewhere permanently, you'll need health insurance
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Will I need medical records if I need to claim?
Yes. The team will ask for medical records before processing any medical claim.
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Does it matter if my receipts are in another language?
You can submit your claim with the receipts in another language. If the claims examiner requires you to translate it, they'll let you know.
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Is there an excess?
Most policies have an excess, so it's a good idea to check your policy.
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.