Not all countries in the world have a great health care system as we do in Australia. Some destinations overseas may require you to have travel insurance with medical expenses covered because of laws specific to that country, high risk of sickness due to the climate or simply because you may participate in certain activities such as the Kokoda Trek in Nepal or Skiing in the French Alps. Knowing which countries you must have medical expenses coverage for will help when deciding what level of cover you need on your travel insurance policy.
Cuba
Cuba is considered an exotic and fun place where colour and festivities are the local norm. However lovely the country is, it is not recommended that you travel there without any travel insurance. .
If you enter without any travel insurance, then you will be asked to take out insurance offered by a local Cuban insurance provider at the airport upon arrival. This type of cover may not be as comprehensive as insurance provided by an Australian company.
UAE (United Arab Emirates)
UAE is considered one of the premier places for luxury and technological advances. With high skylines, intriguing cultural decadence and a love of beauty, the UAE is a tourist hotspot. Asthe UAE has grown so much in the past few years and more travellers are coming in and out of places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, these countries now have regulations in place that all travellers who enter must have travel insurance. This is to ensure that you are not served with large medical bills in case of medical emergencies.
You may want to consider taking out fully inclusive travel insurance to cover the potentially high health care costs for foreigners.
Greece
Greece is one of the 26 countries in the Schengen Area where Australians can stay for 3 months without having to take out a visa. In Greece, y that includes coverage for overseas medical expenses. Greece has no minimum age to drink alcohol, so when you are partying, please remember that most policies will have a general exclusion for any claim arising out the consumption of alcohol and drugs. To avoid being refused entry and having to pay expensive medical bills, it is important that you consider top cover travel insurance in tourist hot spot like Greece.
Other countries in the Schengen Area include:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Liechtenstein
United States of America
It is no secret that America’s healthcare system is not as advanced as the Australian healthcare system. From their pay disproportion to high crime rate, travelling to certain parts of America is not advisable without taking out wide-ranging travel insurance. Though the US is known for its diversity from state to state, it is worth taking out travel insurance at the very least for the expensive medical expenses.
Antarctica
Antarctica is not the typical destination that most travellers would be embarking on a journey to. Known for its abnormally icy conditions, travel insurance is. Standard health insurance is not sufficient to cover travel to Antarctica because of its remoteness. Emergency evacuations, repatriation and cover for overseas medical is highly recommended due to high costs associated with its remoteness.
Turkey
Turkey is known as a tourist hot-spot for expats. Though there are private and public health hospitals, both have treatments that are proficient. Europeans Union healthcare cards are not accepted in Turkey but free health insurance is available for people who are residents. Many areas in Turkey do not have adequate healthcare facilities to assist with severe medical treatment and the costs can vary widely, with payment expected to be up-front. Taking out travel insurance while in Turkey will alleviate some of the high medical costs that can occur.
