Medical tourism: 3 times travel insurance covers you and 2 times it won’t
Key takeaways
- Around 15,000 Australians travel overseas for medical procedures each year, drawn by savings of up to 80%, according to the Victorian Government's Better Health Channel.
- Standard travel insurance generally excludes elective and cosmetic procedures, and any complications that follow, so if something goes wrong the cost usually falls to you.
- What's next: If you're considering a procedure overseas, research the clinic and surgeon carefully, read the travel insurance PDS closely so you know what's excluded, and factor in the cost of corrective treatment back home.
Cheap flights, a recovery holiday in the sun and a procedure at a fraction of the price you'd pay at home. It's easy to see why medical tourism sounds like the perfect dream for many Aussies.
Around 15,000 Australians travel overseas for medical procedures every year, spending an estimated $300 million annually on cosmetic surgery tourism.
There's no denying the savings are tempting, with as much as 80% off the price of the same procedure in Australia, with Thailand, India, South Korea, Turkey and Malaysia among the most popular destinations.
But if something goes wrong, the one safety net most travellers assume they have isn't there.
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The financial reality of medical tourism
While any surgery has its risks, going under the knife abroad brings on a whole other set of concerns, including limited continuity of care once you're back in Australia and no travel insurance cover.
There are some specialist medical travel insurers that specialise in this type of cover, however, most travel insurance policies specifically exclude anything related to elective or cosmetic surgery.
So if your procedure goes wrong, the cost of fixing it, whether overseas or home, generally falls to you.
The bottom line
Now we're not here to tell you what to do with your body, but you really should think twice before you head overseas for a medical treatment.
Medical tourism is dangerous, scams are common and if something goes wrong you could be on the hook for a massive overseas medical bill that won't be covered.
It's also worth noting that if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Wherever you're going and whatever the reason, don't travel without cover. You can compare a range of travel insurance policies with Finder and get a quote today.
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