peewit

Is the insurance industry missing an opportunity here

I am over 70, have an Australian residents visa, but a British passport. I make annual long trips to Australia.

I am now in Australia and will fly back to England in a couple of months time.
I would like to get travel insurance just covering the journey for this one way trip covering a two day period.
In particular I would like medical cover for the three hour time that I am in the stopover airport (Singapore) even though I have no known medical issues.

I will be returning to Australia, but not for at least six months. Some Australian insurers provide cover but expect you to be making a short trip with a booked return flight.
Also if in the unlikely event of me having a medical issue in Singapore and the need for repatriation, then this would be to Australia and not to England as I would want.

I am sure that there are many others in my situation and the insurance industry seems to fail to provide the appropriate cover.

Can anyone help me with a solution ?

Maybe if I went to Perth and took the direct flight from Perth to London I could go without travel insurance ?

NickyC

Insure and Go here in Australia are very flexible in their offerings and they cover one-way trips for older people.
https://support.insureandgo.com.au/h...-one-way-trip-

I used them to cover my over-70 year old husband (with heart issues) on a trip to the US at a relatively reasonable cost.
Didn't have to claim so I have no idea what they're like to deal with but they do have a good Choice rating here.

The issue you will have is with the repatriation bit. In order to be repatriated to the UK I think you need to find a UK company to insure you. Some of the backpacker-type insurance companies (World Nomad, True Traveller and the like) offer flexible, one-way travel insurance for UK residents but they won't cover people over 65. Bit of a catch-22.

Insure and Go in the UK say they offer one-way insurance but you need to call them to organise. https://www.insureandgo.com/travel-i...avel-insurance

the troubadour

Unlike other threads I contribute to or formulate on this site, I'm afraid no words of wisdom on the travel insurance matter, apart from read the small print very well. Repatriation is a very expensive business in the case of a medical emergency, which I can only imagine, the insurance companies will go over with a fine comb in order to prevent payout.
Things like health checks prior to flying, including bloods, all need to be considered. One may assume over a certain age they will insist on proven up to date medicals from doctor.

I have insured with Insure and Go on a few occasions, but others as well. Never had to claim, so obviously all good. Prove in the pudding though. I have read mixed reports about most all travel heath insurance companies.

Pulaski

On the contrary, your "requirements" are quirky individually, and rolled up together make for an extraordinarily unusual package of specific needs. …. Not least the requirement for "onward repatriation". Who on earth wants that???

It sounds to me like you need to choose one of the insurance options available and accept that either (i) you are paying for coverage that you have no need for - e.g. paying for a longer period than you need, or (ii) the coverage, if needed, will give you something other your preferred outcome e.g. if you are so ill while in Singapore that you need to be repatriated you might have to accept that your incapacitated self will be sent back to Australia, and if your health and mortal wellbeing are so severely threatened that you need to be repatriated then there are worse outcomes that finding yourself alive and receiving medical treatment in Australia. Really, there are.

peewit

I did not realise that my situation was that unusual. I return to my birth country each year to visit my ageing parent (now 96) and so when I set off for England that is where I want to arrive. It does seem a bit extreme to have to pay for long term travel insurance covering a six month period when I only really need three hours of cover. It is a bit like buying a McLaren Senna supercar to drive to the local shops.

peewit

NickyC
Many thanks. I will check it out.

quoll

But you shouldn't be being covered by the NHS other than for essential medical care under the reciprocal agreement with your country of residence - Australia. You might get caught by that, they are being much stricter at checking eligibility these days.

OTOH I have a friend, over 70 who says (and I haven't checked fully) that she is covered for travel because she buys her ticket with American Express

Pulaski

This! Unless there is an explicit agreement to the contrary, NHS services are available only for residents of the UK. This applies irrespective of your nationality(ies), your mailing address, where you were born, the home(s) you may own, where your parent(s) live, how many years you paid taxes in the UK, etc.

​​​​​​​In short, you need travel insurance for the entire time you are outside Australia.

​​​

peewit

I am a British citizen and taxpayer and meet the residency requirements to remain so. Therefore I am covered by the NHS when in England. I also have an Australian resident visa and a Medicare card and that covers medical needs in Australia. The only time I would like the insurance industry to provide me with medical cover is for those few hours that I am in a stop-over airport whilst transiting between the two nations. Hopefully the insurance industry can provide this cover as it is supposed to let you pay a premium to provide for events that you do not expect to happen. For example, I have been coming to Australia for over 10 years and have never used the Medicare service.

Pulaski

It is highly unlikely that you meet the requirements to be resident in both countries, except perhaps fleetingly for one year as you transitioned from living (being resident) in one country to being resident in the other.

I presume that you don't willingly choose to pay income tax in both countries simultaneously, as income tax is based on an almost identical basis of you being resident.

​​​​​​​So if you are spending most of the year in Australia and fall ill while in the UK, you could find yourself with a very large bill if the NHS notices that you no longer meet their definition of being resident in the UK.

spuddyo

I use the Travel Insurance included in my VISA Credit card. So long as 60% or more of my travel is paid for on the card, I am covered and to be fair it's a bloody good policy and outlined in the PDS with ANZ. It covers domestic and international travel, hotels and even covers hire cars, so no need to pay out extra insurance at Hertz, Thrifty etc. I am surprised more people don't take advantage of it if it's part of their credit card contract. Family members travelling with you are also covered.

peewit

My Australian visa requires 24 months residency over a five year period. My maths tells me that leaves 36 months to be resident over five years in the UK. They require 183 days residency per year.

peewit

Many thanks, I will check it out

peewit

I have had a look at some credit card benefits. With the AMEX Platinum card that has a UK annual fee of 450GBP you get this :-

"Worldwide Travel Insurance provides cover for the Cardmember and supplementary Cardmembers, their respective partners and dependent children under the age of 25 (an “Insured Person”), whether travelling together or travelling alone on business and leisure trips of up to 90 days"

My trips always exceed 90 days.

I only have UK credit cards. I use a debit card in Australia. I cannot get an Australian credit card as I am retired with no Australian income.
Checking various UK credit cards it seems that their travel insurance offers are up-to the age of 70. I am 73

It does not seem that a credit card will provide the insurance cover that I would like at a reasonable cost.

Rete

I'm sorry to interrupt but being a Yank I read the header and thought it was about a 70 ounce resident LOL Only half the subject line shows at the beginning of the Australian forum.