Travel insurance claim for $1.3m made by Kiwi in the US

The individual was faced with more than a million dollars worth of bills after suffering a head injury in the US. Photo / 123rf

Travel often ends up being a little more expensive than anticipated but one traveller overshot their holiday budget by $1.3 million after visiting the US in April.

Unfortunately, they were one of many who required emergency medical care while travelling this year.

Fortunately, the individual had travel insurance, so the $1.3 million was paid by Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI).

The insurance company was unable to disclose any further details about the claim but could share it was related to a head injury the person sustained while in the US.

It was the most expensive claim SCTI paid for an illness or injury during the first half of 2023, but wasn’t the only one.

The second and third most expensive claims were made by people holidaying in Bali; $255,000 for a back injury in June and $150,000 for a brain injury, also in June.

In comparison, a claim made following a biking accident in Australia for $15,000 seems marginal, yet could still put a traveller in a significant amount of debt.

Injury or illness a popular reason to claim insurance

Southern Cross Travel Insurance CEO Jo McCauley said injury or illness was the second most common reason travellers claimed insurance overseas from January 1 to June 30, this year.

“Thirty-nine per cent of our international claims relate to situations where customers have been hurt or have fallen ill outside New Zealand and require support in their holiday location, or even transfers back home.”

The issues spanned from chest pain to heart attacks, flu to Covid-19. The company had even received claims for sudden onset of depression and tummy bugs.

Costs for medical treatment overseas tend to be “substantial”, especially when travellers must be medically evacuated back to New Zealand, McCauley said, and it’s only become more expensive.

“We are finding air ambulance and related costs have risen significantly compared to pre-pandemic,” she said.

The most common international comprehensive claim made between January 1 to June 30 this year was related to flight disruptions. Almost 40 per cent of claims were related to a delayed or cancelled flight.