Overseas Medical Travel Insurance for Australian Travellers
When Australians tell us what matters most about travel insurance, the answer is almost always the same — knowing they are covered if they fall ill or are injured overseas. Go Insurance is Australian travel insurance built around that priority, and every policy quoted at goinsurance.com.au includes overseas medical expenses cover as standard.
Overseas Medical Expenses and Repatriation is compulsory cover on every level of Go Insurance leisure cover — it cannot be removed. Cover is unlimited for treatment received up to 12 months after the injury or illness first occurs overseas, and is subject to the PDS, including its excess, conditions and exclusions.
What You Get as Standard
The Cover No Australian Should Travel Without
A hospital admission overseas can escalate quickly — an ambulance, a private clinic, a specialist consultation, then the cost of getting home safely with medical supervision. These are the expenses that turn a difficult trip into a financial emergency, and they are the reason we treat overseas medical cover as the foundation of every Go Insurance policy rather than an optional add-on.
We have built a comprehensive medical travel insurance policy that does not cost the earth if your budget is modest but your plans are ambitious. Whichever level of cover you choose, the overseas medical benefit is the same — the difference between our plans sits in the optional benefits you add around it, such as cancellation, personal property and travel disruption.
What Overseas Medical Cover May Include
If you sustain a bodily injury, become ill or die while overseas during your period of insurance, this section covers the following reasonable costs, subject to the limits, conditions and exclusions in the PDS.
The Same Medical Cover on Every Plan
Go Basic, Go Plus, Go Elite and Go Ultra all carry the same compulsory core. You choose the optional benefits you want around it — you never have to trade away your medical protection to reduce your premium.
A Medical Team on Call, Around the Clock
Every Go Insurance policy includes 24-hour access to emergency assistance. Our medical team can speak with treating doctors in the local language, help arrange direct payment of large hospital bills so you are not left out of pocket, confirm that you are receiving appropriate treatment, and keep your family in Australia informed.
Where repatriation is medically necessary, they coordinate it — including the timing, destination and method of transfer, based on your medical need and where suitable care is available.
Reach the team any time on +61 7 3481 9880 or at sos@goinsurance.com.au. Full contact options are on our contact and emergency assistance page.
Travelling With a Pre-existing Medical Condition
Pre-existing medical conditions fall into three groups: conditions that are automatically covered and do not need to be declared, conditions that must be declared through medical screening, and conditions that cannot be covered under any circumstance.
What to Do If You Need Medical Help Overseas
Following these steps protects both your health and your claim. Contacting us early is the single most important thing you can do — our 24/7 emergency assistance team is on +61 7 3481 9880, and every way to reach us is listed on our contact and emergency assistance page.
Get Treatment, Then Call Us
Seek medical attention first. As soon as it is practical, contact our 24/7 emergency assistance team on +61 7 3481 9880 or email sos@goinsurance.com.au so we can support you and your treating doctors.
Contact Us Before Major Costs
You must contact us if you are admitted to hospital as an inpatient, or if you are likely to incur significant medical costs — the PDS sets out the threshold. You also need our consent before returning to Australia early or altering your travel plans. Call +61 7 3481 9880 at any hour, or +61 7 3481 9888 for general enquiries from overseas.
Use the Right Facilities
Where a Reciprocal Health Agreement applies between Australia and the country you are in, use those facilities where possible. If you want treatment outside them, we must authorise it first.
Keep Everything and Claim
Hold on to medical reports, invoices, receipts and referrals — treatment must be verified by a report from the treating medical practitioner. Then lodge your claim through our claims support page.
What Overseas Medical Cover Does Not Include
Like all travel insurance, this section has limits, conditions and exclusions. The key ones to understand before you travel are below — the PDS sets them out in full.
Your Pre-Travel Checklist
Overseas Medical Travel Insurance — Frequently Asked Questions
The questions Australian travellers most often ask us about medical cover with Go Insurance.
Does Go Insurance cover overseas medical expenses?
Yes. Overseas Medical Expenses and Repatriation is compulsory cover on every Go Insurance leisure policy, so it applies whichever level of cover you choose. It covers reasonable medical, surgical, hospital, ambulance and nursing treatment while you are overseas, subject to the excess, conditions and exclusions in the PDS.
Is overseas medical cover unlimited with Go Insurance?
Yes — overseas medical expenses, including emergency repatriation, additional travel and accommodation, and funeral expenses, are unlimited on Go Basic, Go Plus, Go Elite and Go Ultra. The cover applies to treatment received up to 12 months after the injury or illness first occurs overseas during your period of insurance. An excess applies to each claim.
Does Go Insurance cover emergency dental treatment overseas?
Yes. Emergency dental treatment is included on every level of cover for the immediate relief of pain and suffering, where the treatment is to healthy, natural teeth. The benefit limit differs by plan and is set out in the Schedule of Benefits in the PDS. Routine dental work, decay, cleaning and cosmetic dentistry are not covered.
Am I covered for medical treatment once I am back in Australia?
No. This cover applies to treatment you receive overseas. Medical, ambulance and dental treatment provided in Australia or in your normal country of residence is excluded, as is treatment received more than 12 months after the injury or illness first occurred.
Does Go Insurance cover COVID-19 medical expenses overseas?
Yes. Coronavirus COVID-19 cover is compulsory on every Go Insurance leisure policy and provides its own overseas medical expenses benefit, including emergency repatriation, additional travel and accommodation, and funeral expenses. COVID-19 claims are assessed under that section rather than the general medical section.
Do I need to declare a pre-existing medical condition?
You must declare any pre-existing medical condition that is not on our automatically covered list, or where you do not meet all of the automatic cover criteria. Some conditions are covered automatically and need no declaration; others must go through medical screening so we can confirm whether we can offer cover and on what terms. Our medical conditions page explains how screening works.
Who do I call if I need medical help while travelling?
Call our 24/7 emergency assistance team on +61 7 3481 9880, or email sos@goinsurance.com.au. You must contact us if you are admitted to hospital as an inpatient or expect to incur significant medical costs, and you need our consent before returning to Australia early. Failing to contact us may mean a claim is limited or declined.
Does travel insurance cover repatriation back to Australia?
Yes, where our medical advisers deem repatriation or transfer to be medically necessary. We may determine the timing, destination and method of transfer based on your medical need and where suitable care is available, and we can transfer you to another location or country if appropriate treatment is available there. To claim, contact us before you alter your travel arrangements and lodge the claim through our claims support page.