Repatriation is the process of returning a person home after a medical emergency or, at worst case, death. It's something we hope you never need.
The word ‘repatriation’ has a few different meanings but in the case of travel insurance, repatriation costs are the not the cost of medical treatment, but the cost of medical transportation back to New Zealand.
All 1Cover policies include coverage for repatriation/emergency medical evacuation (if you’re approved for this course of action).
If you’re sick or injured, we advise that you or a member of your travelling party call our Emergency Assistance Team as soon as possible.
Our medical team will liaise with the treating hospital, assess your case, and arrange repatriation/medical evacuation if it’s deemed necessary. Additionally, we may cover the costs for a family member or someone else to assist your repatriation.
The costs for repatriation can be very high and can run in to the hundreds of thousands. The reason it costs so much is that generally you won't come home via standard flights. You might need medical emergency aircraft or need a nurse, doctor or other medical support on your flight home.
There are also costs involved with any medical equipment you might need on the flight such as monitors, intravenous equipment or breathing assistance.
Below is a table with a rough indicator of how much an air ambulance back to New Zealand or Australia might cost. Please note these costs are indicative only. The individual costs for every case will vary.
| Country of Incident | Repatriation by Air Ambulance* |
|---|---|
|
Thailand |
$210,000 |
|
Bali |
$55,000 - $150,00 |
|
Japan |
$225,000 |
|
Fiji |
$65,000 |
|
USA |
$280,000. |
|
Europe |
$360,000 |
|
China |
$220,000 |
|
Samoa |
$70,000 |
|
Nepal |
$280,000 |
We hope this never happens to you, but if you’re overseas and facing a medical emergency, you will need to call our emergency assistance team. They will evacuate you to the nearest medical facility or repatriate you back to New Zealand with medical supervision (if necessary).
In the worst-case scenario, we’ll pay up to $15,000 per person for a funeral or cremation overseas, or we’ll pay to return your remains back to New Zealand.
Our team can also arrange for your children to return to New Zealand if they are left without supervision following your hospitalisation or evacuation, and we can also arrange for an emergency companion to come and accompany you home. Both these benefits are only available under select policies, and they’re only available if necessary.
If you don’t tell us about pre-existing medical conditions, and something happens to you that’s related to that condition, it might reduce or invalidate your insurance claim. That’s why it’s important that you disclose your pre-existing conditions at the time of booking your insurance.
We also can’t cover you for:
*The above is a summary.
Please refer to the Policy Wording for all the details on the coverage and terms of this benefit.
It’s important that you follow these steps so that we can properly assist you if you are sick or injured overseas.
We can arrange for an emergency companion to come and accompany you home if it is deemed medically necessary. This is decided by our emergency assistance team and the outcome is on a case by case basis.
Your next-of-kin should contact our emergency assistance team and they will advise on next steps. In the unfortunate event that you pass away, we’ll pay up to $15,000 per person for a funeral or cremation overseas, or we’ll pay to return your remains back to New Zealand.
Our emergency assistance team will work with the treating hospital to decide it’s necessary and safe to repatriate you back to New Zealand.
Provided you have purchased the Winter Sports Pack you may have a provision to claim for repatriation/medical evacuation, if our emergency assistance team decides it’s the most appropriate course of action.
Provided you have purchased the Cruise Pack you would have a provision to claim for repatriation/medical evacuation, if our emergency assistance team decides it’s the most appropriate course of action.
The cost of repatriation will vary widely depending on where you are and what happened to you. It could cost up to $350,000, but have a look at this table to see approximate costs for different countries.
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