Southern Cross urges young Kiwis to get covered before working abroad

“New Zealanders love to explore the world, so the past two years of the pandemic have been a pretty frustrating time for many as our borders remained closed – no more so than for younger folk keen to get out and enjoy the traditional overseas work experience,” CEO Jo McCauley said. “It’s really important though, that they consider protecting themselves with travel insurance.”

SCTI’s Working Overseas policy – which automatically covers office-based work and types of manual work for Kiwis intending to live and work abroad – has increased by 188% between February and June this year following borders reopening. It suits countries where it is mandatory to have travel insurance in place for certain visa applications, such as Canada.

Two of the most expensive SCTI claims under a Working Overseas policy have been for customers who needed extensive medical treatment while abroad, SCTI shared. A young skier’s compound fracture required extensive support in Canada and cost up to $50,571. In the USA, a customer in her 40s was rushed to the hospital when she had a cardiac arrest. Her extensive stay in the hospital and the pacemaker she had inserted cost $221,000. Even an instance of food poisoning could be expensive, reaching $17,000 for one SCTI customer in the US.

Working Overseas policy holder Warren Moore, who has set up a real estate business in Santo, Vanuatu, discovered the benefits of his travel insurance as he travelled to and from the island nation, recouping costs twice for travel affected by cyclone and aircraft maintenance in 2019, and a third time for an urgent eye issue that required him to return to New Zealand for immediate surgery.

“Despite recent improvements, healthcare is often unreliable in the Pacific Islands, and any medical evacuation is difficult and very costly,” said Moore. “The service my partner and I received from Southern Cross on every occasion was second to none and I would totally recommend purchasing a policy if working or travelling in the Pacific.”